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Case studies: Rural water supply in BeninPeter Hartmann, German Development Service DED Benin, 2001 Get the complete document (27 KB), downloaded or by e-mail in PDF format. Contents
Back to the list of case studies IntroductionAdequate drinking water supply for the world population is the basis for any effective sanitation, for economic growth and for development in general. It is one of the most important basic needs and contributes considerably to the quality of life. In spite of its extreme importance, a large part of the world population continues to have only limited or no access at all to safe drinking water. Following the Mar del Plata conference in 1977, the United Nations therefore declared the period from 1980-1990 as the "International Drinking Water and Sanitation Decade". By 1990 every human being was to have access to drinking water of good quality and sufficient quantity.
Strengths and Weaknesses - Lessons LearntIn general the community management system described works well for water distribution systems and recently constructed pumps and wells. The active participation of the villagers at all stages results in a strong perception of ownership. The water committee feels responsible for the management of the system and if not, the beneficiaries will complain, especially when there is a break down. However, all positions except for that of the caretaker and the water vendor are voluntary and it can therefore be difficult to motivate the members to do their job properly. Due to active encouragement, women now constitute about 30% of the committee members with rising tendencies. However, a more detailed analysis shows that their "favourite" positions remain those of the treasurer and hygiene promoter. It would be interesting to know how far this experience contributes their capacity building as well as a higher involvement and respect of women in decision-making processes at village level. The frequent visits by the NGO community workers guarantee that operation and management procedures function well. The NGO is paid by the project (which project? the programme? Donors?), hence in the long run there is a risk that the quality of community management may suffer. In certain villages, the community does not realise that they manage their water units for their own good and not for the sake of the community worker or the regional water office. A problem sometimes noted is that water-vending works well for the first few months of operation but after some time the money is no longer put into the water till or transferred to the bank accounts. The villagers do not see the necessity to have large sums on their renewal bank account because they are not really aware of the renewal costs. In order to add value to this money that is normally only needed after five to ten years, a system of offering short term credits to the villagers has recently been introduced as a test. Challenges for the futureToday, villagers are owners of their water supply systems. However, the property will be handed over to the district level with the process of political decentralisation; elections are expected to take place by the end of 2002. The future district mayors will be responsible for managing and maintaining the supply of drinking water within their districts. The national water directory is thinking about possible ways to strengthen the role and responsibilities of the existing water committees and water user associations in order to allow them to continue with the management of their water systems on behalf of the mayor. The future role of the regional water offices will be to advise the department mayor as well as the district mayors. On one hand, the national water direction and its regional offices will continue to be responsible for the general management of water as a basic resource. On the other hand, direct contacts with water committees and water user associations will decrease. Another challenge for the future is the continuing process of privatisation. In villages where voluntary work does not function, operation and management may be handed over to private enterprises or NGOs against payment. Local artisans and enterprises still need to be strengthened so that they are able to fix problems immediately.
Peter Hartmann, German Development Service DED Back to the list of case studies
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