understanding the service delivery approach: the political economy of delivering rural water

Supporting water sanitationand hygiene services for life

Understanding the Service Delivery Approach: the political economy of delivering rural water

Harold Lockwood

WaterAid, 23 October 2014

Rural water supply: we are making progress

• Tens of $ billions invested

• 800 million with new access 1990 – 2010 (JMP, 2012)

• Almost doubling of on-premise piped supplies

• New approaches and knowledge gained

In short , we have become pretty good at providing first time access

Millennium development goal

on safe drinking water reaches

target early.

SERVICE DELIVERY APPROACH

Universal access by 2030? ........ mind the “sustainability gap”


Current approaches to rural water supply are not working

Too many systems are non-functional at any one time or broken beyond repair

Commonly cited figures average between 30% and 40%

Africa: cost of failing handpmups

Information Collated by Peter Harvey, UNICEF Zambia, May 2007

Investment loss in sub-Saharan Africa of between US$ 1.2 to 1.3 billion over 20 years

~36%

World Bank data AfricaPercentage of rural water systems requiring rehabilitation

World Bank 2007. Africa Infrastructure Country Diagnostic Water Supply and Sanitation Survey Database.

Comparing coverage with actual service delivered

And non-functionality is just the tip of the iceberg (n=500)


hardware ≠ service

9

Structural challenges to development aid• Overwhelming focus on infrastructure provision

and coverage

• Unrealistic assumptions about financing, particularly for long -term recurrent expenditures

• Scale of intervention (community) cannot address systemic needs

• Incomplete and partial decentralisation combined with lack of incentives and political interference

• Rural sector reform neglected behind urban bias

• Lack of financing for rural water and failure to address recurrent costs

Challenges for governments

• Lack of engagement with government and investment to improve overall rural sector performance

• Poorly harmonised donors and NGOs

• Fragmented and ‘projectised’ approaches

Donors and NGOs also challenged

• 1 region

• 7 different programmatic approaches

• Different end-user experiences

• Marginalised government

Fragmentation of aid delivery

Nature of (some) aid is improving • Aid effectiveness principles and

commitment (Paris +)

• Country ownership and leadership

• Emergence of SWAps – 11 countries in Africa (AfDB, 2010)

• DP alignment with country systems (only moderate progress according to OECD)

Adopting a service delivery approach

to rural water

The concept of service delivery

An approach to the provision of rural water supply services, which emphasises the entire life-cycle of a service, consisting of both the hardware and software required to provide a certain level of water service

Source: Lockwood and Smets 2011


A new paradigm?


Source: IRC, 2011

Infrastructure Approach Service Delivery Approach

Investment (capital expenditure)

Investment (operational expenditure)

Service level

As sectors evolve, so effort, cost and institutional requirements also change

Source: Moriarty, 2011


As sectors evolve, so effort, costs and institutional requirements also change


Source: Moriarty, 2011

Danger zone:

as basic infrastructure is provided, coverage risks stagnating at around 60 – 80

National level government (may also be deconcentrated regional/provincial):•Policy, institutional and legal•Defining service levels•Regulatory and funding frameworks•Budgetary allocations•Asset ownership/management (in some cases)

Serv

ice

auth

ority

fu

nctio

ns –

In

term

edia

te

leve

l

Nor

mat

ive

and

polic

y fu

nctio

ns –

na

tiona

l le

vel

Decentralised government (district, municipality, commune):•Planning and coordination•Financing (taxes and transfers)•Monitoring and back-stopping, including technical support•Regulation (delegated)•Bye-laws•Asset ownership/management (in some cases)

Serv

ice

prov

ider

fu

nctio

ns –

sy

stem

leve

l

Consumers in rural household and communities

Utility managed

Delegated private sector

Communitymanaged

Municipal managed

Management Entity: •System operation•Maintenance•Administration•Financial management• Asset management• Consumer interface

Source: Lockwood , 2010

Moving towards service delivery• WASH services – beyond functionality

quality, quantity, accessibility, reliability

• A service is indefinite planning, financing, O&M, monitoring, support and reinvestment

• Scale matters district, regional and national

• Capacity development is at the centre

BUILDING BLOCKS FOR SERVICE DELIVERY


EXPLAINING TRIPLE-S AND THE SERVICE DELIVERY APPROACH

Professionalisaton of service providers

Move away from volunteerism; outsourcing some specialist tasks

Training and business practices

Building blocks for service delivery


Long-term direct support to communities

Technical support and oversight

Monitoring of services – regulation ‘light’

Access to goods and servicesBuilding blocks for service delivery

EXPLAINING TRIPLE-S AND THE SERVICE DELIVERY APPROACH Capacity support for LG and private sector

Technical support and oversight

Data aggregation and screening

Adherence to norms and technical standardsBuilding blocks for service delivery


Monitoring of service delivery

Service indicators(quantity, quality, reliability and accessibility)

Performance of service providers (operators)

Building blocks for service delivery


Life cycle cost analysis

Understanding recurrent and replacement costs

Direct support ~ $1/p/yr

Improved asset managementBuilding blocks for service delivery


Government vision and leadership is critical

Supporting water sanitationand hygiene services for life

For further information see: www.waterservicesthatlast.org/

Contact: [email protected]

http://www.waterservicesthatlast.org/


Empirical study of rural water supply sectors 2009 - 2010

Triple-S, 2009 – 2010 - http://www.waterservicesthatlast.org/

Source: Lockwood and Smits; 2011

Management models

• Community management still dominates• Higher coverage trends towards greater

diversity of management models• Higher population densities trends towards

more professionalised models

CBM is dominant but evolving Increasing trend from volunteerism towardsprofessionalised management:

• Out-sourcing of specific functions (Honduras, Sri Lanka)

• Applying good business practices (Programa de cultura empresarial Colombia, USA)

• Full out-sourcing of O&M and administration for more complex systems (Ghana, South Africa, USA)

WSDB with PO

Utility management

Intermediate private providers

Independent private

providers

Self supply

Community management Private management

Direct WSDB

Single towns piped

scheme

Small town bulk

water scheme

Multi town piped

scheme

Basic High

Community Ownership and Management (COM)

Basic

Other CM models

High BasicHigh Basis

Piped scheme

Utility management

Holding tank with

standpipe

Urban Water Board

Water tanker

Holding tank with standpipe

water vendor

tanker operator

Limited mechanized

borehole

Basic

Water Health Centre

Private company

Ghana: many management options

Source: IRC and Aguaconsult; 2010

WATSAN committ-ee

Population size System Management model

< 2,000 Point source Water and Sanitation (WATSAN) committee2,000-5,000 Non-mechanised systems (e.g. gravity fed

water schemes)Water and Sanitation Development Board (WSDB) supported by skilled artisans from within the community, whose services may be procured when necessary on a retainer basis (indicated as “option 1” in the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) Small Towns O&M Guidelines).

5,001-10,000 Simple boreholes, gravity fed or slow sand filtration based piped systems

WSDB with certified/reputable firm carries out specialised functions as and when needed or, preferably, WSDB with contracted firm/firms performs specialised functions on a periodic basis

> 10,000 Communities served with complex water supply systems

WSDB and a contracted firm (private operator) operate and maintain the water supply system

Population size

System Management model

<2000 Point source Water and Sanitation (WATSAN) committee

2,000-5,000 Non-mechanised systems (e.g. gravity fed water schemes)

Water and Sanitation Development Board (WSDB) supported by skilled artisans from within the community, whose services may be procured when necessary on a retainer basis (indicated as “option 1” in the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) Small Towns O&M Guidelines)

5,001-10,000 Simple boreholes, gravity fed or slow sand filtration based piped systems

WSDB with certified/reputable firm carries out specialised functions as and when needed or, preferably, WSDB with contracted firm/firms performs specialised functions on a periodic basis

> 10,000 Communities served with complex water supply systems

WSDB and a contracted firm (private operator) operate and maintain the water supply system

Ghana: CWSA management options

Alternative models emerging • Self supply increasingly recognised and supported -

Ethiopia, Thailand, Uganda - and is a reality to improve sub-standard services almost everywhere (14 million people in the USA rely on self-supply)

• Public Private Partnerships, especially for piped schemes and rural growth centres - O&M contracts to private firms – Ghana, Burkina Faso, Uganda

• Important implications for capacity of local government to design, let and manage delegated contracts

Evolution of management models

Management approaches

Popu

latio

n de

nsiti

es a

nd s

ervi

ce le

vels

Rural, highly dispersed

Rural, (village)

Rural, growth centres

Voluntary based

Semi-professional

Fully professional

Self supply

Community based

management

Delegated contracts

Public or private

utilities

Professionalization of community management - or “CBM plus”• Limits of volunteerism – higher standards,

business approaches and efficiencies

• Demands greater clarity of legal status and asset ownership

• More and better long-term external support

• Increased need for oversight and regulation

understanding the service delivery approach: the political economy of delivering rural water

Government & Nonprofit