Memorandum submitted by Concern Universal
(Malawi)
The following is Concern Universal (Malawi)'s
solicited response to some of the points posed below on Water
and Sanitation.
Concern Universal is an international development
and emergency relief organisation that was established in the
UK in 1976. In Malawi CU operates, as a Non-Governmental Organisation
(NGO) and the mission is to empower Malawians to identify and
achieve their own development objectives. Concern Universal focuses
on the empowerment of local people through their participation
and with them create opportunities for choice and a way forward
in which communities collectively and individually express their
priorities in development.
WATER SERVICE
DELIVERY
— The role of donors and governments
to ensure water service delivery to poor people.
Obviously, there is need for more support from
donors for capacity building in terms of development of appropriate
structures, policies, and services delivery. For example, in Malawi
there is low capacity in the Ministry of Irrigation and Water
Development to effectively lead stakeholders and players in the
water sector. Most of the structures are not in place and not
efficient. The human capacity is also very low with very few well-trained
personnel in the system and some positions being vacant for years.
The government doesn't have the resources either to train its
personnel in higher-level skills and knowledge. This is affecting
leadership and enforcement of policies and standards. Human resource
amongst the other players in the sector is also a problem. This
is partly due to lack of institutions that would provide appropriate
training in water resources management and rural development.
The pool of well-trained and experienced Malawians that the Government,
NGOs, and private organisations can source competent personnel
is very limited.
— Securing the right balance between
different aspects of service provision, including public/private
sector involvement and urban/rural challenges.
There should be a minimum requirement package
of investments needed for water security, to ensure water supports,
rather than undermines, economic growth. Investments are therefore
needed in both infrastructure and institutions—with the
right balance between the two. There are inevitably trade-offs
when providing new infrastructure while ensuring one is both socially
responsible and environmentally aware. It is important to recognise,
however, societies are dynamic, and as a result there will be
social value changes with economic growth. The challenge therefore,
will be to ensure long-term investments are adaptable to the expectations
of the next generation. This is no easy task and will require
some careful thought.
There are challenges for investments in both
the urban and rural water and sanitation sectors—moreover
the peri-urban populations are now recognised in their own right
as crucial targets in social development. However in Malawi there
is a large gap in rural water supply and the need for improvements
in sanitation. And in the urban areas large investments are also
required to rehabilitate existing municipal water supplies and
establishing new. Blantyre city is an example of an urban centre
that regularly experiences water shortages. Striking the right
balance of public and private sector involvement will very much
depend on the contextual environment. Lack of water and sanitation
(service) provision affects both the quality of life and working
capacity (productivity) and in the final analysis (it) must be
demand driven.
Ideally we are looking for new partnerships and
synergies that create improved efficiencies of delivery. And although
there are strong arguments for promoting a PPP (public-private
partnerships) approach because it is assumed the private sector
performs more efficiently, recently published studies from the
World Bank and the IMF indicate there is no consistent conclusion
from the evidences that either the private or public sector performs
and operates more efficiently than the other. Moreover "evidence
points strongly to the conclusion that there is no systematic
intrinsic advantage to private sector operation in terms of efficiency.
Equally, there is no evidence to assume that a public sector operator
is intrinsically less efficient and effective. Policy discussions
should therefore be based on a strictly neutral assumption about
relative efficiency, and in particular not regard introduction
of private sector operation as a desirable or valuable objective.
Otherwise policy decisions risk being distorted and leading to
costly economic and social consequences."[155]
Currently the private sector (in Malawi) is not vibrant due to
a weak financial base and low-level skills; hence there is little
involvement in high quality service provision especially to the
rural areas. Securing the right balance needs clear policies and
guidelines, including a stimulating private sector environment,
and a commitment to build sustainably the human, technology and
institution capitals.
— DFID's role in enhancing accountability
and overall water governance.
The fact there is strong thematic emphasis on
governance in the DFID White Paper is commendable. Much is mentioned
too on the importance of accountability—for example "the
process by which people are able to hold government to account".[156]
The White Paper also highlights the importance of helping states
to work for the poor, so they become more responsive and accountable
to their people and civil society. With new initiatives governments
must invite participation early on (and at the implementation
stage), and there must be opportunities and space for participation
by those affected by the lack of water, and those expected to
benefit from safe water provision. There is still much to be done
improving participation through a more systematic approach including
the need to share the appropriate tools and `best practices'.
Concern Universal (Malawi) strives through public
participation to increase attention to and inclusion of poor vulnerable
groups, i.e. those who are normally politically disenfranchised,
but who are directly affected by water management issues. While
DFID should continue to help and support states in achieving greater
accountability and good governance, it should be balanced with
support to appropriate non-government bodies that directly support
the poor. It is interesting to note there is no explicit mention
of participation (in the White Paper) in developing sustainable
safe water and sanitation among the poor.
Good water governance also means public participation.
Water supply and sanitation facilities in rural areas will be
successfully achieved only through the participation of men and
(in particular) women in all the stages of project activities.
Women (and the girl child) in Africa collect water for the household.
They and the children are the main sufferers if the water system
does not function.
In a very practical way (for example) Concern
Universal (Malawi) ensures the community's involvement in establishing
a safe water point begins from the outset with dialogue and consensus.
The inclusion of the water technician in the dialogue and siting
is crucial too. The appropriate technology in terms of economic
viability and social acceptance is thoroughly discussed with the
community at large. There is on the one hand the historical evidence,
and cultural and social preferences (from the community's perspective),
which must be taken into account, while on the other the need
to factor in the technical (hydrological/geological) recommendations.
These factors then (help) determine the final siting and appropriate
technology, which is thoroughly discussed and agreed on with the
community.
The International Association for Public Participation
(IAP2) describes public participation as "any process that
involves the public in problem solving or decision making and
uses public input to make better decisions".[157]
It is also worth noting the Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration
states "Environmental issues are best handled with participation
of all concerned citizens, at the relevant level",[158]
which includes water management.
In Malawi there is need for technical and financial
support to those institutions that have the responsibility of
ensuring public accountability and good governance, and the assurance
of good quality service delivery.
— Co-operation, co-ordination and
capacity-building between and with water operators, governments
and donors (including public-public and public-private partnerships)
— How DFID can support replication
and scaling up of `best-practice' water and sanitation provision.
The four cornerstones of a best practice are
that it must be economically viable, technically feasible, socially
acceptable, and environmentally sustainable. The characteristics
of a water and sanitation `best practice' provision (in rural
areas) often adopt a demand driven approach with community participation,
a proactive approach to gender inequities, and sensitivity to
the vulnerable groups in communities. There are several ways DFID
can support replication and scaling up.
DFID could play a leadership role, and (it) can
provide financial and technical assistance to strengthen or to
facilitate the establishment of country, regional and international
networks and fora that serve as storage and dissemination
focal points for `best-practice'. DFID can also invest in replicating
projects that have already demonstrated significant impact in
improving the health and livelihoods status of people as a result
of improved access to clean water and sanitation facilities. For
example, based on our experience of almost two decades of work
in water and sanitation in Malawi, we believe that it will be
possible to improve access to clean water from the current -55%
to >95% and access to improved sanitation from the current
<5% to -50% for a total investment of -£120 million within
15 to 20 years. This will obviously require massive recruitment
and training of personnel, procurement of equipment and supplies,
improvement in the regulatory improvement (e.g. removing duties
and taxes on hand pump spare parts) etc. While service providers
could adjust their capacities to respond if there is clear commitment
to predictable long-term funding, dialogue with national governments
and regional bodies such as SADC and the AU would also be essential
to improve the regulatory improvement.
As an example of `best-practice' rural water
and sanitation provision, we highlight the achievements and the
impact of a project that Concern Universal recently completed
in Malawi. The project assisted 138,000 people living in 110 villages
in Traditional Authority Chimaliro (Thyolo District)—one
of the most densely populated areas in Malawi. With -£1m
budget funded by the Australian Government and the UK Big Lottery
Fund (BLF), the project constructed 268 water points (162 new
boreholes, 37 repairs, 13 rehabilitations, 1 spring and 55 upgraded
shallow wells) thereby improving access to water points from 2,822
people per safe water point at the start of the project to 441
people per safe water point at the end of the project. The project
also enhanced access to improved sanitation facilities (pit latrines
with sanitation platforms or dome slabs, hand washing facilities,
etc.) from -0% to 21% in 3.5 years. The impact of the project
based on independently gathered data was significant. Based on
data from health centres serving the area, water-related diseases
(common diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery and eye infection) morbidity
was reduced by -50% from 3,569 in 2001 to 1,844 in 2004. Mortality
was reduced from 5 to 0 over the same period. Based on data from
school records, prevalence of water-related diseases was reduced
by -60% from 2,362 in 2001 to 983.
The results of the project and the approaches
followed were independently evaluated and confirmed by an experienced
British consultant. Partly as a result of the success of this
project, the BLF and other donors such as the EU, DFID, Tetley
Limited (a private tea company), etc are now funding Concern Universal
to implement a few relatively larger-scale projects in Thyolo
and two other districts in Malawi. However, more must be done
if Malawi and other countries are first going to meet the modest
targets set in the MDGs and then to support all the people living
in poverty to realise their right to clean water and adequate
sanitation.
Due to chronic under investment in rural water
supply outside a few projects funded directly to Government by
the World Bank, the African Development Bank, and a few other
bilateral donors, a number of other service providers (mainly
NGOs) closed their water and sanitation departments. Concern Universal
was also going to do the same if the funding from AusAID and BLF
was not secured in 2001.
SANITATION
— DFID's policies and resources
for the three core aspects to sanitation: hygiene promotion, household
sanitary arrangements and sewage treatment.
— DFID's prioritisation of sanitation
within its overall programme.
Sanitation is inextricably linked to safe water
provision. And therefore in priority setting, sanitation should
be of equal importance to water development and management. DFID
should continue working closely with project implementers, taking
on board the lessons learnt and sharing with other stakeholders.
In Malawi, there are some implementers making excellent progress
on promoting sanitation, but without sufficiently sharing (this
information) with donors including DFID.Concern Universal (Malawi)
recently published mid-term evaluation report on a water and sanitation
project funded by the EC.[159]
One of the key findings from the external evaluators was the project
demonstrated it is possible to target a community with sanitation
and hygiene education programmes before water supply provision
project is being implemented using a demand responsive approach.
FINANCING AND
AID INSTRUMENTS
FOR WATER
AND SANITATION
— Ensuring international financing
and aid instruments for water and sanitation are fit for purpose.
— How DFID can maximise the effectiveness
of the EU Water Initiative and international funding mechanisms.
The EU Water Initiative (EUWI) seems a very good
beginning to show a clear commitment that access to clean water
and sanitation is a priority for poor people and substantial investment
is required to achieve targets that the international community
agreed many years ago. The challenge is how to maintain the momentum
once the current allocation has been fully disbursed. The co-financing
requirement of the EUWI has also encouraged other donors to provide
funding to make the Initiative a success. For example, Concern
Universal is the only organisation that received funding for Malawi
from the first round of call for proposals that was executed by
the EU. DFID Malawi then stepped in to provide the required 25%
co-financing (€896,278.25) to ensure that Malawi will benefit
from the Initiative.
Without direct competition with the EUWI, DFID
can introduce other innovative funding arrangements for water
and sanitation. For example, following similar DFID initiatives
such as the Business Linkages Challenge Fund, DFID can establish
a water and sanitation fund that requires participation from the
UK business sector. Such a fund could persuade the business sector
in the UK to match every Pound Sterling that DFID provides for
water and sanitation investment in some of the poorest countries
in the world.
WATER RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT
— How DFID can support the implementation
of integrated water resources management.
There is need to localize implementation of IWRM
(Integrated Water resources management) by having a Malawi strategy
on IRWM that would guide the various players. In Malawi, there
is lack of clear direction that the players need to take to address
the IWRM.
If properly applied IWRM would lead to secure
water for the poor in Africa including Malawi. In order to achieve
this though, there must be an efficient (economic) use of water
resources, and we must ensure effective coordination with other
sectors in managing water resources. This may be stating the obvious,
but there must be a willingness to change attitudes and behaviour
and to collectively achieve this is not easy.
Some of the barriers to IWRM that DFID should
consider are [1] the lack of engagement of the Water and Sanitation
Sector with other sectors involved in IWRM—wastewater management
and irrigation for agriculture are two cases in point, [2] there
are insufficient guidelines and personnel to implement IWRM, [3]
there is a lack of modalities to integrate water resource management,
and [4] water and sanitation should not be addressed in isolation.
The key is to use the integrated water resources
approach by tackling the issues and problems in a constructive
and creative manner—there are no easy answers and will have
to be designed based on the actual situation/environment. There
is also need for DFID to support and fund projects and activities
that would act as models for the other players to learn from.
IMPROVING HEALTH
AND EDUCATION
THROUGH WATER
AND SANITATION
INTERVENTIONS
— Links between water, sanitation,
health and education.
Through the work Concern Universal in Malawi
does it has been shown that by introducing rural water and sanitation
interventions that not only target households but also pupils
at the schools increases the rate of improved health and sanitation.
Pupils invariably act as change agents at household level too,
influencing as a result of their changed behaviour and attitudes.
Water, Health and Sanitation clubs in the schools support and
contribute to the sustainability of interventions eradicating
water-borne diseases and providing a basis for a more informed
and secure society. Provision of safe water and improved sanitation
at schools reduces the incident of water borne diseases, thereby
improving pupils' health. The pupils and especially girls are
then able and more likely to attend class at school. Well-designed
and thought-out placement of improved sanitation facilities provides
greater privacy particularly for girls who have reached adolescence
and require such facilities. Some research has shown that lack
of appropriate sanitation facilities contributes to high girl
dropout rates.
While women are the prime caretakers of family
health, we (stakeholders) must not forget the role that school-going
pupils can and do play in improving health at the school as well
as in the home.
While there are clear and demonstrable links
between water, sanitation, health, and education, DFID future
support should recognize an integrated approach that includes
targeting households would have a lasting impact.
— Coherence of DFID's water and
sanitation work with its work on health and education.
It is our understanding that DFID has been one
of the largest donors to the education and the health sectors
in Malawi. It is also our understanding that support to the education
sector has included a water and sanitation component (i.e. providing
a safe water point at primary schools and teachers' training schools
newly constructed with DFID funding). This is very good and should
be encouraged to continue. However the downside was, the fact
since DFID has been funding water points at schools (through the
health and education sectors) they therefore used this as a justification
as why they only support water and sanitation activities through
schools but not in communities. We are not aware if DFID in Malawi
has a water and sanitation strategy.
GENDER ASPECTS
OF WATER
AND SANITATION
ISSUES
— How donors can promote gender
equitable access to water supply and to sanitation.
Traditional societies have strongly defined gender
roles. The importance of creating greater flexibility over these
roles among household members cannot be stressed enough if all
human rights for all members of society are to be fulfilled, and
those of women and girls especially. Gender approaches can and
do make a great difference to who has access and control and benefits
from water supply and sanitation improvement. In Malawi, some
of the main gender issues in the sector are increasing women's
and girls' access to appropriate forms of household and school
sanitation; decreasing women and girl children's burden of water
collection and enabling them to do other activities such as attending
school, and engaging in business.
While gender equity has been on the agenda for
years, understanding of the gender issues and how to tackle them
in development against the flow of culture and traditions is still
generally poorly understood and poorly acted on by most development
agencies. Donors need to make gender equity a requirement of their
support, and for partners to be able to distinguish the differences
between women and men's practical and strategic needs.
For example, stakeholders need to have gender
policy and statements in use, and could include qualified gender
officers among the personnel for water and sanitation work.
Donors can help their partners to avoid paying
lip service to gender equity by having gender advisors who are
involved in, and support gender equity in the continuum of design
and delivery of water supply and sanitation throughout the project
cycle.
— Links between water, sanitation
and women and girls' health and education.
Research shows combining improved water supply
and sanitation with hygiene education maximises benefits to heath
for all community members.
Poor people need to understand the links between
water and sanitation and education. Women and girls spend a disproportionate
amount of time collecting water and on other household chores
(reproductive activities) which impacts on girls' access to education,
and women's and girls' opportunity to rest. Low education and
a heavy workload from a young age contribute to poor health both
now and in future. Gender approaches should be used to encourage
discussion around these issues and appropriate community action
to be taken.
It is important for the international community
to support development of and maximise synergies from water and
sanitation improvement in communities and in local schools. It
is easier to develop positive attitudes and fair and equitable
practices among girls and boys with respect to the collection
and use of water and maintenance of water supply and sanitation
facilities. This has strategic importance for when the current
generation of school children become adults in their communities.
— Gender mainstreaming and sensitivity
within DFID's water and sanitation work.
— How DFID can support women as
drivers of change for water and sanitation.
DFID in key partner countries and indeed elsewhere
should be aware of the legal and non-legal barriers to women's
empowerment and gender equality. DFID moreover needs to recognise
in order to acquire general community participation in water and
sanitation development requires resources, and that inevitably
will increase the cost of water and sanitation in terms of delivery
since it involves working with people. Working with the extremely
poor and largely illiterate (people) in Malawi takes time and
is an iterative process.
To really make significant changes in social
development—and in particular supporting women as drivers
of change—is not a simple task. A successful development
and outcome requires working with both men and women to make major
changes at every level in the community. Inevitably a comprehensive
approach demands additional time and resources.
As part of supporting women as drivers of change
in water and sanitation issues, DFID should recognize the support
to African women in all stages of decision-making at every governance
level from community to parliament. Good role models are needed
at every level that can positively influence attitudes and behaviour.
DFID can ensure partner and community stakeholders
take deliberate measures to gain real participation of women (and
girls as appropriate) in the design and implementation of water
and sanitation facilities, so that women (and girls) have equal
control over, and benefits from, water and sanitation development.
DFID can support rights-based and gender approaches
that enable women to understand (their) human rights are the same
as men's. Women must take responsibility to work with men (who
must be receptive and open to change), towards achieving their
practical and strategic needs.
IMPLICATIONS OF
CLIMATE CHANGE
FOR WATER
AND SANITATION
— Future global supply of, demand
for and conflict over water in the light of recent evidence on
climate change.
The reality on the ground in Malawi is the demand
for water and the conflicts over water are increasing, affected
by continuing population growth and the pressures on land. A negative
impact is environmental degradation. Deforestation on watersheds
has been hugely dramatic. To add to this scenario, from the recent
evidence on climate change it is clear that in future, supply
may become more erratic while demand will continue to rise. It
is the poorest (and disenfranchised) people who do not have alternative
resources for their livelihoods who will be the most adversely
affected.
There is still much to be understood with the
actual impact of global climate change on local water supply.
The sustainability of water systems is dependent on the short
and medium-term weather patterns, greenhouse gases, land-use management,
and the long-term weather patterns that superimpose the natural
climate variability. In order to improve our understanding, in
Africa, we need better weather forecasting, and an analysis of
the risk of climate variability.
Concern Universal would like to undertake research
to assess to what extent the various factors[160]
including climate change is affecting available water supplies/yields
in Malawi.
October 2006
155 David Hall and Emanuele Lobina (2005), The relative
efficiency of public and private sector water. PSIRU, Business
School, University of Greenwich. Back
156
IAP2 [International Association for Public Participation] (n.d.),
IAP2's Public Participation for Decision Makers, http://iap2.org/training/decision-fact-sheets.pdf Back
157
UNEP (1992), Rio Declaration on Environment and Development
http://www.unep.org/Documents.multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=78&ArticleID=1163 Back
158
DFID (2006), Eliminating World Poverty: Making Governance Work
for the Poor. Back
159
Mid-Term Evaluation of T/A Ganya Water and Environmental Sanitation
Project under Ntcheu Sustainable Livelihood Programme, (2006)
Concern Universal. Back
160
The factors that could possibly be affecting supplies/yields
are natural climate variability, greenhouse gases, deforestation
of watersheds and land degradation, unsustainable rates of abstraction,
population growth rates, land-use planning and water point management. Back
|
