Indonesia: has the multi-subsector approach been effective for urban services assistance?

A 2010 evaluation by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) of its urban services projects in Indonesia revealed that the success rate of projects under the multi-subsector approach is 44% compared with 68% for other projects.

Until the late 1990s, urban infrastructure and municipal services (e.g., water supply, sanitation, and urban roads) in Indonesia were provided by respective line ministries which were centrally managed. Subsequent to the passage of decentralisation laws, urban municipalities and cities became responsible for providing such infrastructure as well as for securing the funds for them. As the local authorities lacked the capacity and the resources to match their new responsibilities, ADB and other organizations increased their efforts to support the urban sector. ADB expected that the multi-sector approach would lead to “cost savings in designing and implementing different subsector investments simultaneously in the same location or by integrating different stages of the service delivery in one project”.

Is the mainstream ready for output-based aid?

Projects that meet output-based aid (OBA) criteria have proliferated both within the World Bank Group and beyond, and perform better than non-OBA projects. So why are OBA projects still less than 10% of the Bank portfolio? Alan Johnson, a Senior Private Sector Advisor in the World Bank’s Investment Climate Advisory Services Group, poses this question his post on the Bank’s Private Sector Development Blog.

Lessons from sanitation initiatives in Bangladesh

A new World Bank study [1] identified lessons for improving cookstoves in Bangladesh through an evaluation of existing programs, the international experience on improved stoves, and the lessons from successes in the sanitation sector.

The sanitation lessons were drawn from an evaluation of the successes of Bangladesh’s Total Sanitation Campaign, conducted by a research team from the Village Education Resource Center (VERC). The research team was led by Md. Yakub Hossain, with support from Anowar Hossain Mollah, A. M. Hasan Rashid Khan, Md. Quamrul Islam, Subash Chandra Saha, and Samar Prasad Das.

Gender: female meter reader raises water revenues in Afghanistan

Hiring a female meter reader in a USAID-funded project in Afghanistan, resulted in 75 per cent increase in collected revenue in the first month. In the local cultural context, only a woman can access household meters during times when only other women are at home.

The U.S. Government is assisting four provincial water supply departments in Afghanistan to improve their productivity and financial performance. Ultimately, the departments will become self-sustaining commercial enterprises that can expand services and provide safe drinking water to Afghan citizens.

In Ghazni, USAID’s Commercialization of Afghanistan Water and Sanitation Activity (CAWSA) program, implemented by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), is working with the Ghazni Water Supply Department (GhWSD) to improve services. Until recently, there was only one meter reader for 819 meters serving almost 1,500 customers, and the GhWSD has been operating at a financial loss. In the three-month period ending in December 2009, customer payments covered less than 30 percent of the cost of water supply operations.

A female meter reader takes a meter reading and explains the importance of potable water and paying water bills on time. Photo: USAID/CAWSA

Mohammad Azim Muslim Jar, director of the GhWSD, believed that hiring a female meter reader would improve collection efficiency. In Ghazni’s cultural context, a woman would have access to household meters during times when only other women are at home. This change would avoid the need for frequent return trips to read meters. With USAID support, he hired and trained a brother-and-sister team to take on this responsibility.

The new meter readers set out to enhance revenue collection, identify and report illegal connections, motivate customers to pay on time, and encourage non-customers to apply for new connections. In addition to meeting ambitious initial performance targets, the meter readers identified five illegal water connections. These connections were legalized, and the new customers paid a total of 65,484 Afs ($1,310) to the GhWSD to compensate for past service.

In the first month of their tenure, the meter readers collected record revenues of 482,000 Afs ($9,640). This is a 75 percent increase over the prior month and covered 52 percent of operating costs. It is an excellent first step on the road to sustainable commercial operations and better water supply service for the people of Ghazni.

Related web site: USAID Afghanistan – Commercialization of Afghanistan Water and Sanitation Activity (CAWSA)

Source: USAID Afghanistan, 09 Feb 2010

Pro-poor policy and regulatory reform of water and energy supply services

Broad efforts at regulatory reform and increasing energy and water access may, but will not necessarily, help the poor, says an Asian Development Bank policy brief [1] published in April 2010. The poor often need specifically targeted interventions, measures, and approaches to ensure that they benefit from these efforts.

To implement pro-poor measures, reformers need to identify the poor, determine how they obtain services and what services they can afford, how they are are organised and what they want.

Pro-poor policy and regulation of utility services are directed toward providing poor customers with reasonable access to utility services at affordable prices and adequate quality, no matter where they are or who serves them.

The poor may be targeted in policy and regulatory design and regulatory reform by:

1. expanding access
2. diversifying service quality (or offering different levels of services), and
3. making prices affordable.

The policy brief provides an overview of measures in each of the above three categories. Though most of the examples come from the energy sector, the measures mentioned are generally applicable for both sectors. These range from different forms of subsidies to flexible payment schemes and good neighbour funds, and from use of low-cost technologies to a moratorium on lifeline disconnections.

Demand management through increased water and energy efficiencyand conservation is an important pro-poor measure.

Demand-side water management measures include water recycling; putting in automatic water flow restrictors; using efficient toilets and low-flow showerheads; and providing for seasonal variations in the water tariff. Supply-side water management measures include rainwater harvesting, efficient pumping, leak management, system automation, and metering and monitoring.

Regulators can conduct specific activities and take actions to promote pro-poor programs, through utility
service extension and pricing programmes, setting quality standards, encouraging water efficiency and promoting transparency and consultation.

Read the full policy brief:

Mulqueeny, K.K. and Badelles, A.D.A (2010). Pro-poor policy and regulatory reform of water and energy supply services. (Law and policy reform brief ; no. 3). 8 p. Download full brief

For further information on pro-poor policy and regulatory reform, contact

• Philip R. Daltrop, Deputy General Counsel, pdaltrop@adb.org
• Kala Mulqueeny, Senior Counsel, kmulqueeny@adb.org

Post-conflict reconstruction: lessons from Pact’s WRAPP Equatoria Program

The Water for Recovery and Peace Program (WRAPP) began in late 2004, after Pact Sudan received USAID funding for programming in Greater Upper Nile and Greater Bahr el Ghazel Regions. The WRAPP Equatoria program (April 2007 – June 2009) was an extension of the WRAPP program into 7 counties in Eastern and 4 counties of Central Equatoria States.

The WRAPP Equatoria program involved partnerships with Sudanese NGOs, INGOs and private sector contractors, with a strong focus on enhancing the capacity of local partner organizations.

Achievements

The WRAPP Equatoria program has accomplished the following major achievements: 92 new boreholes drilled, 70 borehole repaired, 19 springs protected, 22 hafirs expanded, 21 hand dug wells constructed, one eco-san public toilet and one school pit latrine installed, 280 household latrines dug, two rainwater harvesting schemes improved, and 23 different livelihoods improvement activities carried out. A total of more 230 Water and Sanitation Management Committees (WSMCs) have been established and took over the management of the facilities installed or rehabilitated.

The program is estimated to have benefited over 100,000 people including 30,000 returnees. Pact was able to leverage funding from other sources to achieve additional activities in Equatoria Region including: 14 boreholes (plus 5 under another OFDA award), 3 public latrines, 24 borehole rehabilitations and 2 SWDS schemes, estimated to be providing safe potable water and improved sanitation to over 30,000 people.

Dry boreholes

Drilling conditions in Equatoria are significantly more complex than other regions of Sudan. More than 70% of all unsuccessfully drilled boreholes in the national water point database are in the Equatoria region. Drilling in Equatoria must be supported by extensive hydro-geological and geophysical investigation. There was no existing detailed study, map or information on the geology of the Equatoria region. The program relied on individual knowledge of drillers and professional geologists’ advise and support to conduct geophysical studies in some areas suspected to be challenging and with scarce possibility of finding ground water. There needs to be a comprehensive study and mapping of the Equatoria region by the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation (MWRI). The program encountered a total of 26 dry boreholes. Second attempts succeeded in getting successful wells in 14 communities and in at least one case the third attempt yielded a good yield well. Multiple drilling attempts were costly, however, for both the drilling contractor and WRAPP.

Weak CBO capacities

The capacity level of CBOs in southern Sudan is quite low, and an average course of training was often insufficient to ensure that CBOs were prepared to carry out field activities adequately. The six CBOs selected to promote and implement hand dug wells didn’t have any previous experience in construction of hand dug wells, and therefore required an extensive training and technical support. Logistical complexities delayed organizing of the training, and the 2008 dry season was over before the start of construction by the CBOs.

In many cases construction materials, particularly for hand dug wells, had to be procured from neighboring countries, which carries its own challenges. Equipment not always in stock in the market at the required moment, tax and custom issues and transportation delays all pushed back the date when equipment and materials were delivered to the project site. Weak commitments and momentum by low capacity CBOs can also be a frustration.

Pre-construction awareness raising important for sustainability

WRAPP has been able to demonstrate that hygiene and sanitation awareness coupled with the installation of improved water facilities can trigger behavior changes in the community that will subsequently lead to a demand and initiative for sanitation facilities. At the same time WRAPP also discovered the importance of creating awareness about hygiene and sanitation in advance of the implementation of water facilities. This approach can guarantees a more enthusiastic participation, which leads to a higher level of acceptance and ownership by a larger group of community members, and supports greater sustainability of the program by reinforcing the link between water, sanitation and hygiene.

A role for returnees

Most returnees have been exposed to the practice of using sanitation facilities and knowledge of hygiene
awareness during their stay in either refugee camps or towns in neighboring countries. Returnees spearheaded the construction of household latrines in their host communities. They replicated what they had learned from outside and assisted in spreading hygiene and sanitation messages. Their active involvement was critical to spurring organic demand for improved sanitation.

Public latrines should be privatized

Pact observed that community management of public latrines didn’t yield positive, sustainable outcomes. WRAPP does not intend to continue the construction of public latrines until there is an improvement in the general public’s attitude toward public latrines. Some places like Kapoeta town have shown positive progress in maintenance and use by privatizing their public latrines, and WRAPP has been in discussion with community management committees and local authorities to convince them to privatize their public latrines. WRAPP will continue to discuss with the local administration in Kaya to privatize the eco-san public latrine built in this program.

Traditional courts

A key lesson learned is the benefit of resolving disputes that may arise during program implementation through traditional courts following community accepted culture norms. This involves communities in matters pertaining to issues around the program intervention and in a format they understand and find highly credible. This reinforces local authority and legitimizes local means of dispute resolution which can be critical to avoiding violent conflict over water and other resources and issues.

Eco-san public latrine constructed in Kaya (Uganda-Sudan border town). Constructed at the Truck parking yard to also serve immigration and customs offices. Photo: Pact

Success story: demand-driven household latrines in Kit One

Kit One is a small community in Magwi County comprised of Acholi returnees who had been living in Ugandan refugee camps during the war. Having been sensitized to household latrines during their time in Uganda, the community responded very enthusiastically to the household latrine project implemented by AWDA (Acholi Women’s Development Association). In addition to the 20 pits dug for the project, 40 other families also dug pits. In light of this demand-driven response for sanitation, WRAPP modified the grant to AWDA to add materials so that the additional 40 latrines can be built as well. In addition WRAPP delivered 15 plastic slabs from other areas where the CBOs have failed to distribute the slabs to household and supplied to AWDA. The 15 slabs were used to complete house hold latrines successfully.

Household latrine in Kit One supported by AWDA ( Mrs. Rebecca, AWDA leader, on the right). Walls and roof was later built by the households. Photo: Pact

Web site: Pact – Water for Recovery and Peace Program (WRAPP)

Source: Pact Sudan Country Program (2009). Water for Recovery and Peace Program Equatoria (WRAPP Equatoria) : final report. Washington, DC, USA, USAID. Download full report

Development aid and access to water and sanitation in sub-Saharan Africa

A study by the African Development Bank (AfDB) concludes that improved sector coordination and capacity building at the local level are some of the key elements to increase efficiency in the water and sanitation sector.

The AfDB study [1] examines the trends in access to water and sanitation in sub-Saharan Africa using secondary data, desk research and field research conducted December 2008 and March 2009 in Burkina Faso, Kenya, Madagascar and Uganda. The case studies are based on primary data collected from Water and Finance Ministries, as well as from meetings and interviews with beneficiaries of AfDB-funded water and sanitation projects.

At the current pace, the study calculated that access-to-water target of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will only be met in 2040, and the access-to sanitation target in 2076.

Between 2002 and 2007, aid allocation to water and sanitation projects increased from 0.9 percent of overall Official Development Assistance (USD 218 million) to 1.5 percent (USD 472 million). The AfDB loan and grant approvals in the water and sanitation sectors increased from UA 67 million (3.3 percent of total) in 2002 to UA 211 million (6.8 percent of total) in 2007. Over the same period, disbursements grew from UA 52 million to UA 109 million per year.

Country experiences indicate that the following elements are key to increasing efficiency in the water and sanitation sector:

• Improved sector coordination, with assignment of clear responsibility to one ministry accountable for progress in the achievement of water and sanitation targets;
• Increased integration between policy making, planning, budgeting and monitoring and evaluation;
• Increased focus on capacity building, especially at the local level, and for all stages of water and sanitation projects – from planning to procurement, to execution, monitoring and maintenance;
• Promotion of linkages among stakeholders, including government bodies and donors, and civil society organisations.

Experience further shows that countries that adopt well-designed water utility reforms are substantially improving access to services and making progress in financial capacity to sustain and expand the services.

Successful types of reforms include:

• The introduction of improved institutional frameworks, including the establishment of laws, rights, and licenses,
  and the definition of clear responsibilities of different actors
• The introduction of mechanisms for effective participation of stakeholders, and knowledge and information systems;
• The development and management of an infrastructure for annual and multi-year flow regulation – for floods and droughts, for multi-purpose storage, and for water quality and source protection;
• The use of operating contracts between the utility and the public agency responsible for supervising water companies;
• The establishment of clear accountability systems and the introduction of performance incentives for employees;
• The introduction of improved commercial systems, including metering and metered billing;
• The introduction of explicit models for delivering services to poor consumers, accounting for service sustainability and integrating the specificities of the local context.

[1] Stampini, M., Salami, A. and Sullivan, C. (2009). Development aid and access to water and sanitation in sub-Saharan Africa. (Development research brief ; no. 9). Tunis, Tunisia, Development Research Department, African Development Bank. 4 p. Download full text [PDF file]