Assessment of Sustainability of Rural Water Supply Schemes: The Case of cowdo in Meskanena Mareko Woreda
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Date
2003-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This study reports both theoretical and empirical findings on sustainability of rural water supply
schemes developed by Rural Community Water Development Organization (COWDO) in
Guragia Zone, Markanera Maroko Woreda in nine peasant associations.
Descriptive statistics on major household characteristics (household size, age, sex, marital status
and income) and key aspects or checklists of sustainability (bases for water delivery, community
participation, the role of local institutions in water development and management and institutional
support and technology) and rural water supply coverage were discussed.
The study has shown that sustainable service of rural water supply schemes is achieved when
external support agents (ESAs) have a package of sustainable community management of the
systems during implementation and after hand-over of systems developed.
As revealed by the study, the implementing local NGDO (Non-government Development
Organization) has managed to address the safe water supply need of about 35% of the total
population of the nine peasant associations in its development endeavor. It has also strived to
make the water supply schemes sustainable through training community technicians of hand
pumps, provision of education on rudiments of personal hygiene and environmental sanitation,
introducing cost sharing and cost recovery concept and other soft ware aspects of susta inable
RWSS (Rural Water Supply system). However, there are some issues like lesser women
participation in the development endeavor, inadequacy in equipping the community-level hand
pump caretakers, capacity building aspects .. etc. which the implementing organization needs to
give due consideration .
It is therefore, suggested that, among others, the implementing organization should properly
address the issue of women's participation in water management, upgrade its support in capacity
building of loca l institutions, properly equip community-level caretakers .. etc, in order to achieve
sustainability of the developed rural water supply systems.
Key Words and Phrases
Sustainability, Rural Water Supply, Community Managem
Description
Keywords
Sustainability;, Rural Water Supply;, Community Management