KEEP THE WATER FLOWING

Post-Construction Support for Rural

Water Service Providers

UNC Water and Health Conference

October 29, 2015

INTRODUCTIONS

BEYOND FUNCTIONALITY

34%

2% 3%

38%

68% 74%

29% 30% 22%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Akatsi E Gonja Sunyani West

Water service levels - Ghana

Basic Substandard Broken down/not used

Source: adapted from Adank et al, 2012

BEYOND THE PROJECT

• Circuit riders

• Area mechanics

• Supply chains for spare parts

• Monitoring & water quality testing

• Professionalization of community water committees

• Associations of community water committees

• Smart pumps

Comparison of percentage of users receiving a basic

service level with maintenance expenditure per user

of different schemes

Source: (122)

Source: Burr et al, 2012

POST CONSTRUCTION SUPPORT COSTS

Comparison of % users receiving a basic service level with maintenance expenditure

per user

POST CONSTRUCTION SUPPORT KPIS

Source: Smits 2012

Frequency of support visits

POST CONSTRUCTION SUPPORT KPIS

30%

67%

70%

33%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Preventive maintenance not executed Preventive maintenance executed

Reliability of Handpumps in Ghana

Reliable Not Reliable

Source: adapted from Atengdem, Gyamfi, & Shahadu, 2013

Functionality of Water Points in Tanzania

Source: Holbro et al 2015

POST CONSTRUCTION SUPPORT KPIS

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Susan Davis

sdavis@improveinternational.org

www.improveinternational.org

Supported by

Different types of institutional support arrangements in India: synthesis of findings from 20 case studies from the Community Water Plus project

“Keep the water flowing”, UNC, 27th October 2015

Ruchika Shiva @IRCWASH

Supported by

Introduction & Rationale

• Challenges of sustainability & moving up the service delivery ladder in rural water supply

• Community management is “dominant” but has reached “limits” so needs to adapt or perish?!

• Community Water Plus investigates successful examples of community management to understand the institutional set-up and resource implications of effective support organisations

Supported by

Community Water Plus 20 cases across India

Supported by

Research Framework

CBM+ Direct with CI

CM+

High PROFESSIONALISATION OF COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT Low

Hig

h C

omm

unity

inv

olve

men

t L

ow

Community-Based Management plus

Community

Managementplus

Direct provision with Community Involvement

Urban-StyleUtilitisation

Institutional set-up at the Community Service Provider level

M

P

AP

KI & KII

KA O

HP

U

S

WB

J C

MP R

TN I & II

MG

GI & GII

End of Community Management?

?

Institutional Set-up at the Enabling Support Environment level

Typology Characteristics Cases

Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) Supported

Public agency, highly technical, implementation focus, low intensity on-going support for communities

Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Maharashtra

PHED-Local Government Institutions Supported

PHED with additional support from the PRI (local-government), PRI monitors and provides administrative support to communities, PHED provides technical support.

Tamil Nadu (x2), Sikkim

Reformed Rural Water Supply Agencies

Reformed PHEDs that provided integrated support – including both hardware and software support – within single public agency.

Gujarat (x2), Kerala

Public-Donor Partnerships International donors support public agencies with additional finance, technical expertise and monitoring. Public agencies operate as proto-RRWSA.

Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala

Public-NGO Partnerships NGOs in partnerships with public agencies to fulfill ‘gaps’ in provision or pilot new approaches.

Madhya Pradesh West Bengal Tamil Nadu (CEC)

NGO Supported NGOs act as primary ESE taking responsibility for both hardware and software support with minimal government involvement.

Orissa Andhra Pradesh Uttarakhand

Supported by

Institutional matching

Typologies

ESE/CSP

Direct Provision

with Community

Involvement

Community

Management Plus

Community

Based

Management Plus

Urban Style

Utilitisation

Comments

Public Health

Engineering

Department

(PHED)

✔ ✔ "Low participation"

PHED + Local

Government

Institutions (PRIs)

✔ ✔

"Direct provision or

voluntary

Community

Management Plus"

Reformed Rural

Water Supply

Agency

✔ "Professionalising

Community

Management"

Bri

dg

ing

Public-Donor

Partnership

✔ ✔ "Supporting

transition towards

professionalisation"

Public-NGO

Partnership

✔ ✔ "Lower stage

transition and

experimentation"

NGO ✔ ✔

"Learning, pilots,

small-scale"

Lo

ng

-ter

m s

cale

L

earn

ing

Discussion – but does the type of institutional model matter with wealth?

Supported by

• High-levels of specialist implementation support – including software component

• Integrating post-construction support into decentralised bodies (i.e. local government & bodies)

• Standardisation of support functions to ensure minimal benchmark

• Yet enough flexibility to provide ‘needs-based’ support (i.e. at times of disruption – local elections, VWSC staff migrating away from village)

• Monitoring functionality, auditing & water quality testing

• Across many case studies significant external subsidy for Operational Expenditure (i.e. energy subsidy, labour subsidy)

Common themes in successful support systems

Supported by

• Different institutional set-ups are found in successful community management programmes across India

• The most diversity in successful models is found in richer states indicating the type of model becomes less relevant in richer contexts

• Synthesis findings only emerging so much more to come – for further information, individual case study reports and updates please visit: http://www.ircwash.org/projects/india-community-water-plus-project

• Any further questions feel free to contact Ruchika, Stef Smits, IRC, at smits@ircwash.org, ruchika@ircwash.org

Conclusions

Victoria M. Cuéllar, MPH Circuit Rider Program Manager

@DRICIWAS

21

The Circuit Rider Methodology

The Problem

Donor organizations focus on infrastructure

Most small water systems struggle to provide a consistent safe water supply after implementation due to: Lack of funding Lack of qualified staff Weak governance Poor tariff settings Lack of supply chain for parts and supplies

The Circuit Rider Model Qualified traveling technicians

visit a number of water systems/ communities, providing support and assistance

Each Circuit Rider will visit 20 – 40 systems, 4 – 6 times over the course of a year

System A

System B

System C

System D

System E

System F

Services Provided Technical assistance on system repair, source water protection, and

water quality

Administrative assistance for improved governance and financial management

Capacity building to community water boards for WASH promotion activities

Support for integrated water resources and watershed management

DRI’s Center for International Water and Sustainability (CIWAS)

DRI has been involved in providing technical capacity building to water project staff in West Africa since 1991

CIWAS was created with a grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to address gaps that exist in knowledge, research, and human resource capacity that persist in developing countries, especially those that assist in reducing health related issues and design of sustainable WASH programs

DRI Circuit Rider Program

DRI’s Circuit Rider (CR) program will address capacity needs in developing countries by providing on-site assistance and on the job training in three key areas:

Technical

Managerial and Financial

Community and Water Resources/Watershed Management

Next Steps Adapt existing curricula to include sanitation and hygiene components

Include monitoring and evaluation (M&E) tools and the use of mobile technology

M&E of existing CR programs in Latin America

Continue to grow existing and create new CR programs across Latin America

Adapt the CR methodology to the African context

Proposed pilot in Ghana

The Circuit Rider Model in El Salvador: Improvements in

Drinking Water Quality & Sustainability

Georgia Kayser, PhD @UNC_Water_Inst

William Moomaw, Jeff Griffiths

Tufts University

Methodology

Selection of 60 communities

120 Interviews

252 Water Quality Tests

126 Residual Chlorine Tests

Key Informant Interviews

Collaborating Organizations 1. ASSA – Asociacion Salvadoreña de Servicios de Agua 2. IRWA – International Rural Water Association

Variable Control Circuit Rider

Private HH connection 91% 89%

Source water = ground water 56% 57%

Source water = spring 38% 32%

Pump used to access/distribute water 78% 82%

Average # HHs served 300 272

NGO constructed system 65% 75%

Average age of system 13 years 12 years

Distance from nearest paved road .68 km 1 km

Results: Water Contamination is More Common in

Control Communities

Statistically significant results, p < .05

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Control Intervention

Pre

sen

ce

Drinking Water Contamination E-coli (Presence/Absence)

TC EC

TC = Total Choliform EC = E.coli

50%56%

75% 71%

96%

25%

82%87%

Operators Trained in Disinfection

Negative Perception of Chlorine in Community

Presence of Village Water Committee

(VWC)

Women Participate in VWC

Control Circuit Rider

* = statistically significant p < .05

*

*

100%

31%

16%9%

100%

16%

39%32%

Monthly Water Fee % HH do not pay water bill

Transparency Meters

Control Circuit Rider

*

*

* = statistically significant p < .05

ñ

* *

The operating cost of ASSA: $50,000 USD/year

• Serve 51,000 households

Cost: < 1 USD/household per year.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Control Intervention

Pre

sen

ce

Drinking Water Contamination E.Coli (Presence/Absence)

TC EC

With the Circuit Rider Model

Less microbiologically contaminated water

Improved system sustainability • better financial, operational, and

technical outcomes • enhanced community acceptance

Low cost/household served

The CRM could be adapted and

replicated TC = Total Choliform EC = E. coli

FUNDERS

ORGANIZATIONS

Dr. William Moomaw, Fletcher School

Dr. Julie Schaffner, Fletcher School

Dr. Beatrice Rogers, Friedman School

Dr. Jeff Griffiths, Medical School

National Institute of Health

United Nations Forum on Forest Fellowship

Tufts University

Center for International Environment and Resource Policy

Thank You

Silvia Fiallos

Brianna Bond

International Rural Water Association, USA

Asociación Salvadoreña de Servicios de Agua, El Salvador

INTERVIEWERS COLLABORATORS

Kayser, G.L, Moomaw, W., Portillo, J. Griffiths, J.K. (2014) Post-Construction Support: Improvements in Drinking Water

Quality and System Sustainability in El Salvador. The Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development, 4 (3): 460-470.

Monitoring and Resolution Activities of MWA Members Following Project

Completion

Dennis B. Warner @MWAWater Sr. Advisor, WASH and Environmental Health Millennium Water Alliance Washington DC

Activities Essential to WASH Project Sustainability

Monitoring – routine and periodic collection of information on the real time functioning of WASH systems.

Evaluation – assessment of project outputs to determine if objectives are being achieved.

Resolution – correction of problems found to occur in WASH systems.

Learning – incorporation of lessons learned into ongoing practices to increase effectiveness and sustainability over time.

40

MWA Members Member Information Provided

Aguayuda Yes

CARE Yes

Catholic Relief Services No

Food for the Hungry Yes

Global Water No

Helvetas (Switzerland) Yes

IRC (Netherlands) No

Lifewater Yes

Living Water Yes

Pure Water for the World Yes

Water.org Yes

WaterAid Yes

Water4 Yes

Water for People Yes

Water Missions International No

World Vision No

41

Types of WASH Activities Implemented in MWA Projects

WASH Infrastructure: for communities, households, schools and clinics, including piped and non-piped water systems from boreholes, springs and surface water bodies; and individual and communal latrines and handwashing stations

Hygiene: promotion, awareness raising, health messages, behavior change

Capacity Building: training and support for communities and water committees to conduct systems management, finance, operation and maintenance

System Reporting: both routine and ad hoc monitoring and evaluation of system functionality

42

MWA Member Policies for Post-Completion Activities

Most members have official policies for post-completion activities:

8 members have policies

3 members do not have official policies, but in-practice carry out post-completion activities

Existing policies and practices emphasize monitoring, on both a regular and ad hoc basis, as well as project evaluations, project reporting and general technical support.

43

Post-Completion Activities of MWA Members

All MWA members carry out post-completion activities on their WASH programs. Most PC activities include monitoring, either on a regular (monthly) or ad hoc basis.

Water for People monitors WASH status annually during the dry season. Other activities include technical visits, interviews with community stakeholders,

evaluations and follow up assessments. The most comprehensive monitoring programs are carried out by CARE through its Governance into Functionality Tool approach, WaterAid through is Post-Implementation Monitoring Surveys, and Water for People through the Everyone Forever policy.

44

Priority Indicators for Post-Completion Project Functioning

MWA Members report that the PC indicators of greatest concern emphasize physical measures and financial issues. Nearly all rate functionality/service delivery as a critical indicator. In most instances

this refers to water supply systems, with sanitation facilities mentioned less often. Also highly rated are indicators dealing with finance (costs/revenues/budgets) and

community management (user involvement/water committees/management support).

Additional indicators of concern are the technical issues of infrastructure and water

quality. 45

Indicators Monitored by MWA Members

MWA Members monitor a wide range of PC indicators, especially technical issues, with greatest emphasis on the functionality of water systems and the use of sanitation systems.

Water system functionality deals primarily with continuity of service and equipment

operation. Use of sanitation systems includes usage of latrines and the cleanliness of latrines

and handwashing stations. Only minor attention was given to indicators of finance, community management

and user satisfaction.

As noted before, the most comprehensive PC monitoring activities are carried out by WaterAid and Water for People.

46

Constraints on Post-Completion Activities

Most MWA Members tend to experience similar constraints on their PC activities, mainly the lack of funds, staff and time. Externally-funded projects normally have little (or no) funding for activities following

project completion.

A lack of funding negatively impacts the availability of staff resources and the time they can devote to PC activities.

Another constraint is the difficulty in learning from PC activities.

Often, PC activities are carried out with internal, rather than direct project, funds.

47

Conclusions

MWA members perform a full range of WASH activities and all to some degree carry out PC activities.

MWA members either have official PC policies or informal practices for PC activities. Most MWA members carry out either regular or ad hoc monitoring; other activities

include evaluations and assessments. The priority indicators of PC project functioning are measures of service delivery,

finance and community management. Monitoring is most commonly carried out on the functionality of WASH systems,

including the physical operation of water and sanitation facilities, behavioral practices regarding household water quality, latrine cleanliness and handwashing stations, and management of water committees.

The primary constraints on PC activities are inadequate funds, staff and time.

48

Recommendations

As the sustainability of WASH projects is based upon continuity of services, greater attention should be given to PC monitoring, evaluation and resolution activities.

Monitoring of PC operations is the key to effective evaluations and the resolution of

problems. Therefore, WASH projects should routinely incorporate monitoring into their PC activities.

Since there are numerous aspects to project operation, implementing organizations

should adopt common measures for monitoring PC project functioning. Implementing organizations can and do learn from each other. Therefore,

information on PC project performance should be shared.

49

Q&A