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:

sustainability@WASHadvocates.org

List of resources:

www.WASHadvocates.org/learn/sustainability/merl