The Global Water Forum (GWF) released an article titled ‘Prospects for achieving and maintaining universal drinking water services in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa' by Rob Hope.
The article presents evidence and best practice examples to inform water investments and policy, improve water services and contribute to the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) on water access.
15 October 2013: The Global Water Forum (GWF) has released an article, titled ‘Prospects for achieving and maintaining universal drinking water services in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa’ and written by Rob Hope. The article presents evidence and best practice examples to inform water investments and policy, improve water services and contribute to the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) on water access.
The article identifies financial, operational and institutional factors that contribute to successful maintenance and acceleration of water services: paying for water services; maintaining and monitoring water service operations; and appropriate institutions. Hope illustrates how the “Lifelink” groundwater model in Africa responds to these three risks by using a pre-paid user card (a closed-loop payment system), guaranteeing the system’s solar panels for ten years, and installing the system in communities to mitigate institutional risk. In addition, an open access website displays volumetric water consumption.
Hope also discusses challenges in addressing financial, operational and institutional risks. He notes system functionality and maintenance is lower when rural users do not pay for services, and stresses the importance of payment systems, particularly in rural Africa. In Kenya and Tanzania, water institutions use mobile technologies and payment systems to address operational and financial risks. Additionally, Hope states that water targets typically focus on access and ignore the less-glamorous maintenance, monitoring or service delivery aspects, leading to under-investment in sustaining results. Hope further observes long timeframes are necessary for institutional transformation, using examples from Uganda and Singapore. In India, he describes how one model overcame political opposition and skepticism and achieved universal piped water coverage.
The Global Water Forum (GWF) is an initiative of the UNESCO Chair in Water Economics and Transboundary Governance at the Australian National University. [Publication: Prospects for Achieving and Maintaining Universal Drinking Water Services in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa]