A FRAMEWORK FOR
ACTION WASH Sustainability 3-Part Webinar Series
September 27, 2014
RESOLUTION OF PROBLEMS WITH
WATER SYSTEMS: GUIDELINES FOR
IMPLEMENTING ORGANIZATIONS
September 17, 2014
Susan Davis, Improve International
What is resolution?
Resolution is the process of addressing
problems identified through post-
implementation monitoring and/or
evaluation.
Assumes that implementing
organizations are responsible for
responding when they find water
systems they have built are non-
functional or need major repair.
The case for resolution
• Water is a human right.
• To save lives and change lives, implementing organizations need to focus on the provision of good water services forever.
• Failed and abandoned water systems are a massive waste of investment – not only on the part of the donors, but also on the part of the community. Failed systems make poor people poorer.
• Many problems with water services are attributed to poor implementation.
Guidelines: for your consideration
The definition of guideline is a general
rule, principle, or piece of advice.
Synonyms include: recommendation,
suggestion, or advice.
Who are these guidelines for?
Implementing organizations, to include:
• Volunteer groups
• Church groups
• Civic groups
• International NGOs
• Local NGOs
• Community based organizations
• For profit contractors
Wait, shouldn’t governments be
responsible? • Resolution activities should
be a bridge to sustained,
locally-led services.
• Goal is for governments to
lead the way in ensuring
water services for everyone in
their countries.
• These guidelines and
approaches are intended to
move implementing
organizations toward that
common goal.
Where did these guidelines come from?
• Difficult to determine root causes vs.
symptoms, but repetitiveness of the
problems across the globe suggests that
there are common ways we can respond.
• Based on common failures and
recommendations from interviews, a
literature review, and the Resolution
Workshop Feb 2014
Overall guidelines
•First, do no harm. Understand and
address root causes of problems
instead of just repairing infrastructure
•Change measurements of success
•Be accountable to water users
Other measurements of success
• Organization’s contribution to the nation’s water goals
• Water-person-years:
http://www.sustainablewash.org/measuring-sustainability
• % households (or systems) in a district with ongoing basic
service level: http://www.ircwash.org/news/service-levels
Implementation guidelines
• Shift from implementation and rehabilitation to
facilitation, such as capacity building for
supporting service providers
• Collaboratively define and agree on roles and
responsibilities in ensuring ongoing services
• Improve monitoring to rapidly and accurately
identify areas for resolution
• Donors should show increased flexibility in
funding to support such efforts
Implementation – practical approaches
Extend implementing organization
responsibility past the project
Typical Project-Focused Approach Focus on Sustainability
Institutional guidelines
• Engage local governments and work within
national frameworks
• Collaboratively define and agree on roles
and responsibilities in ensuring ongoing
services
Institutional – practical approaches
• Advocate to governments
• Help strengthen local governments
• Facilitate post-construction support of rural community
water committees
• Stimulate local private sector to deliver services or
support service delivery
• Set up agreements with communities and service
providers on roles
• Enable accountability of service providers
• Organize isolated community water committees into
networks
Environmental guideline
Understand and plan water
services based on users’ multiple
needs and sources of water,
seasonal availability of water and
water resource management needs
Environment – practical approaches
• Encourage watershed protection activities
• Educate users and service providers on water
conservation
Financial guideline
Water services are not free - all
stakeholders must understand lifecycle
costs and agree on who will pay for
which costs
Financial – practical approaches
• Clarify water system life cycle costs
• Help service providers / water committees set and collect appropriate fees
• Help service providers install household water meters
Social guideline
Implementing organizations should make
their exit strategy and timeline explicit while
planning resolution activities with local
stakeholders
Social – practical approaches
Understand and stimulate demand for better
services
Technical guideline
Implementing organizations should
engage local governments and work
within national frameworks
Technical – practical approaches
Engage local governments and work
within national frameworks
Technical – practical approaches
• Strengthen or build
spare parts supply
chain
• Carefully consider
technology
applicability in context
http://www.washtechno
logies.net/en/
QUESTIONS?
Panelists
Raul Gauto, Fundación Avina
Ton Schouten, IRC
Nanette Barkey, Plan USA
John Sauer, Water For People
Draft Guidelines for Resolution • Overall
• First do no harm. To avoid making the same mistakes, NGOs must take time to understand root causes of
problems and address those instead of just repairing infrastructure
• To best serve users, NGOs, donors and governments must change the measurements of success from number
of new beneficiaries to contribution to sector, water-person-years, or households in a district with access to an
ongoing basic service level
• NGOs must be accountable to water users
• Implementation
• NGOs should shift from implementation and rehabilitation to facilitation, such as capacity building for supporting
service providers
• NGOs should collaboratively define and agree on roles and responsibilities in ensuring ongoing services
• NGOs should improve monitoring to rapidly and accurately identify areas for resolution
• Donors should show increased flexibility in funding to support such efforts
• Institutional
• Engage local governments and work within national frameworks
• Collaboratively define and agree on roles and responsibilities in ensuring ongoing services
• Environmental
• NGOs should be realistic about multiple uses and sources of water, seasonal availability of water and water
resource management needs in all resolution activities.
• Financial
• Water services are not free - all stakeholders must understand lifecycle costs and agree on who will pay for
which costs.
• Social
• Implementing organizations should make their exit strategy explicit while planning resolution activities with local
stakeholders
• Technical
• NGOs should engage local governments and work within national frameworks
Questions for You
• How is your organization already using the
guidelines?
• What are some examples?
• What are some challenges you see to
using the guidelines?
Continue the Conversation
WASH Sustainability Webinar Series archives
http://sustainablewash.org/initiatives/wash-
sustainability-webinar-series
HELP US ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS:
• WHO should be responsible for resolution and/or
post-implementation monitoring? Who pays? For how
long?
• HOW can we learn from the data and integrate those
lessons into current and future programming? How do
we address problems?
• WHAT resources, tools, frameworks, and approaches
should be used to resolve issues? WE ARE LOOKING FOR:
• Handbooks
• Surveys
• Case studies
• Checklists
• Evaluations
• Cost data
• Contract language (agreements between
service providers and community water
committees, sustainability clauses)
SUBMIT YOUR IDEAS TO:
List of resources:
www.WASHadvocates.org/learn/sustainability/merl