 What we do |
Our water, our waste, our town
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The accompanying nine case studies detail real-life experiences of urban water and sanitation reform in various locations across the world.
Download the full manual here (
PDF 3.6Mb), or view individual sections using the links below.
Training toolkit:
- Introductory guide ( PDF 316KB)
- Guidance manual
- Case studies:
Bangladesh
Brazil and Venezuela
Ghana
Kenya
Nepal
Pakistan
Philippines
Uganda
Ukraine
Guidance manual
Section 1: Getting started ( PDF 577KB) (back to top)
This section summarises reasons that reform of urban water and sanitation services are needed, outlines examples of types of reforms and explains why and how CSOs should get involved in reform.
Section 2: Understanding urban water systems ( PDF 853KB) (back to top)
This section talks readers through how to find out more about how the water system in their town or city is set up and the impact of service levels on poor communities. It summarises how water systems can be financed and explores the advantages and disadvantages of different revenue collection systems.
Section 3: Management options available to government ( PDF 485KB)
(back to top)
This section explores the pros and cons of the various management options open to governments when tackling water and sanitation reform. They can either plan to turn around public utilities, or choose from a variety of different contracts to engage the private sector in service delivery.
Section 4: Governance issues and water sector partnerships in reforms ( PDF 494KB) (back to top)
This section explains the importance of good governance of water and sanitation services. It explores how CSOs can work to improve governance, particularly by working to increase transparency and accountability in the sector.
Section 5: Sanitation and sewerage: Issues, problems and actions ( PDf 900KB) (back to top)
This section summarises the problems caused by poor sanitation, examines why sanitation is a neglected issue, and suggests ways CSOs can engage in sanitation and sewerage reform.
Section 6: How to take action ( PDF 502KB) (back to top)
This section advises on how to prioritise the issues on which to act. It explains how to undertake research on the issues, how to analyse the situation and how to start lobbying and advocacy work aimed at achieving pro-poor reform. This section concludes with advice on ongoing monitoring.
Section 7: Working with financial institutions ( PDF 295KB) (back to top)
This section explains the role international finance institutions (IFIs) play in urban water and sanitation reform. It outlines the challenges of working with IFIs, summarises the World Bank's project cycle and suggests actions CSOs can take at each stage of the cycle.
Section 8: Top tips for CSOs to engage in urban water and sanitation reforms
( PDF 104KB) (back to top)
Drawing on the first seven sections, this section highlights key advice for CSOs planning to engage in the process of reform of the water and/or sanitation services in their town or city.
Section 9: Glossary ( PDF 107KB) (back to top)
Section 10: Useful resources and contacts ( PDF 144KB) (back to top)
Case studies
Bangladesh ( PDF 1432KB) (back to top)
This case study outlines the role CSOs have played in water service delivery in Bangladesh's largest cities, Dhaka and Chittagong. Many have acted as intermediaries between slum communities and water authorities, negotiating for community-managed water points connected to the mains water supplies to be established. This role has led to CSOs being invited to participate in the new World Bank urban reform project, the Dhaka Chittagong Water Supply and Sanitation Project.
Brazil and Venezuela ( PDF 1504KB) (back to top)
This case study outlines the roles CSOs are playing in the decentralisation of water and sanitation services in Recife, Brazil and Caracas, Venezuela. In Recife, CSOs are officially represented on the council responsible for water strategy in the city. However, the council is not yet fully functional. In Caracas, CSOs play an active role in a water communal council that monitors the activities of the state water company. However, management of the state water company is yet to be devolved to local level as planned.
Ghana ( PDF 705KB) (back to top)
This case study outlines how CSOs involved in the Ghana National Coalition Against Privatisation (NCAP) influenced the Government of Ghana and the World Bank in their implementation of urban water reform. The contract for the management of urban water services, signed with Aqua Vittens Rand Water Services BV in November 2005, contains several points advocated for by NCAP.
Kenya ( PDF 1006KB) (back to top)
In 2002, the Government of Kenya introduced the Water Act to reform the urban water sector. At the time the sector was characterised by corruption, lack of investment, inefficiencies, poor management and a confusing array of legal and institutional frameworks. This case study outlines the success Kenyan CSOs in three cities have had in using Citizen Report Cards to enable poor communities to engage with city water utilities and highlight the priority areas the reforms should tackle.
Nepal ( PDF 1214KB) (back to top)
This case study summarises the activities undertaken by the NGO Forum for Urban Water and Sanitation to improve public participation in decisions concerning water supply in Nepal's capital city Kathmandu. Between 1988 and 2007 government water policy focused on the construction of a water tunnel connecting the Melamchi Valley to the Kathmandu Valley. The NGO Forum argued the project would disproportionately benefit better off people and advocated for improvements to other water services that would benefit the urban poor.
Pakistan - this case study will be available at a later date (back to top)
There have been three phases of attempts to reform water and sanitation services in the city of Karachi. The first phase, attempting to privatise the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB), was suspended, partly due to CSO opposition. The designs of second phase proposals to improve sewerage were criticised by CSOs as unworkable, but following dialogue with the government were replaced with a project featuring CSO design input. The third phase, to improve the KWSB’s service standards and financial viability, features active CSO involvement.
Philippines ( PDF 633KB) (back to top)
In 1997 the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS), which served 11 million residents in the Philippines, was privatised. It was the world's biggest water privatisation at that time, and split the provision of water services in capital city Manila between two large private companies. This case study outlines the activities various civil society organisations have undertaken to increase accountability in the urban water sector and to themselves provide water to those not served by the water companies.
Uganda ( PDF 920KB) (back to top)
Reform of the National Water and Sewerage Company of Uganda began in 1995 and continues to date. In November 2000, the Uganda Water and Sanitation NGO Network (UWASNET) was launched to enable civil society organisations to collectively engage in the reform. This case study outlines the successes UWASNET has had in influencing policy, and highlights some of the key challenges the coalition faces in reaching consensus, and effectively and independently monitoring government activities.
Ukraine ( PDF 785KB) (back to top)
Water and sanitation services in the Ukraine went into decline after the collapse of the USSR. The result was drops in water and sanitation coverage, higher prices for consumers and increased concerns about the quality of drinking water. This case study outlines the roles MAMA-86, a women's pressure group established in the wake of the Chernobyl disaster, and stakeholder committees have played in improving public participation in the urban water sector, and demonstrating good practice in water service delivery.
