Community water, community management : from system to service in rural areas

This book deals with community management of rural water supply from the perspective of the consumers in the rural communities that are involved in this management process.
Specifically social problems get attention that is the main obstacle to a successful operation and installation of the water supply system. One might think of finding shared solutions, rule enforcement, overcoming conflict or fraud.

This book addresses governments, donors and 'experts' in their responsibility to support the communities. It also identifies a number of important factors to take into account in dealing with the communities mentioned above. Experience lies at the heart of this book.
This is illustrated by the treatment of the Participatory Action Research (PAR) project, which took place across 22 communities in six different countries. The numerous case studies will certainly be helpful to those who will manage water schemes or run agencies connected with water schemes. They will find useful information about choosing technology, pricing a water system, planning for future expansion and conflicts that might arise in the process.

It is especially directed at policy makers, bearing in mind that they, in reading this 'manual' will cease to regard capacity building as a one time occasion and community support as a time-bound project. Furthermore, the book contains a wealth of information about how the people interact with their water supply systems. Lastly, issues like leadership and gender differences are touched upon, crucial to the success or failure of a community management scheme.

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