Financial and operational sustainability of a gravity-fed rural piped water supply system in Malawi

In 2014, a gravity-fed rural piped water supply system (GFRPWSS) was constructed in the northern part of Malawi at a cost of $6.8 million (MK5 billion). The system was designed to serve 35,007 people by 2020 but at the time of the study, the ability of water users association (WUA) to operate and ma...

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Autores principales:	Patrick Mwagomba, Elizabeth Tilley
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	IWA Publishing 2021
Materias:	capacity distribution financial sustainability rural water social acceptability user satisfaction Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering TD1-1066
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/0ca6d1f22053493fb3758f638634d90d
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:0ca6d1f22053493fb3758f638634d90d2021-11-23T18:22:43ZFinancial and operational sustainability of a gravity-fed rural piped water supply system in Malawi2043-90832408-936210.2166/washdev.2021.090https://doaj.org/article/0ca6d1f22053493fb3758f638634d90d2021-11-01T00:00:00Zhttp://washdev.iwaponline.com/content/11/6/948https://doaj.org/toc/2043-9083https://doaj.org/toc/2408-9362In 2014, a gravity-fed rural piped water supply system (GFRPWSS) was constructed in the northern part of Malawi at a cost of $6.8 million (MK5 billion). The system was designed to serve 35,007 people by 2020 but at the time of the study, the ability of water users association (WUA) to operate and maintain the system as well as the financial sustainability (i.e. if the scheme could run without external support) were unclear. Financial records showed that the WUA collected only 26% of their expected payments in 2018. Over 94% of the WUA members lacked the necessary capacity to manage contracts and human resources and only 16% of the Community Water Point Committees were trained in relevant areas of management. Several key positions had been unfilled and the parts necessary for repairs were unavailable. This is one of the few ex-post evaluations of a GFRPWSS and highlights several key issues for those wishing to implement similar schemes. Findings showed that the water system only partially met the water requirements of the customers, that the WUA struggled technically and operationally to maintain the system and that at the time of the study, the system was financially unsustainable. Improved record-keeping and payment collection, especially if and when quantities are increased, would likely improve all dimensions of sustainability. HIGHLIGHTS A large-scale gravity-fed rural piped water supply system was constructed in northern Malawi at considerable cost.; After project funding was removed, the community-based committee was unable to collect sufficient operating revenue.; Community members tasked with operations, record keeping and maintenance were technically unprepared.; Investment in financial and operational skills is required if the scheme is to continue.;Patrick MwagombaElizabeth TilleyIWA Publishingarticlecapacitydistributionfinancial sustainabilityrural watersocial acceptabilityuser satisfactionEnvironmental technology. Sanitary engineeringTD1-1066ENJournal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development, Vol 11, Iss 6, Pp 948-958 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	capacity distribution financial sustainability rural water social acceptability user satisfaction Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering TD1-1066
spellingShingle	capacity distribution financial sustainability rural water social acceptability user satisfaction Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering TD1-1066 Patrick Mwagomba Elizabeth Tilley Financial and operational sustainability of a gravity-fed rural piped water supply system in Malawi
description	In 2014, a gravity-fed rural piped water supply system (GFRPWSS) was constructed in the northern part of Malawi at a cost of $6.8 million (MK5 billion). The system was designed to serve 35,007 people by 2020 but at the time of the study, the ability of water users association (WUA) to operate and maintain the system as well as the financial sustainability (i.e. if the scheme could run without external support) were unclear. Financial records showed that the WUA collected only 26% of their expected payments in 2018. Over 94% of the WUA members lacked the necessary capacity to manage contracts and human resources and only 16% of the Community Water Point Committees were trained in relevant areas of management. Several key positions had been unfilled and the parts necessary for repairs were unavailable. This is one of the few ex-post evaluations of a GFRPWSS and highlights several key issues for those wishing to implement similar schemes. Findings showed that the water system only partially met the water requirements of the customers, that the WUA struggled technically and operationally to maintain the system and that at the time of the study, the system was financially unsustainable. Improved record-keeping and payment collection, especially if and when quantities are increased, would likely improve all dimensions of sustainability. HIGHLIGHTS A large-scale gravity-fed rural piped water supply system was constructed in northern Malawi at considerable cost.; After project funding was removed, the community-based committee was unable to collect sufficient operating revenue.; Community members tasked with operations, record keeping and maintenance were technically unprepared.; Investment in financial and operational skills is required if the scheme is to continue.;
format	article
author	Patrick Mwagomba Elizabeth Tilley
author_facet	Patrick Mwagomba Elizabeth Tilley
author_sort	Patrick Mwagomba
title	Financial and operational sustainability of a gravity-fed rural piped water supply system in Malawi
title_short	Financial and operational sustainability of a gravity-fed rural piped water supply system in Malawi
title_full	Financial and operational sustainability of a gravity-fed rural piped water supply system in Malawi
title_fullStr	Financial and operational sustainability of a gravity-fed rural piped water supply system in Malawi
title_full_unstemmed	Financial and operational sustainability of a gravity-fed rural piped water supply system in Malawi
title_sort	financial and operational sustainability of a gravity-fed rural piped water supply system in malawi
publisher	IWA Publishing
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/0ca6d1f22053493fb3758f638634d90d
work_keys_str_mv	AT patrickmwagomba financialandoperationalsustainabilityofagravityfedruralpipedwatersupplysysteminmalawi AT elizabethtilley financialandoperationalsustainabilityofagravityfedruralpipedwatersupplysysteminmalawi
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Financial and operational sustainability of a gravity-fed rural piped water supply system in Malawi

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