Community-managed,Demand-driven Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project Achievements/Implementation Updates
To increase ownership and sustainability, beneficiary communities, represented by water water supply and sanitation users' committees (WSUCs), implement schemes with the assistance of SOs. The community-based demand-driven approach to scheme identification, design, construction, operation, and maintenance moves the emphasis from the conventional supply driven development approach in order to increase beneficiaries' participation in decision-making, in implementing their decisions, and in sharing the benefits of the schemes.
The Board provides grant assistance to communities and SOs for the implementation of rural water supply and sanitation programs, which also integrates the following components:
- community organization and mobilization;
- non-formal education (NFE);
- health, hygiene and sanitation education (HSE);
- capacity building of SOs/SAs and communities;
- environmental management;
- school sanitation program;
- skill-based training;
- women's technical support service linking to income generation;
- micro-irrigation; and
- other programs to support sustainable and cost-effective water supply and sanitation development.
The Board follows a scheme cycle of about 37 calendar months required from SO and scheme selection to scheme completion. Each financial year a new batch of schemes with a new scheme cycle is introduced. Each scheme-cycle consists of three main phases as briefly described below:
The Pre-development Phase of a scheme lasts about 12 months and begins in October of any given year. Its main objective is to identify and select SOs and schemes that meet Board's eligibility criteria to enter into partner-ship between the Board, SOs and communities.
The Development Phase lasts about 12 months and begins in November of the second year with development phase contracts concluded between the Board and the SOs. In this phase, community organize institutionally and prepares scheme plan as a proposal for implementation phase. The community capacity would also be appropriately strengthened. Only those communities who successfully complete the development phase activities, and are willing to participate in the implementation phase, submit implementation phase proposals.
The Implementation Phase lasts about 13 months and begins in August of the second year. Tripartite implementation phase contracts are concluded between the Board, SOs and the communities, represented by WSUCs. The outcome of the implementation phase is the consolidation of all development and implementation phase activities, a completed and functioning water supply and sanitation scheme, and trained WSUC, VMW and community members to operate and maintain the scheme.
The Post Implementation (Follow-up) Phase lasts for 24 months after completion of the scheme. The primary objective of this phase is to follow-up on sustainability factors that include social, environment, institutional, finanical and technical matters. During this phase SO will conduct quarterly follow-up sustainability monitoring units and provide technical support required to the community.
