Taking Stock: Rural water for all - the river may be wide but it can be crossed

Abstract

Dr Kerstin Danert (kerstin.danert@skat.ch) is the Director of the Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN) Secretariat and a water and sanitation specialist at Skat (Swiss Resource Centre and Consultancies for Development). © Practical Action Publishing, 2012, www.practicalactionpublishing.org doi: 10.3362/1756-3488.2012.018, ISSN: 0262-8104 (print) 1756-3488 (online) It seems to me that these are very interesting times for those of us working in rural water supplies. A lot of momentum appears to be building up for change. We are moving towards 2015, the set date of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets. Within the wider post-MDG context, consensus seems to be building that sustainable water for all, or something very close, will be the next goal. Global indicators are being defined as I write and targets will soon be set (see http://www.wssinfo. org/en/post-2015-monitoring/ overview/). That the world will try to guarantee water for all is ever more likely, now that the Human Right to Water and Sanitation has been declared. I write this piece for the readers of Waterlines because these changes at a global level will set the priorities and define the framework for water supply implementation after 2015. Somehow, it will have an impact on the way in which we work, and report on our work. However, some of us are still trying to figure out how the declaration of the Human Right to Water, and everything defined in its wake, can actually accelerate, and sustain water service delivery. Those of us specifically concerned with rural water supplies are wondering if the Human Right to Water can galvanize more commitments and actions for rural people in particular. Five out of six of the global population without an improved drinking water supply live in a rural area (JMP, 2012). Over the last 12 months, the Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN) has managed three events. These have enabled us to bring people together, share lessons, and understand more about inspirational programmes and projects, including constraints to implementation. These events, coupled with the current post-MDG momentum, have led us to reflect on what universal access and the Human Right to Water could mean for the future. I would like to share a few insights from these events with you, pose some pertinent questions and articulate a vision for the future of rural water supplies. It seems to me that these are very interesting times to work in rural water supplies