A study on the effectiveness of Asian Development Bank funded water and sanitation projects in ensuring sustainable services for the poor Water for All (original) (raw)
Water, Sanitation and Health in Developing Countries: How Far from Sustainable Development?
World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, International Journal of Social, Behavioral, Educational, Economic, Business and Industrial Engineering, 2011
The availability of water in adequate quantity and quality is imperative for sustainable development. Worldwide, significant imbalance exists with regards to sustainable development particularly from a water and sanitation perspective. Water is a critical component of public health, and failure to supply safe water will place a heavy burden on the entire population. Although the 21 st century has witnessed wealth and advanced development, it has not been realized everywhere. Billions of people are still striving to access the most basic human needs which are food, shelter, safe drinking water and adequate sanitation. The global picture conceals various inequalities particularly with regards to sanitation coverage in rural and urban areas. Currently, water scarcity and in particular water governance is the main challenge which will cause a threat to sustainable development goals. Within the context of water, sanitation and health, sustainable development is a confusing concept primarily when examined from the viewpoint of policy options for developing countries. This perspective paper aims to summarize and critically evaluate evidence of published studies in relation to water, sanitation and health and to identify relevant solutions to reduce public health impacts. Evidently, improving water and sanitation services will result in significant and lasting gains in health and economic development.
The Environmentalist, 2003
Since the establishment, following World War II, of the ‘World System,’ by which the affluent industrialized countries established various international assistance agencies (including the multilateral development banks, UN affiliates, and Bilaterals), these assistance agencies have invested very large sums in helping finance planning and construction of community sewerage and water supply facilities in the developing countries. However, much of this large investment has been ineffective and wasted, primarily because of the lack of understanding by the staff of the assistance agencies that the design criteria for the facilities must be modified to suit the socio-economic status of the developing country. The developing countries are relatively very poor in terms of available finances, hence cannot afford to emulate Western environmental standards and design practices, especially as related to operation and maintenance, hence much simpler approaches must be used. Experiences in several Asian countries are discussed, and a recommendation is made on how to go about resolving this problem.
Scandinavian Journal of Social Medicine, 1987
There are several methodological problems related to evaluating the impact that improved water supply, sanitation and health education projects have on public health. Fifteen studies of intervention programmes, one by the present authors, are discussed. Since non-intervention studies of water supply are difficult to assess, a valid study design must include an intervention programme, even though such studies are more costly and time-consuming. Detailed descriptions of programmes, study plans, and analytical methods are often lacking, and different studies reach greatly diverging conclusions. It may be proposed that studies based on “weak” methodology give a more positive impression of improved public health after improvement of water supply than do before–after studies using comparison groups.
Learning what works: a 20 year retrospective view on international water and sanitation cooperation
1998
World Bank Research Project into low-cost technologies * The World Bank under the Presidency of Robert * First World Bank reseorch project to investigate low-MrNamara commited to addressing problems oF cos aternative approaches for water supply and poverty. Alternotves required to convenional sanittion.1 water/sniton systems which cannot serve he poor United Nations Water Confence, Mar del Plata, Argentine * A major UN corference establishes a worldwide * The 1980s are declared the International Drinking commitment to meet the basic needs of unserved Water Supply and Sanitation Decade. The UNDP-World Bank Low-Cost Water Supply and Sanitation Project-TAG o 1978 Populations with safe water and sanitation serices. * The first 'global projecf jointly supported by the * The Technical Advisory Group heIps design projects World Bank and UNDP i sel op us a contribution to using low-cost techno logies and eslablishes an the forthcoming Water Decade. investment 'pipeline' far donors. Teams and esperts 19 79 disseminate J-cost models, especially for sanitation, and assist in their application. _1 980 Handpump Testing and Development Project 0 1981 * The second major UNDP-Warld Bank global * The Project develops the concept of Village-level project: laboratory and field testing and teoh_ologival Operations and Maintenance-VLOM-as a key development of community handpumps. Field trials in criterion of handpump design. The Project reports its 1982 15 countries. Rural water supplies established as the findings in a seminal work in 1 9B7: The Handpump leading Water Decade achvity. Option. Project Preparation Units *PPUs set up in regional locations by UNDP/World * PPUs converted to Sector Development Teams in 19 83 Bank to help overcome shortage of well-prepared 1 984 to meet policy advice needs; became core projects for funding. UNDP-WB teams, later evolving into Regional Water/Sanitation Groups. International Training Network for Water and Waste Management (ITN) ° 19 84 1981-1990 International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade * The ITN is launched to help institutions in the * Audiovisual aids and manuals widely disseminated; * The UN Genera Assembly launches the Decade in * The Decade releases new funds and energy for developing world embrace the canvept of la-cost networking between seven ITN Centers established in 1 981 under the slogan: 'Water and Sanitation for services to reach the poor. Approaches undergo a approaches to wmter/sanitation and train personnel in Africa and Asia is centrally supported by the Progrom 19 85 All'. Its central purpose: to improve service coverage radival overhaul and the Decade is rated a sucess, their constrution and use, until 1994. and thereby seduce water and sanitaion-related with rural water supply coverage rising from 30% to ill-health. 50%. But populatin growth outstrips many gains 1986 UNDP-Warld Bank Water and Sanitation Program created-0 1987 0-International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Consultation. Interfaken, Switrenland * Consolidation of global projects funded by UNDP * Gradual development of regionally-based teams * A meeting of donors, developing country partners * Agreement so establish a Collaborative Council on and managed by the Warld Bank into the 'UNDP (RWSGs) in Africa (East and Westj, Asia Delhi, and and NGOs reviews Decade Progress and agrees Water Supply and Sanitation to provide am inter World Bank Water and Sanitation Program' later Singapore), to pan, design and implement principles and practice for expanded sector activiies national forum far exchange of views an key issues. projects and sector policies. 1988 to the year 2000. First Program Strategy * The Program ta focus strongly on 'sahwore' issues. * The Program gains reputation as a source of Strategy: jlj atcountry level, develop capacity and practical advice and guidan-e on how to put into 1989 eupand service delivery, through demonstration practice the lessons lerort during the Water Decade. projects and advice; (2j at international level, develop V 1990-1998 implementation models and disseminate experiences. see inside back covr q 9 78-1 9 9 8 Learning What Works A 20 Year Retrospective View on International Water and Sanitation Cooperation by Maggie Black Fm _ Contents I Prefa.re 2 Note y the author 4 n cctiono The historical context Par 3 The appropriate technology phase 1978-88 11 Key issues: Urban sanitation Community water supplies 14 Main Program activities: The low-cost water supply and sanitation project The handpumps project Lessons learned Evolutions in international thinking 26 Par' ' From 'hardware' to nsoftware' 1988-94 28 Key issues: Sustainability Community participation and the role of women Institution-building and human resources development 32 Main Program activities: The International Training Network (ITN) 'Scaling up' and demonstration projects: Kumasi, Ghana: new-style sanitation; Nigeria: the RUSAFIYA project; Bolivia: a 'scaling up' success The promotion of participatory activity Synthesizing lessons from the Water Decade Lessons learned Evolutions in international thinking
Towards Sustainable Urban Water and Sanitation Services: Barriers and Bridges
Sustainability, 2009
The Mar del Plata International Water Conference provided the first global assessment of the water sector. It was found that in most developing countries the state of water supply and sanitation services were deplorable. Consequently, a call for concerted action to improve coverage and efficiency of the water supply and sanitation sector was launched. This call resulted in the International Water Supply and Sanitation Decade (1981-1990). The Decade provided important lessons concerning effective methodologies to improve the state of the WSS sector. The paper discusses why the poor state of the water supply and sanitation conditions still tend to be the greatest development failure during the 20th century. The recipe for success was there, and the money was there. So, why were governments and big donors like the World Bank refusing to apply the lessons from the Decade? The basic conditions for success are spelled out, and some successful cases are used to illustrate these. The conclusion is that change is possible but that civil society organizations have to be empowered to make governments-feel the heat‖ and spend more money on water and sanitation, and to spend it more wisely.