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From 1994 to 1998, IRC, the Netherlands, together with six partner organisations in six countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, carried out participatory action research (PAR) on community management of rural water supplies. This was done with 22 selected communities that showed an interest in finding out more about water supply management. This research was triggered by a number of principles related to community management as adopted in the New Delhi Consultation in 1990, reinforced in the Nordic Fresh Water Initiative and the Dublin Statement on Water and Sustainable Development, and integrated in Agenda 21 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992. To consolidate desk research and field studies and to provide guidance on this subject, IRC in collaboration with UNDP, UNICEF, WHO and the UNDP/WB Water and Sanitation Programme organised an international workshop in November 1992: the Role of Communities in the Management of Improved Water Supply Systems. Up-to-date practical experience from a variety of countries was presented and a document, Community Management Today, was produced that brings together this experience and the results of desk research. The workshop called for more insight in Community Management issues and the IRC participatory action research (PAR) intended to deal with this. The project was funded by DGIS, the Department for Development Cooperation of the Dutch Government. Approaches, methods, and tools were to be developed to enhance the capacity of rural communities to manage their own water supply systems in a sustainable manner, with appropriate back-up support and guidance by support agencies. The four-year project took place in four rural communities in each of the countries. The communities already had water supply systems levels and represented a range of environmental, socio-economic and cultural conditions, as well as a variety of levels of service and of management performance. The project researchers and community members systematically assessed a number of typical problems with current management practices. This improved the understanding on community management of rural water supply systems and allowed for the development of effective approaches for the communities to manage their water supply systems for long-term sustainability. Research findings have been documented carefully. This web-site is one of the channels for dissemination of these experiences. It also includes experiences gained through other projects and programmes. |  |
Dudee, main character in Pakistan video, Hasis
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