Small water service providers operating in informal markets across the Global South address critical gaps in public investments in the rural water sector. This study analyses the growth and operations of private desalination plants and distributing vendors in Khulna, Bangladesh, within the broader landscape of uncoordinated investments by government, donors and households. Household water choices and payment behaviour vary spatially and seasonally, with observable wealth differences in self-supply investments in rainwater tanks and tubewells. Monitoring and regulating informal private providers can improve sectoral coordination, increase efficiency of service delivery and unlock commercial finances against the backdrop of declining aid-based financing.
Institutions
Improving the Reliability of Water Service Delivery in Rural Kenya through Professionalized Maintenance: A System Dynamics Perspective
This study applies system dynamics modeling to assess the potential impact of scaling up professionalized maintenance services on piped water systems in Kitui County, Kenya. The study results show that over a
10 year simulation, calibrated with 21 months of empirical data and based on a range of key assumptions, delivery of professionalized maintenance services across the county may increase countywide functionality rates from 54% to over 83%, leading to a 67% increase in water production.
Water policy, politics, and practice: The case of Kitui County, Kenya
This article uses an action-orientated knowledge framework to consider types of knowledge produced through rural water “policy experiments” in Kitui County, Kenya over the past 10 years. Actionable recommendations for the further development of county-level water policy include: 1) ensure local ownership of the policy-making process whilst enabling appropriate technical and legal support; 2) take long timeframes of institutional change into account in donor programming; and 3) establish water, sanitation and hygiene forums that bring diverse actors within the sector together to build cohesion, facilitate knowledge exchange, enable collaborative learning, and deliver action.
Intra-seasonal rainfall and piped water revenue variability in rural Africa
Rainfall patterns influence water usage and revenue from user payments in rural Africa. The authors explore these dynamics by examining monthly rainfall against 4,888 records of rural piped water revenue in Ghana, Rwanda, and Uganda and quantifying revenue changes over 635 transitions between dry and wet seasons.
Incentivizing clean water collection during rainfall to reduce disease in rural sub-Saharan Africa with weather dependent pricing
This article proposes a new pricing mechanism for ‘water ATMs’, made possible with pre-payment and remote sensing, where prices adjust during rainy seasons to incentivise the continued use of clean water sources. The authors estimate cost per capita and cost per disability-adjusted life year averted, resulting in values which compare favourably with other water quality interventions.
Piped water revenue and investment strategies in rural Africa
This article examines how water service delivery approaches impact revenue generated by user payments, and how infrastructure investment strategies can promote revenue and equity goals for rural piped water services.
Improving water and hand-washing services in rural health care facilities in Kitui County, Kenya
This brief presents policy recommendations for improving water and hand-washing services in rural health care facilities through a professional service delivery model. Annualised costs to provide safe and reliable water and soap services are estimated from actual cost data, providing a basis for County-level budgets and investment planning.
Investing in professionalized maintenance to increase social and economic returns from drinking water infrastructure in rural Kenya
This policy brief is based on 10 years of research in Kitui County, Kenya, supported by the REACH programme, the USAID Sustainable WASH Systems Learning Partnership, UNICEF, ESRC and UKAID. It finds the investment case for professionalized maintenance of drinking water infrastructure becomes compelling when factoring in wider social and economic returns.
Legal and policy change to promote sustainable WASH services in Kitui County, Kenya
This report outlines water policy development in Kitui County, Kenya, over the past 10 years. The key contributions of the Kitui Water Bill and Policy are detailed, as well as three core recommendations to continue moving towards sustainable WASH services.
Global prospects to deliver safe drinking water services for 100 million rural people by 2030
This report documents a global diagnostic survey to evaluate the status and prospects of rural water service providers from 68 countries.
