Rural Water Supply in Southern Ethiopia: Failures and Alternatives

Abstract

Attempts by the Canadian and Ethiopian governments to supply safe rural water in Southern Ethiopia are being plagued by high failure rates of the newly installed improved water systems. No simple solution exists to solve this dismal situation. However practical steps can be taken to improve the results. These steps include local resource mobilization, genuine community participation (particularly from women), and effective health-related activities. Such steps also require organizational decentralization, reforms in aid donors' policies and a willingness to take risks by program planners and managers.