Living with the privatization of rural water supply in Africa

✍ Scribed by Michel Mansard

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 405 KB
• Volume: 1999
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0262-1762
• DOI: 10.1016/s0262-1762(00)87677-4

✦ Synopsis

Africa has known many political and social upheavals. Water, even in times of stabatty, is a rare and precious commodity, but assumes vital importance during such troubles. Interruptions in the water supply can quickly create a crisis situation, demanding a rapid response f r o m relief organisations. These in turn need quick and easily implemented solutions. Offering the right technology is a good start, says Michel Mansard, but manufacturers also need to think about the long-term contract they can establish with the community that must eventually live with their equipment

A n u m b e r of West African States have b e g u n to transfer responsibility for water p o i n t mainten a n c e to individual regions and c o m m u n i t i e s . With this responsibility, may also come an added financial burden: in several cases, the actual ownership of water points and p u m p i n g e q u i p m e n t is being transferred to the villages they serve. C o m m u n i t i e s w h o require n e w w a t e r supply installations must often n o w be prepared to contribute part of the initial cost themselves, and to guarantee that they will maintain the facilities.

Recent i n t e r n a t i o n a l c o n f e r e n c e s have confirmed this trend.The c o m m o n conclusion is that sufficient financial resources will not be available unless more of the cost of water supply is b o r n e directly by the end-user.

If the provision of rural water supply is to be more responsive to people's needs, more affordable for both users and providers and also more sustainable in the long term, policy makers and programme managers a c c o m m o d a t e the following basic principles: II