2.10 Operation and maintenance of emergency WASH facilities. Operation & maintenance and sustainability in vulnerable contexts

Transcription

1 Kenya WASH Cluster WASH in Emergencies Training Handout 2.10 Operation and maintenance of emergency WASH facilities Operation & maintenance and sustainability in vulnerable contexts Materials taken from: ACF-IN (2008) How to Make WASH Projects Sustainable and Successfully Disengage in Vulnerable Contexts; A practical manual of recommendations & good practice based on a case study of ACF-IN water, sanitation & hygiene projects Contents: 1. Complexity of emergency contexts - emergency, development continuum & Contiguum 2. Why it is important to consider sustainability in vulnerable contexts 3. Factors affecting sustainability of water systems 4. Specific sustainability challenges in vulnerable contexts 5. Useful documents for further reading 1. Complexity of emergency contexts - Emergency, development continuum & contiguum See the diagram on the following page 1

2 Emergency, development continuum & contiguum Features of programmes contributing to longer term sustainability Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) = Disaster Preparedness (DPrep) & Disaster Mitigation (DM) & Disaster Prevention (DPrev) Acute Emergency Natural disaster Conflict Complex Transitional phase LRRD Recovery Rehabilitation Post-conflict & DDR The grey area Chronic situations, structural crises, discrimination, neglect Protracted crises Different levels of the above contexts can co-exist (Contiguum) and situations can also fluctuate back and forwards Development (& DRR) Main focus Minimising risks and vulnerabilities to disasters and reinforcing capacities for response Activities which will contribute towards sustainability of WASH interventions Activities contributing to equitable and sustainable WASH across all contexts Prevention, mitigation & preparedness Communities identify vulnerabilities Designing appropriate strategies to reduce vulnerability Designing to minimise impacts of disasters Implementing DRR activities Ensuring survival & dignity Advocacy re populations who are discriminated against & designing specific responses which will strengthen own ability to sustain WASH Projects designed to make longer term sustainability possible (whenever possible & appropriate) Recovery, rehabilitation and working towards longer term development Reducing dependence on external aid Reintegration & stabilisation in post-conflict situations Supporting the re-establishment of community cohesion through management of WASH More emphasis on building links & capacity of local actors Govt, NGO, private sector Developing & strengthening partnerships Rehabilitating to minimise the impact of future disasters Projects designed to make longer term sustainability possible Longer term development and sustainability DRR should be part of this context Community managed projects, or community choice of alternative management models Training of community management skills, technical capacity, financial management Development of effective spare parts network More emphasis on building capacity of local actors Govt, NGO, private sector sustainability and respect for rights Involve communities at each stage of the project cycle leadership, representatives throughout community, vulnerable groups, technical personnel Listen to communities own expressed needs and learn about their own efforts to recovery try to support these rather than impose imported solutions Consider and respond to equity related needs gender and other equity related factors, age, ethnicity, PLWHA, disability, elderly, child, female h/h etc Working collaboratively with (ideally through) local partners wherever possible particularly Govt & local NGOs (may be challenging during conflict situations) Capacity building community members, Govt, NGO, networks, private sector Contributions to capacity building of national institutions likely to be more difficult in the emergency phase & also where there is discrimination 2

3 2. Why it is important to consider sustainability in vulnerable contexts 1. Many humanitarian and transitional contexts are not simple acute emergency contexts with large scale displacement and large scale threat to life, but most are complex, sometimes chronic, often fluctuating, and often affect people in their home areas. 2. Helping affected people get the most benefit from funding given on their behalf through helping communities be able to sustain their facilities over the longer term, is contributing to accountability to the beneficiaries. 3. Many agencies often work in the same areas of a country for a long period of time, not limited by the short time frames of donor humanitarian funding. 4. Not considering sustainability in programme design or considering the longer term impact of approaches used in transitional contexts can have wider longer term negative impacts for effective development in later stages. 5. The MDGs will never be met if money continues to be spent on infrastructure and projects and within a short period the benefit is lost through a lack of sustainability. 3. Factors affecting sustainability of water systems A range of studies have been undertaken which highlight a range of factors which influence sustainability. Key factors for sustainability of WASH interventions include 1 : External factors 1. Legislation, policies & political support. 2. Efficiency of intermediate level actors Govt, NGOs, private sector. 3. Availability of donors or funding sources. 4. Availability of spares and materials. 5. Standardisation of approaches across the sector. 6. Water resource availability. 7. Risks from natural disasters, conflicts & vulnerability. Internal factors (within communities) or affected by project design 1. Quality of leadership in the community. 2. Gender divisions, inequity & social cohesion. 3. Management capacities, baseline skills, education & capacities and an effective management system have been developed. 4. Existence & enforcement of rules. 5. Community sense of ownership & legal ownership. 6. Community commitment to the project, willingness & ability to pay for the capital costs of the project. 7. Existence of an effective management system for O&M and financing O&M. 8. An effective mechanism for collecting and managing funds for recurrent costs. 9. The community has the willingness & ability to raise money for major rehabilitation or replacement. 10. Appropriate service level & technology. 11. Systems appropriate to livelihoods. 12. Environmental sustainability. 1 Adapted starting from the key factors identified by Schouten & Moriarty, 2003, and modified following considerations in the four field work contexts of the ACF-IN research. 3

4 4. Specific sustainability challenges in vulnerable contexts Vulnerable contexts pose additional challenges to sustainability over and above those in developmental contexts. Some of these additional challenges are identified in the table below. Conflicts & areas with marginalised groups, neglected or targeted by governments Working with Governments vs ensuring political neutrality? Working with insurgents when they control certain areas? Neutrality of possible partner organisations? War damage, landmines, direct targeting water supplies Trained staff killed, displaced, unable to access areas Looting of pipes, transformers etc Disruption of power or fuel supply No spare parts, economy damaged Very high inflation, no ability to save Marginalised groups may have limited formal education, remoteness Changing population numbers forced or coerced displacement Resource based conflicts & communities badly affected by HIV/AIDS Particularly challenging for dryland areas & where competing livelihood bases Increasing populations following water improvements: Exacerbating conflicts, Increased environmental stress Death of trained people from HIV/AIDS Less funds available to elderly or child headed households Natural disasters Climate change changing patterns Repeated disasters & dependency Limited disaster preparedness & reduction Expense - disaster mitigation for protection works, earthquake resistant construction etc Loss of life including trained personnel 4

5 5. Useful documents for further reading Key useful documents: ACF-IN (2008) How to make projects sustainable and successfully disengage in vulnerable contexts; A practical manual of recommendations & good practice based on a case study of ACF-IN water, sanitation & hygiene projects specific focus on vulnerable contexts, post emergency, chronic, areas vulnerable to natural disasters, uses a range of case studies and recommends good practice Brikké, F (2000) Operation and Maintenance of Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Systems, A training package for managers and planners, IRC International Water & Sanitation Centre, WHO, Water Supply & Collaborative Council, Operation & Maintenance Network detailed with clear and useful info a useful tool for preparing training on community based O&M. Gardner, A, Greenblot, Joubert, E (2005) What We Know about Exit Strategies, Practical Guidance for Developing Exit Strategies in the Field, C-SAFE, A Product of the C-SAFE Regional Learning Spaces Initiative, Sept 2005 (CARE, CRS, World Vision, ADRA, USAID) useful document on exit strategies. Harvey, P.A. and Reed, R.A. (2004) Rural Water Supply in Africa, Building Blocks for Handpump Sustainability, WEDC - looks at the particular challenges to handpump sustainability in Africa. Has a section on spare parts networks. IIRR, ACACIA Consultants Ltd & CORDAID (2004) Drought Cycle Management; A toolkit for the drylands of the Greater Horn, IIRR, ACACIA Consultants Ltd & CORDAID excellent publication on understanding working in the drylands and drought cycle management. Schouten, T & Moriarty, P (2003) Community Water, Community Management; from systems to service in rural areas, ITDG Publishing - analysis of 22 community managed water schemes in 6 countries on four continents over a 4 year period. One of the most useful sustainability studies in past years. Soley, F & Thogersen, J (2002) O&M audit, A practical tool for sustainability, Sustainable Environmental Sanitation & Water Services, 28 th WEDC Conference, Kolkata (Calcutta), India, 2002 based on an O&M audit process used in Ghana (supported by Danida) some useful lessons for designing new O&M audit processes. Sugden, S (2001) Assessing sustainability the sustainability snap shot, 27 th WEDC Conference, People and Systems for Water, Sanitation & Health, Lusaka, Zambia, introduces the initial development and trials of the sustainability snapshot tools. Sutton, S (2004) Self Supply: A Fresh Approach to Water for Rural Populations, WSP, RWSN, DFID, November 2004 self-supply stepped upgrading by households at their own pace strong ownership, affordable and sustainable. Other useful: 5

6 Brikké, F & Bredero, M (2003) Linking Technology Choice with Operation and Maintenance in the Context of Community Water Supply and Sanitation, A reference document for planners and project staff identifies specific O&M requirements of a range of technologies. Cairncross, S & Shordt, K (2004) It does last! Some findings from a multicountry study of hygiene sustainability, in Waterlines Vol 22, No 3, January 2004 sustainability of hygiene practices. Carter, R (2006) Investigating Options for Self-Help Water Supply; from field research to pilot interventions in Uganda, WSP, RWSN, DFID, October 2006 examples of self supply in Uganda. Corsellis, T & Vitale, A (2005) Transitional Settlement, Displaced Populations, University of Cambridge Shelter Project, OXFAM includes disaster mitigation considerations. DFID (2005) Disaster Risk Reduction: A Development Concern, A scoping study on links between disaster risk reduction, poverty and development detailed study on the links between DRR & development and emergencies. ECHO DG (2005) Model Guidelines for Mainstreaming Water & Sanitation in Emergencies, Protracted Crises, LRRD and Disaster Preparedness Operations includes disaster mitigation & WASH. McGranahan, G, Njiru, C, Albu, M, Smith, M & Mitlin, D (2006) How Small Water Enterprises can Contribute to the Millenium Development Goals, Evidence from Dar es Salaam, Nairobi, Khartoum and Accra, WEDC small scale private sector providers for WASH. Musambayane, N & Lidonde, R (2000) Demand Responsiveness, Participation, Gender, and Poverty; Making the links with sustainability of water and sanitation programmes, East and Southern Africa Regional Synthesis report, WSP - identifies particular issues for sustainability as noted in the title. Nissen-Petersen, E & colleagues series of publications on technologies for dryland areas (funded by Danida) - Water from Dry Riverbeds; Water from Roads; Water from Rock Outcrops; Water from Roofs; Water from Small Dams. Sengsirichanh, V (2001) Assessment on Use and Sustainability of Past RWSS services in Lao PDR; Study organised by Nam Saat Central in collaboration with local partners, NGOs and ESAs presented at a national consultation workshop in Vientiane, 28 th March 2001 this publication along with a number of others details the MPA sustainability research in Lao PDR - highlights a range of findings in relation to sustainability of WASH in Lao PDR & useful for MPA methodology. Shordt, K (2004) Sustainability of hygiene promotion and education: a six country research study, People-Centred Approaches to Water and Environmental Sanitation, 30 th WEDC International Conference, Vientiane, Lao PDR particular focus on assessing sustainability of hygiene promotion. WaterAid (no date) Who s in control? DVD on committee vs small scale private sector managed, experiences in Tanzania hear from the communities themselves as to the strengths and challenges of each management model. 6