Impact and Sustainability of Community Water Supply and Sanitation Programmes in Developing Countries

Sound strategies for community water supply and sanitation programmes in developing countries should be based on a clear understanding of the existing problems, the beneficial impacts achievable, and the factors which determine sustainability. The impacts of many water and sanitation programmes are limited, and many systems break down and are abandoned prematurely. Only limited impacts are achievable in the short term without greatly increased investment. Sustainability, in the sense of continued delivery and uptake of services, is threatened by numerous attitudinal, institutional and economic factors, and community participation approaches alone are no guarantee of success. The key to sustainability is that all stakeholders involved in consumption/use, maintenance, cost recovery, and continuing support perceive it in their best interests to deliver high quality services. The paper proposes new sets of programme aims and objectives in relation to impact and sustainability, which can be used in programme design, monitoring and evaluation. It also makes longer term recommendations to external support agencies.