Governance for water and sanitation services in low-income settlements: experiences with partnership-based management in Moreno, Buenos Aires

Abstract Within the framework for the realization of the human right to water and sanitation, States have the obligation to implement programs and public policies that satisfy the basic needs of their population, especially its most vulnerable demographics. In Colombia, this challenge has been addressed through policies that provide a determined essential amount of free water to people whose access to water and sanitation services are limited due to low income. Through a review of legal and technical documents as well as relevant literature, this article presents an analysis of the particular determinants involved in implementing this program in Bogotá and Medellín, as well as some related concerns. Among such factors, we discuss the evolution and changes of the tariff model used in service provision, estimates of basic consumption, the role of social movements and collective action, and user disconnection due to non-payment. The main particularities and differences of each case highlighted the inconveniences related to the method of identifying eligible users and applying assistance to beneficiary user groups, and the need for national guidelines in implementing this policy.

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Zero subsidy strategies for accelerating access to rural water and sanitation services

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2011.287 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 63 (5) ◽

pp. 1037-1043 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Peter A. Harvey

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Service Provision ◽

Low Income Countries ◽

Water And Sanitation ◽

Sanitation Services ◽

The Past ◽

Self Sufficiency ◽

Rural Water ◽

Sustainable Services ◽

One Year

Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) and Household-Led Water Supply (HLWS) are zero subsidy approaches to water and sanitation service provision that have been recently piloted in Zambia. The increases in access to sanitation and toilet usage levels achieved in one year under CLTS were far greater than any achieved in subsidised programmes of the past. Similarly, HLWS has shown that rural households are willing to invest in their own infrastructure and that they can increase coverage of safe water without external hardware subsidy. The promotion of self-sufficiency rather than dependency is a key component of both approaches, as is the focus on the development of sustainable services rather than the external provision of infrastructure. Zero subsidy strategies have the potential to deliver far more rapid increases in service coverage and higher levels of sustainability than the conventional subsidised approaches that predominate in low-income countries.

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Leaving no one behind? Analysis of trends in access to water and sanitation services in the slum areas of Nairobi, 2003–2015

Journal of Water Sanitation and Hygiene for Development ◽

10.2166/washdev.2019.174 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 549-558 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Claudious Chikozho ◽

Damazo T. Kadengye ◽

Marylene Wamukoya ◽

Benedict O. Orindi

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Well Being ◽

City Council ◽

Waterborne Diseases ◽

Water And Sanitation ◽

Sanitation Services ◽

Development Goals ◽

Key Barrier ◽

The One ◽

Slum Areas

Abstract Service provision backlogs in access to improved water and sanitation services remain a key barrier to the health and well-being of people living in Nairobi's slum areas. In this paper, we use quantitative data from the Nairobi Urban Health and Demographic Surveillance System to analyze the extent to which residents of Nairobi's slum areas have been able to access improved water and sanitation services from 2003 to 2015. This trend analysis reveals a slow but observable increase in access to improved sanitation facilities and garbage disposal services, while access to improved sources of water decreased. We conclude that the best scenario is the one in which all the three indicators have significantly improved during the period under consideration rather than having only some of them improving, while the others stagnate or decline. We recommend that Nairobi City Council and sector development partners refocus their attention towards increasing access to improved water and sanitation services in the urban low-income areas because lack of access to these essential services may expose people to waterborne diseases. It also threatens to leave behind a substantial number of people as the country moves towards the attainment of the water and sanitation-related sustainable development goals.

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Some Challenges for DEWATS Approaches in South Africa

Water Practice & Technology ◽

10.2166/wpt.2010.112 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Kathy Eales

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Wastewater Treatment ◽

Low Income ◽

Universal Access ◽

Water Security ◽

Infrastructure Development ◽

Water And Sanitation ◽

Sanitation Services ◽

Treated Effluent ◽

Sustainable Services

SA has set bold targets to ensure universal access to water and sanitation by 2014. One consequence of South Africa's comparative wealth is that government has substantial fiscal resources to fund rapid infrastructure development and service upgrading and subsidise a portion of the recurrent costs of water and sanitation services for low income households. More than 70% of the population now has at least a VIP toilet, and about 56% have sewered flush toilets. Government's commitment to improving sanitation services does not yet align with the municipal capacity to run sewered sanitation with centralised wastewater treatment as the default in all urban settlements. Decaying networks, sewer spills and rising levels of wastewater treatment failure are polluting South Africa's water systems and, in time, could compromise national water security in a context of growing scarcity. South Africa urgently needs to find lower cost, less skills-intensive ways of treating wastewater that have a reduced risk of failure and which meet people's need for robust, sustainable services. DEWATS approaches have significant merit. Implementation of DEWATS approaches in South Africa must take account of three main challenges:▪ The willingness of South African municipalities to consider alternatives to conventional sewering and wastewater treatment▪ The nutrient load of the final treated effluent, given the importance of safe-guarding river water quality in a context of growing water scarcity▪ Partnering and co-management dynamics in a context of state-centric supply-side service provision The paper reviews each in the context of a leading innovator in sanitation improvement in South Africa, eThekwini Metro Municipality. In 2010, the Metro will test the technical limits of DEWATS treatment efficacy at a purpose-built research site. The results will inform the utility's decision about whether to proceed with DEWATS from a technical perspective, and if so, how.

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Monitoring Methods for Systems-Strengthening Activities Toward Sustainable Water and Sanitation Services in Low-Income Settings

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12177044 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (17) ◽

pp. 7044

Author(s):

Daniel Hollander ◽

Brittany Ajroud ◽

Evan Thomas ◽

Shawn Peabody ◽

Elizabeth Jordan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

International Development ◽

International Organizations ◽

Low Income ◽

The United States ◽

Monitoring Methods ◽

Water And Sanitation ◽

Systems Approaches ◽

Sanitation Services ◽

Agency For International Development ◽

Systems Learning

To address the complex challenge of sustaining basic water and sanitation services in low income settings, international organizations and local and national government entities are beginning to design and implement interventions explicitly aimed at addressing system weaknesses. Often referred to as “systems approaches,” these interventions seek to understand, engage with, and positively influence the network of actors and the interacting factors that deliver services. As WASH sector assistance and support activities shift toward systems approaches, many associated intermediate results and desired outcomes become less quantifiable than those of more traditional WASH activities. This paper reviews systems approaches, evaluation methodologies, and several applications in East Africa, at varying geographic scales. Early findings from the application of outcome mapping and system-wide assessments within the USAID-funded Sustainable WASH Systems Learning Partnership (SWS) indicate the importance of including both within an overall monitoring approach to support systems strengthening of water and sanitation services. The views and opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and not necessarily the views and opinions of the United States Agency for International Development, or the U.S. Government.

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Water and sanitation policies for improving health in South Africa: overcoming the institutional legacy of apartheid

Water Policy ◽

10.2166/wp.2005.0038 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 7 (6) ◽

pp. 627-642 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Edina Sinanovic ◽

Sandi Mbatsha ◽

Stephen Gundry ◽

Jim Wright ◽

Clas Rehnberg

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Integrated Approach ◽

The South ◽

Financing System ◽

Water And Sanitation ◽

Sanitation Services ◽

Sanitation And Hygiene ◽

Access To Water ◽

New Policies

The burden of water-related disease is closely related to both the socio-economic situation and public health issues like access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene services. Poverty eradication, through improved access to water and sanitation, is the South African government's major priority. This is partly achieved through subsidising the cost of water and sanitation provision to the poor in rural areas. Whilst the new policies have made a remarkable impact on improved access to water and sanitation services, a general problem since the new approach in 1994 has been the lack of integration of policies for water and sanitation and health. This paper analyses the policies concerning rural water supply and sanitation in South Africa. It considers the structure of institutions, the division of responsibilities and legislated and financial capacity of the South Africa's water sector. A more integrated approach for the policies aiming at water access, sanitation and health is needed. In addition, as the local government's capacity to implement different programmes is limited, a review of the financing system is necessary.

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The how tough is WASH framework for assessing the climate resilience of water and sanitation

npj Clean Water ◽

10.1038/s41545-021-00130-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Guy Howard ◽

Anisha Nijhawan ◽

Adrian Flint ◽

Manish Baidya ◽

Maria Pregnolato ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Rural Communities ◽

Universal Access ◽

Small Towns ◽

Water And Sanitation ◽

Middle Income ◽

Sanitation Services ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Measurement Framework ◽

Low And Middle Income

AbstractClimate change presents a major threat to water and sanitation services. There is an urgent need to understand and improve resilience, particularly in rural communities and small towns in low- and middle-income countries that already struggle to provide universal access to services and face increasing threats from climate change. To date, there is a lack of a simple framework to assess the resilience of water and sanitation services which hinders the development of strategies to improve services. An interdisciplinary team of engineers and environmental and social scientists were brought together to investigate the development of a resilience measurement framework for use in low- and middle-income countries. Six domains of interest were identified based on a literature review, expert opinion, and limited field assessments in two countries. A scoring system using a Likert scale is proposed to assess the resilience of services and allow analysis at local and national levels to support improvements in individual supplies, identifying systematic faults, and support prioritisation for action. This is a simple, multi-dimensional framework for assessing the resilience of rural and small-town water and sanitation services in LMICs. The framework is being further tested in Nepal and Ethiopia and future results will be reported on its application.

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