Search results

This is a conference paper. ; If the estimated one billion people in developing countries who lack access to a safe and reliable water supply are to be provided with systems that they themselves have the capacity to manage by the year 2000 then the issue of partnership will be a crucial one in the years to come. Partnerships in rural water supply are not new as providers of improved water supplies have tried to form some sort of partnership with beneficiaries since colonial times. But the nature of these partnership arrangements have changed and evolved over the years and as communities are not static but are in a continuing process of change, partnerships will also be subject to evolution as the new millennium approaches. This paper will examine the ways in which partnerships have changed over the last 20 years or so with particular reference to rural water supply schemes undertaken by governments using external support.

AbstractMost theories on private sector participation in water infrastructure are based on the sole supposed difference of efficiency between the public and the private sector. The review of 22 empirical tests and 51 case studies shows that private sector participation per se in water supply does not systematically have a significant positive effect on efficiency. Thus, the choice between public and private water delivery is probably not only a question of efficiency.We developed a complete theory of the choice between public and private water supply based on four components: difference of cost of funds, transaction costs of outsourcing, difference of efficiency and potential political cost of privatizing. Since determinants of the theory fluctuate over the time and depend on the local context, this theory can explain both privatization and municipalization movements as well as why some local governments outsource water supply, while others opt for direct provision.The tests on 459 US counties in charge of water supply in 45 states provide substantial support for the theory. Significant determinants of the choice of public versus private water delivery include the cost of funds, especially the social cost of taxes, transaction costs, the difference of efficiency and the potential political cost of privatizing.Moreover, we tested other literature's theories, which suggest employment as a motive of public provision and cost of public wages as a cause of privatization. These two arguments seem to be irrelevant.We additionally tested the influence of ownership on the number of drinking water environmental violations and found no significance.

This is a conference paper. ; Water has become an extremely precious commodity in the urban areas of the country. It has been in short supply in many cities for a number of years, but increasing pressure of population in cities and modern ways of living have increased the demand for water. Water is no longer a freely available renewable resource. It is now a scarce resource in the urban areas of the country and will become dearer in future. Local authorities are, according to the acts under which they are set up, supposed to supply water in most urban areas, although there are different institutional arrangements in many cities. The task of providing water is made tougher by the existing practices such as low tariff and infrequent revision, political interference, low efficiency etc. These factors coupled with the exhaustion of accessible sources of water have added to the woes of city dwellers. Cities today are investing huge amounts of money in developing new sources and conveying water to urban areas. The present paper briefly discusses the water supply situation in the urban areas of the country and recommends a new financing anal institutional option for financing new projects. The paper argues that with such new arrangements the supply situation would improve and local governments could confer the entire population to achieve the goal of reaching the unreached by the turn of the century.

Authorized by Chap. 25, Laws 1907; appendix included. ; Mode of access: Internet. ; Continued in: New Jersey Department of Conservation and Development annual report (1915). ; Supplement: Supplemental report of the State Water-Supply Commission.

This is a conference paper. ; In most developing countries, Government policies on water supply, if any, fail to take cognisance of the role of Private Water Vendors (PWVs). Often, political or social considerations constrain most public water corporations from charging appropriate water rates that will enable them to recover even operating costs. Thus, despite huge government investments over the years in the water sector, Public Water Corporations in Nigeria due mainly to low water tariffs that they charge, experience difficulty in maintaining and operating their systems. This situation has resulted in continued deterioration of treatment plants and distribution networks, leading to inadequate and poor service as enough funds could not be generated to replace broken down parts or expand existing systems. The current world wide economic recession has caused most developing countries particularly to experience, in differing degrees, deteriorating per capita income growth, stagnating if not declining government revenues and seri­ous balance of payments and debt servicing difficulties. These have led to drastic cut backs in investments and slow down in on-going projects. To deal with the problems of broken down plants and expansion of existing services, both Federal and State Governments in Nigeria resorted to external loans to finance water projects. Water tariff is too low in all State Water Agencies (SWAs) in Nigeria when compared with the high production costs of water. Water rate in metered residential areas has been found to vary widely from one state to another. It is as low as NO.44/m3 in Barno and Yobe States, slightly up to N2.6/ m3 in Kwara State, averaging NI.35/m3 for the whole country. In the case of unmetered residential areas, the change varies appreciably from N2.00/month in Edo State to NI52.4/month in Anambra and Enugu States, averaging N32.5/month for the whole country. The production cost of water on the other hand is estimated at N20.00/m3. In a recent study conducted by the author, private water vendors operating in towns and cities in the northern part of the country were found to charge an average of N45/m3, more than 33 time the tariff charged by SWAs for metered residential areas. The paper examines the poor state of water supply in most towns and cities in Nigeria which can be traced to inad­equate funding resulting from inability of SWAs to charge higher tariffs to maintain their services. Private water vendors who on the other hand are not licensed but free to fix their rates, make profits and expand their services to all towns and cities in the country. Other than the exorbitant rates charged by Private Water Vendors (PWVs), and that they sometimes obtain their supplies from unhy­gienic sources, nevertheless, their services go a long way towards supplementing government effort. If the services rendered by the water vendors can be taken into consideration, there will be greater participation by the private sector in water resources development includ­ing their eventual involvement in the manufacturing of water equipment, plants and chemicals.

This is a conference paper. ; Few rural communities in the developing world can have experienced such profound changes as have occured in Ethiopia since the revolution in 1974. The economy of the country is still based on agriculture but the former feudal structure has been transformed by sweeping land reform which put the means of production more in the hands of peasant farmers. Coupled with this development were radical changes in local government, with up to 25,000 Peasant Associations being formed. With the formation of other mass organizations, the rural population is now highly politicized. The Government, following a Marxist-­Leninist line, has always stressed the involvement of the community in their own development. This has included the development of rural water supplies. Ethiopia has been pre-eminent in the region in establishing a Community Participation Promotion Service within the agency responsible for the maintenance of rural water services. However, a recent survey in the Southern Region found that 30% of rural waterpoints were not functioning, and that only half of the communities with improved water supplies had a water committee to manage improved water systems (ref.1). This paper focuses on the situation in the Southern Region and will seek to explain why many rural water supply systems have not been sustainable, despite the emphasis that the government places on community involvement. Measures now being implemented to increase sustainability through more active and pragmatic community participation and through the use of appropriate technology will also be discussed.

Intro -- Preface and Acknowledgements -- Contents -- About the Authors -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- 1 Introduction -- 1.1 The Context -- 1.2 Discourses of Water -- 1.3 Mapping the Institutional Dimensions of Domestic Water Supply in India -- 1.4 Urban Water Supply and Images of Water Scarcity -- 1.5 Aims and Subject Matter of the Book -- 1.6 A Note on Methodology -- 1.7 Book Chapters -- References -- 2 Water: Perspectives, Prospects and Reforms in India -- 2.1 Introduction -- 2.2 Water in India: A Resource Perspective -- 2.3 Water in India: Politico-Legal Perspectives -- 2.4 Water in India: Policy Perspective -- 2.5 Summarising Policy Reforms in Governance of Water Sector -- 2.6 Conclusion -- References -- 3 Institutional Reforms and Water Sector Governance: Conceptual Understandings -- 3.1 Introduction -- 3.2 Governing the Water Sector: Conceptual Understanding -- 3.2.1 Distinguishing 'Government' from 'Governance' -- 3.2.2 Conceptualising Environmental Governance -- 3.2.3 Conceptualising Water Governance -- 3.2.4 Good and Effective Water Governance -- 3.2.5 The Need and Principles of Effective Water Governance -- 3.3 Institutional Reforms in Water Sector: A Framework -- 3.3.1 Understanding Water Institutional Reforms -- 3.4 Conclusion: Water Institution in India -- References -- 4 Methodology and Research Sites -- 4.1 Introduction -- 4.2 The Research Process and Methodological Framework -- 4.3 Sample Distribution and Fieldwork -- 4.4 Demographic Profile and Water Supply Arrangements of the Sample Cities (Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kochi) -- 4.4.1 Ahmedabad -- 4.4.2 Bengaluru -- 4.4.3 Hyderabad -- 4.4.4 Kochi -- 4.5 Conclusion -- References -- 5 Mapping Urban Water Supply in India: Scenarios and Challenges -- 5.1 Introduction -- 5.2 Mapping the Drinking Water Scenario in India -- 5.2.1 Norms of Water Supply and Coverage.