SOCIAL CAPITAL:

SECRET OF SUCCESS

OF WATER SUPPLY

SCHEMES

FAYYAZ BAQIR

COMMUNITY

ENGAGEMENT PROCESS

(PHED) Punjab adopts a policy to mobilize communities for

development, implementation, operation and management of

rural water supply schemes- 2005.

Establishes Community Development Unit (CDU) of PHED

An elaborate process of community engagement is designed

Existing Approaches to design and

implement a Rural Water Supply

Scheme

A) by elected representatives like Members of National and Provincial

Assemblies i.e. MNAs and MPAs; B) by surveys of engineering staff of

PHED or C) by community based need assessment conducted by CDU in

collaboration with the technical staff of PHED.

Traditionally politicians preferred to select the site of a scheme keeping in

view their vote bank; PHED gave preference to scheme at sites having

brackish underground water and a large size of population; community

based assessment focused on community’s willingness to takeover O&M

after completion of the scheme to ensure sustainability.

Component Sharing based on the

concept of Internal-External

DevelopmentInternal Development consists of infrastructure

development and service delivery at household and

lane level and External Development includes the

work at each tier above the lane. Under the

component sharing approach for provision of water

supply Government takes responsibility for External

Development. It includes the responsibility for

identifying, costing designing, financing, supervising,

managing and developing the source of water,

overhead reservoir and rising main.

Local CBO takes the responsibility for costing designing, financing,

supervising, managing, developing and maintaining distribution lines to

households, installing water connections, pumping water to beneficiary

households, issuing and collecting water bills and maintaining pipelines,

pumping machinery and overhead reservoirs. This provides the foundation

of Government

CRITICAL MILESTONES

1. CONTRACTOR’S OVERSIGHT

If WUC receives a copy of detailed estimates, it can conduct

technical oversight effectively and get the scheme completed

according to approved specifications. If the contractor

deviates from approved specifications, community may

refuse to take over the scheme.

2. BIDDING FOR CONTRACT

Lowest bidding is used as the sole criteria for awarding contracts. Track

record of the contractor and compliance with project specifications and

timelines are not factored in, in accepting the bids and releasing payments.

CONTRACTOR’S OVERSIGHT

When scheme implementation begins the contractor is required to perform

the Yield Test for trial bore. This test is the second most critical step for

ensuring access to clean source of water. If this test is not conducted and a

fake report is submitted contractor receives the payment without ensuring

the selection of appropriate water source.

CONTACTOR’S OVERSIGHT

After completion of the scheme, discharge capacity of water and

production is checked and entered in Measurement Book (MB). Without

entries in the MB contractor cannot receive payments. It is supposed to be

PHED’s confidential record but usually compiled by the contractors. This

is conflict of interest. It violates the spirit of community ownership and

leads to failed schemes.

If the contractor does not deliver according to the specification, department

might go for re tendering, take action against the contractor and recover the

payment made.

3. SELECTION OF SITE

One key flaw in most of the rural water supply schemes is selection of water

source far away from the village. This flaw can be overcome if water users

are consulted at the planning and inception of development phase. WASCO

has to endorse the water quality before release of payments and

subsequently take over the responsibility for regular water quality testing

4. COMPLIANCE WITH PROCEDURES

The procedures designed by PHED for ensuring community participation

and ownership is foolproof. It fails only where department functionaries

deviates from its own procedure. Community can check lack of compliance

with procedure if CDU performs its guiding and support functions

effectively.

CDU staff are contract employees, without communication budget and

without control on their vehicles. Support organization without any teeth.

5. Ensuring Sustainability

through water metering

Financial Indicator Amounts

Average Monthly Expense Rs. 170,000

Salaries

(2 pump operators, 1 meter

reader and bill distributor, 1

store keeper 1 maintenance

operator and 1record

keeper)

Rs. 50,000

Electricity Bills (2) Rs. 110,000

Maintenance, mobile phone

and petrol bills

Rs. 10,000

Average Monthly Income Rs. 175,000

6. TOOLS FOR COMMUNITY

MOBILIZATON

Dealing with contractors: Speak softly but keep a hard stick

in your hand

Water metering: an effective tool for revenue collection

Record keeping: another management tool for effective

community participation

7. Effective SUPPORT ORGANIZATION for technical

&social guidance