Sustainable services at scale

Harold LockwoodAlana PotterChristophe Nothomb

TunisJune 2011

African Development Bank

Water and Sanitation Department - OWAS

SUSTAINABLE SERVICES AT SCALE

WATER SERVICES THAT LAST …2

BACKGROUND TO TRIPLE-S AND WASHCOST

Triple-S: a six year research project 2009 – 2014

WASHCost: a five year research project 2008 - 2013

Both managed by IRC in collaboration with partners and both funded by BMGF as part of their WASH learning

And both rooted in tackling long-term challenges of sustainable WASH service delivery


SUSTAINABLE SERVICES AT SCALE OR ‘TRIPLE-S’

Seeks to contribute to shift from “infrastructure perspective” to service delivery approach for rural water sector through: Action research in Ghana, Uganda, Burkina

Faso (USAID) – interest in Mozambique, Ethiopia, India and Honduras

Works with government and sector stakeholders Research, documentation and dissemination International partnerships and advocacy


WASHCOST

WASHCost focus on improving understanding of true costs of sustainable service delivery:

Action research in Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mozambique and India (AP) to develop methodologies to assess life-cycle costs

Research partnerships – works closely with government

Rural and peri-urban water, sanitation and hygiene


1990 to 2008: coverage increased from 1.59 to 2.32 billion (JMP 2010)

Tens of billions of dollars invested

Evolving approaches: VLOM, community management, DRA, post-construction support

Testing new elements: gender, supply chains, water resource protection

MUCH EFFORT AND PROGRESS MADE


About 730 million still un-served (JMP 2010)

88% of investment required for recurrent costs (GLAAS 2010)

Unacceptable failure rates

Waste of investments and health, dignity, well-being and livelihoods affected

BUT MANY CHALLENGES REMAIN 30% - 40%

of hand pumps in Africa are not functioning


SO WHAT HAS GONE WRONG?

@Akvo

2. Financing focused on initial construction and not lifetime costs

3. Lack of investment to improve overall sector capacity

1. An obsession with coverage and building infrastructure at the scale of the community


SO WHAT HAS GONE WRONG?

4. Weak WASH sectors – lack of incentives, political influence and corruption

5. A donor-dominated, fragmented and competing sector


INCREASING COVERAGE IS NOT THE WHOLE STORY

Breakdowns, failures, non-functionality, slippage ........... a

tipping point which is now a threat to achieving the MDGs?

Build on current progress, but shift from implementation to service delivery


THE SERVICE DELIVERY APPROACH

Implement

Upgrade

Service Delivery Approach

UpgradeReplace

Implement Implement Implement

Implementation approach

Time

Service level

Investment (capital expenditure)

Investment (operational expenditure)


UNDERSTANDING THE REAL COSTS OF SERVICE DELIVERY

Capital expenditure: one-off investments in hardware and software (CapEx)

Operational and minor maintenance expenditure: planned small repairs and maintenance (OpEx)

Capital maintenance expenditure: large, lumpy rehabilitation and replacement costs (CapManEx)

Direct support: regular support to communities and operators (ExpDS)

Indirect support costs: policy development, ministries (ExpIDS)

Costs of capital: interest on loans (CoC)


MAKING SUSTAINABLE SERVICES WORK AT SCALE

Shift focus from infrastructure to a service delivery perspective

Strengthen sector capacity at all levels for learning, innovation and internal policy development

Move from development partners working in isolation to improved harmonisation and alignment


WHAT DOES THIS MEAN IN PRACTICE? - SOME BASIC BUILDING BLOCKS

Professionalising CBM:• Clarify policy & legislation• Separation of functions• Support business culture

Recognise alternative management models:• Local private operators• Support to self-supply

Learning and innovation:• Permanent support to learning (funding)• Creation of platforms at national and local levels

Capacity support:• To service providers, including CBM• To decentralised local government


WHAT DOES THIS MEAN IN PRACTICE? - SOME BASIC BUILDING BLOCKS

Asset management:• Clarify asset ownership • Updated asset inventories• Asset risk forecasting

Planning for life-cycle costs:•Capital maintenance costs• Direct and indirect support costs

Support to aid harmonisation:• SWAp • Funding mechanisms – basket, MTEFs

Monitoring service delivery:• Measure services not just access• Support performance mgt.


Working collaboratively and building on what already exists (‘80 - 20’ rule)

Always with and through national government leadership

Recognising the importance of the political economy in change

Bringing and sharing lessons and documentation from outside

Leveraging investment resources

“A systemic approach is required to solve complex problems”

HOW TRIPLE-S WORKS


HOW TRIPLE-S APPROACHES SECTOR CHANGE

ANALYSING SECTOR PROBLEMS

Collectively analysing problems and challenges facing the sector at scale

Collectively identifying potential gaps and solutions across the whole sector (taking a systemic approach)

IDENTIFIYING POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

COLLABORATIVE REFLECTION AND

LEARNING

TAKING LEARNING TO SCALE

Action research and piloting to address the key bottlenecks and trigger issues at different levels

Collectively applying learning and proven approaches at scale across different levels in the sector


Sits in CWSA and key sector fora Supports CWSA to strengthen

sustainability of its investments (government, donors and loans)

Piloting and demonstrating new modalities – monitoring indicators, review of bye-laws, regulation etc.

Taking learning results to scale Leveraging World Bank $75 million

loan

“CWSA is making a paradigm shift in its approach to rural water supply from focus on project to delivery of services.”

Chief Exec. CWSA

TRIPLE-S IN GHANA


Partnerships and coalitions – World Bank, WSP, USAID, Global Water Challenge (charter), RWSN

Research and documentation - 13 country study and building blocks series

Learning and training events in USA, Europe, Australia

Technical inputs and support - JMP monitoring consultation in Berlin, IADB, RWSN vision

HOW TRIPLE-S WORKS INTERNATIONALLY


POTENTIAL ASPECTS FOR COLLABORATION WITH AFDB

At country level: In Ghana – cooperation with Triple-S and

WASHCost ain support to World Bank loan In Ghana – collaboration on second round

of RWSSI In Mozambique, work with DNA to

implement PRONASAR, RWSS SWAp In Ethiopia link with new CDF/COWASH

project


POTENTIAL ASPECTS FOR COLLABORATION WITH AFDB

At institutional or strategic level: Share lessons on sustainability challenges

and solutions (i.e. ‘sustainability check’) Joint documentation of case studies and

knowledge management Work on monitoring indicators at

programmatic level (similar initiative with IADB under discussion)


WATER SERVICES THAT LAST

www.waterservicesthatlast.org

http://www.waterservicesthatlast.org/

Technology

Sustainable services at scale