Memorandum submitted by Jon Lane, Consultant
in Water and Sanitation in Developing Countries
1. DECLARATION
OF INTEREST
I do occasional consultancy work for DFID on
this subject, including helping to draft the Target Strategy Paper
"Addressing the Water Crisis" of March 2001 and more
recent work improving global-level coordination between major
sector players. I am also a current or past Chief Executive or
Chair of several organisations receiving DFID's support on water.
However, I am writing this submission in my personal capacity.
2. HOW CAN
DONORS, ESPECIALLY
DFID, SUPPORT PROGRESS
TOWARDS THE
RELEVANT MDGS?
Since 2000 or so, the major actors in water
have agreed what has to be done to achieve the MDGs. We are not
still arguing about technologies or methods of working, we just
need to roll out the work on a large scale. At the same time DFID
has become firmly established as one of the most respected and
committed bilateral agencies active in water. Its focus on poverty
is particularly appreciated by the other sector agencies.
3. WATER SERVICE
DELIVERY
The MDG target looks achievable, especially
by concentrating progress in a fairly small number of populous
and underserved countries in South Asia and Africa. Local government
remains the main service provider for poor people in such countries.
(The involvement of the private sector, while it created a lot
of noisy argument, is numerically peripheral to the main task.
NGOs can innovate and influence policy but make a relatively small
contribution to the achievement of the targets.) Hence donors
such as DFID should whole-heartedly support local government.
Of course local government has problems and is generally said
to be weak, but that means it needs more support, not less.
4. SANITATION
This remains neglected. The MDG target globally
looks very difficult. For the big numbers of underserved people,
waterborne sewerage is irrelevant: they need on-site sanitation.
We have learned not to try to promote this by direct subsidy but
by educating the people so that they bring sanitation higher up
their own priorities and then by ensuring goods and services are
available to them as needed. This means that the pace of improvement
actually depends much more on the people themselves than in the
case of water. This is more difficult for donors, but local government
(in this case usually through the Ministry of Health rather than
of Water) remains the main actor to support. DFID should do more
on sanitation.
5. FINANCING
AND AID
INSTRUMENTS
Support sector-wide approaches. Water is a few
years behind health or education on these, but is moving forward
in several important countries (eg Tanzania, with good DFID involvement).
Also, DFID is known as a proponent of budgetary support to central
government. While this is a good principle, it often puts water
at a disadvantage because water is so poorly incorporated into
most countries' Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers. That is our
fault as water sector professionals—we have failed to make
our case persuasively to ministries of finance and planning.
6. DFID'S ORGANISATIONAL
CAPACITY
This seems weak. In many countries water is
just part of the portfolio of a DFID staff member who covers other
big social sectors. DFID's Head Office has inadequate capacity
to provide the professional help that the staff in-country need.
7. DFID'S WILLINGNESS
This also seems questionable. After the Secretary
of State's stirring speech on 22 March 2005, which was much admired
in the global water community, DFID seems almost to have resented
his emphasis on water and to have deconstructed the precise wording
of his speech to reduce its clarity of commitment. For example
here in Malawi—itself named in the speech as one of the
key countries for increasing aid to water—the DFID office
gave a pedantic and unconvincing interpretation of that speech,
and has dragged its feet and done almost nothing on water since.
I understand that a DFID country office receives many policy directions
and has limited resources, but I found this attitude towards political
leadership unsatisfactory.
8. WATER RESOURCES
MANAGEMENT
Plenty of donors are involved in this, including
DFID. This is fine but should remain a lower priority than water
and sanitation services to poor people.
9. OTHER ISSUES
No Particular Comments.
October 2006
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