Community-based Approaches in RWSS

1. Community-based Approaches in RWSS Experience of Azerbaijan, Chile, and Morocco OlenaFadyeyeva, Sr. Country Officer, World Bank

2. CHALLENGES IN IMPROVING RWSS SERVICES: • Improving utilities’ performance is crucial to ensure continuous service, which affects both the quality and quantity of water available to end-users as well as the utility's financial sustainability • Addressing social and financial considerations in the design, planning, and implementation of water and sanitation policies and facilities to keep services affordable for the poorest • Tariff policies and strategic financial planning involving governments, service providers, end-users, and donors are important for ensuring sustainable water and sanitation services for all

3. Azerbaijan Rural Investment Program (AZRIP) • Objectives: Improved living standards and increased use of infrastructure services for households in rural communities completing microprojects (AZRIP I). Improved access to and use of community-driven rural infrastructure and expanded economic activities for rural households (AZRIP II) • Financing: AZRIP I and AF through World Bank credits in the total amount of $30 million approved by the Board in 2004 and 2008 respectively. AZRIP II through World Bank loan in the amount of $30 million approved in 2012 (almost 50% disbursed by now) • Results: expanded access to safe water in the previously worst served rural populations through potable water supply systems managed by 71 communities. 30 communities rehabilitated irrigation systems, benefitting approximately 70000 people and demonstrating increase in agriculture productivity

4. Innovations for Sustainable Infrastructure: Azerbaijan Rural Investment Project(AZRIP) • Balancing Choice and Sustainability: use of simple economic analysis aimed at helping communities identify sustainable investments and make well-informed decisions. Local technical design firms hired to identify alternative technical solutions and inform community members of associated life cycle costs and distributional impacts • Result: The balance between investment costs, future maintenance costs and the number of beneficiaries as well as the balance of short-term needs and longer-term financial realities are optimized

5. Innovations for Sustainable Infrastructure: AZRIP • Planning for Sustainability: development of maintenance plans. Setting up a maintenance contribution fee structure according to usage. Division of costs among communities, local governments, and service providers. Once finalized, the O&M plan is approved by the community, local government, and water department • Result: O&M plan is realistic and easy to implement • Building Long-Term Capacity: community project committees are in charge of implementation. Important: representatives from local government included. • Result: Shared responsibility for supervising contractors. High quality of works ensured.

6. Innovations for Sustainable Infrastructure: AZRIP • Building Long-Term Capacity (continued): strengthening capacity of local design firms through a variety of technical workshops • Result: design companies help communities to address maintenance questions • Sharing Knowledge: forging connections and changing mindsets through the “twinning” arrangements and cross-visits between communities as well as through holding an annual conference • Result: promoting best practice; building connections with government officials, private sector and international donor community

7. AZRIP: Lessons Learned • Enable Communities to Choose Sustainable Solutions • Establish Clear Maintenance Plans Based on Credible Information • Develop Local Capacity • Knowledge Sharing is Key

8. Chile Infrastructure for Territorial Development Project (CITDP) • Project development objective: to increase the effective and productive use of sustainable infrastructure services by poor rural communities in selected territories • Financing: World Bank loan in the total amount of $50.26 million fully disbursed in 2004-2011 • Results: water supply and sanitation services provided to 320 000 population in rural, dispersed areas. Elaboration of a comprehensive Rural Water Manual which is being used by the Government of Chile. The project was inclusive of both indigenous and gender issues

9. Promoting Decentralization of Services: Chile Infrastructure for Territorial Development Project (CITDP) • Focus on expanding rural infrastructure to highly dispersed and hard-to-reach rural populations, including indigenous communities • Infrastructure investments identified through a participatory approach • Technical assistance to develop the concept of territorial framework plans including their funding provided • Special emphasis on low cost, self-financing approaches to rural infrastructure interventions closely linked to income generation • Result: Government decentralization efforts supported through the territorial planning process, participatory approach, and social capital dimensions

10. Promoting Decentralization of Services – Institutional Changes: CITD • The Ministry of Social Development formulated and adopted the new methodology for the economic evaluation of rural infrastructure subprojects to be included in territorial development framework plans • The project supported the mobilization of funds from the population and the government as well as effective mechanisms to guarantee the sustainability of investments

11. Promoting Decentralization of Services –Institutional Changes: CITD • Strengthening the coordination of different Government agencies for the delivery of rural infrastructure services • Catalyzing coordination actions of different Government programs to support the development of small enterprises • Enhancing the capabilities of local and community actors for planning and implementing productive activities, while maximizing the use of available institutional resources • Actively and effectively supporting the improvement of the legal and regulatory framework of the rural water and sanitation sector • Revising classification of rural roads • Introducing new policies in the area of telecommunications for reaching dispersed rural areas with coverage and relevant content of new communication technologies

12. Morocco Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project (MRWSSP) • MRWSSP I (1997-2002) and MRWSPP II (2005 – ongoing) • Development Objectives: MRWSSP I - to provide for reliable water supply for the rural poor and sanitation facilities where needed. MRWSSP II - to support the Government program to increase sustainable access to potable water supply in rural areas, while promoting improved wastewater management and hygiene practices. • Financing: World Bank loans in the total amount of $70 million ($10 million for the first project)

13. Increasing Access to Sustainable Water Supply: Morocco Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project (MRWSSP) • Support the Government program to increase sustainable access to potable water supply in rural areas, while promoting improved wastewater management and hygiene practices • Development of household connections and water supply through standpipes in selected districts • Development of improved wastewater management pilots and hygiene promotion activities in some of the selected districts • Implementation of two new water supply systems • Strengthening the long term sustainability of the infrastructure developed throughout the life of the project

14. Increasing Access to Sustainable Water Supply – Involving Private Sector: MRWSSP • Private sector participation to help develop access to safe piped drinking water in rural communities in the Sidi-Kacem area (located North-East of Morocco) • Communities delegated water system management and service expansion through a 10 year l’affermagestyle management contract • Private operator is compensated through consumption-based service tariffs collected from water consumers. The terms of this arrangement would likely require the private operator to make 9,678 new household service connections during the 10 year contract period. The proposed approach consists in partially subsidizing 8,100 of these new connections over a 4-year period, using an output-based scheme

15. Conclusions • Externally imposed solutions can do little to build capacity and provide sustainability • Community managed services foster the sense of ownership and willingness to ensure sustainable operations and maintenance • There is a need to facilitate community to evolve a system of its own with the sustainability aspect in focus • The following elements define World Bank approach: delivering development results through tailoring solutions to needs of specific countries; providing innovative solutions to complex situations; sharing knowledge and best practice; ensuring value for money