A New Perspective on Rural Water Supply and Sanitation

Abstract

It is claimed that the United Nations International Decade for Water Supply and Sanitation of the 1980s, has served to provide more than 1.3 billion people with capabilities tor adequate water supplies, and about 750 million with sanitation. The principle impact has been in rural communities of developing countries. Unfortunately, a considerable portion of these facilities are abandoned and inoperative. While completely manageable in the rich industrialized countries, water related diseases, e.g. infant mortality, child diarrhoea, and cholera epidemics persist in the poor countries of South America, Africa and Asia. The situation has been exacerbated by explosive population growth in the poor countries of the world. Despite national and international commitment, water supply and sanitation services are not keeping up with the demand, and many investments have not been sustained. It is clear now that the major constraint, in the less developed countries, has not been the lack of funds or water supply and sanitation technology, but rather an absence of a capacity to develop, utilize and sustain the available resources. Capacity building in a given country must come from within and it is basically a social-political process. The commitment of a country for capacity building of the water sector should be approached on two levels. On the national level this may entail changes in water related policies, establishment of legal, regulatory, and information systems, and the involvement of citizen groups and national professional organizations. On the local level, it is imperative to strengthen local institutional resources, technical, managerial and financial capabilities, and community involvement. Integration of water supply and sanitation agencies with local irrigation districts is frequently advantageous where water reclamation options are feasible. Examples from Egypt are presented.