In the pipeline : water for the poor : investing in small piped water networks

The Small Piped Water Network (SPWN) toolkit is one of the major outputs of the Asian Development Bank’s Regional Technical Assistance on Implementing Pilot Projects for Small-Piped Water Networks (2005-2008). Two pilots were implemented in the Philippines and one each in Viet Nam and India. The toolkit includes case studies from these pilots and from similar pilots from the USAID-funded Environmental Services Program in Indonesia. The tool kit contains five modules: Project Study: This module contains the preliminary agreements needed to be obtained from the different stakeholders during the initial stage of the project and the conduct of a project study; Business Models and Instruments: This module provides templates of implementation (business) models and contract documents that can be used by a main utility, small-scale water provider, or community-based organization; Financing: This module assists proponents in where and how to secure financing; Sustainability and Acceptability Measures: This module provides measures to ensure the acceptability and sustainability of the SPWN; and Regulatory Measures: This module gives the proponent the requirements for creating legal and contractual conditions in order for the SPWNs to be integrated into the water supply chain to the extent possible. The tool kit is intended as a guide for governments, development agencies, utilities, and civil society in putting up or implementing piped water projects using the SPWN concept for urban poor or rural communities without access to piped water systems.