Publication: How Well is the Demand-Driven, Community Management Model for Rural Water Supply Systems Doing? Evidence from Bolivia, Peru and Ghana
No Thumbnail Available
Published
2009
ISSN
1366-7017
Date
2012-03-30
Editor(s)
Abstract
This paper reports the main findings of a multi-country research project designed to develop a better understanding of the performance of community-managed rural water supply systems in developing countries. Data were collected from households, village water committees, focus groups of village residents, system operators and key informants in 400 rural communities in Peru, Bolivia and Ghana. Our findings suggest that the demand-driven, community management model, coupled with access to spare parts and some technical expertise, has come a long way toward unraveling the puzzle of how best to design and implement rural water supply programs in developing countries. In all three countries, rural water supply projects were working. Among the households included in our sample in Peru and Bolivia, 95% had operational taps at the time of our field visit. In 90% of the villages in Ghana, all project handpumps were still working. Not only had the rural water systems not broken down, but almost all the households in these communities were obtaining at least some of their water from the systems. However, some households were also still using water from other sources. In Ghana, 38% of households still reported using water from unprotected sources (e.g. springs, river, open wells) for drinking and/or cooking. Another troublesome finding is that rural households in the sample villages are paying very little for the improved water services and, as a result, the finances of many village water committees are in poor shape.
Link to Data Set
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Citations
- Cited 150 times in Scopus (view citations)
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication Post-Construction Support and Sustainability in Community-Managed Rural Water Supply : Case Studies in Peru, Bolivia, and Ghana(Washington, DC, 2009-06)This volume reports the main findings from a multi-country research project that was designed to develop a better understanding of how rural water supply systems are performing in developing countries. The author began the research in 2004 to investigate how the provision of support to communities after the construction of a rural water supply project affected project performance in the medium term. The author collected information from households, village water committees, focus groups of village residents, system operators, and key informants in 400 rural communities in Bolivia, Ghana, and Peru; in total, the author discussed community water supply issues with approximately 10,000 individuals in these communities. To the surprise, the author found the great majority of the village water systems were performing well. The findings on the factors influencing their sustainability will be of use to policy makers, investors, and managers in rural water supply.Publication Sustaining the Benefits of Rural Water Supply Investments : Experience from Cochabamba and Chuquisaca, Bolivia(2008)Many rural water supply interventions in developing countries have been marked by a poor record of sustainability. Considerable progress has been made over the past several decades on the development of lower-cost technologies that are easier for communities in developing countries to maintain and also on improving project design and implementation to enhance sustainability of outcomes. Less attention has been given to the necessary and sufficient supports for water system maintenance in the postconstruction period. This study explores the contribution of various types of postconstruction support (PCS) to the sustainability of rural water supply systems in Bolivia. Using regression and matched pair statistical analyses, the effects of PCS on water system performance and user satisfaction with service are modeled. Communities that received management-oriented PCS visits from external agencies, and those whose system operators attended training workshops, had better performing systems than communities that received no such support. Engineering-oriented PCS visits to communities had no measurable impact on system functioning or user satisfaction.Publication Evaluating the role of postconstruction support in sustaining drinking water projects : Evidence from Peru(2008)This article assesses the impact of postconstruction support (PCS) on the sustainability of participatory, demand-driven rural water projects in the Cuzco region of Peru. This Study evaluates ninety-nine villages from two water supply schemes-projects built under a social investment fund program and those built under a nongovernmental program funded by the Swiss government. Overall, the study finds that the projects are performing very well. Multivariate regression analysis suggests that household- and village-level PCS is linked with financial performance, overall household satisfaction, and attitudes toward long-term future performance after controlling for project and community determinants of sustainability.Publication Post-Construction Support and Sustainability in Community-Managed Rural Water Supply(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2009-06)Water projects in developing countries are inaugurated with great fanfare by the governments, lenders, and sponsors that make them possible; the projects' results, however, don't always receive the publicity of groundbreaking ceremonies. This study reports the findings of a multi-country research project intended to discover how such rural water supply (RWS) systems actually perform. Its emphasis was on how performance was affected by post-construction support (PCS) to communities after project completion. Information was collected from households, village water committees (VWCs), focus groups of residents, system operators, and key informants in rural communities in Bolivia, Ghana, and Peru. Approximately 10,000 individuals registered their opinions. The great majority of the systems were found to be performing well; the factors influencing their sustainability should help policy makers, investors, and managers around the globe who plan rural water systems.Publication Rural Income Generating Activities: Whatever Happened to the Institutional Vacuum? Evidence from Ghana, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Vietnam(2009)This paper assesses the current rural development practice against the main trends in recent rural development thinking, based on evidence from four country case studies. While much progress has been made in understanding the need to look beyond only agriculture for the promotion of productive activities in rural areas, and the "institutional vacuum" consistently identified in the rural non-farm (RNF) literature is gradually being filled, much remains to be done. One aspect on which more research is particularly needed is the development of better mechanisms to promote productive investment rather than just social investment and to assess the appropriate level--community, regional, and national--at which to do this.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
No results found.