Shehr ki Duniya : managing Karachi's water supply and sanitation services : lessons from a workshop : proceedings

Water services in Pakistan's major cities and urban centers remain fragmented and intermittent : no city currently has 24 hours of water supply for seven days a week. This impairs the ability of cities to support economic growth and to meet basic needs. Mid 2004, the WSP arranged a discussion about lessons to learn for Pakistani cities from W&S services reform in large cities and urban areas elsewhere in the world. All parties involved emphasize the institutional, rather than technical, nature of the challenges round water and sanitation in Pakistani cities. The creation of three tiers of local government (district, tehsil and union councils) since 2002 opens the door to improve service delivery through appropriate local-level policies and institutional arrangements. Political and operational accountability is the basis of dealing with institutional change : roles have to be separated to ensure accountability.

Because of the lack of reliable information, utility managers are not able to keep track of their customers' problem. In absence of sound data, Pakistani cities have not been able to monitor the performance of service providers. Baseline data comparisons must make it possible for institutions involved to monitor their own operations and for independent evaluators, political supervisors and the public to judge their performance and hold them accountable. An overall strategy framework presenting the specific steps to take to achieve better performance is indispensable, but it is crucial to adapt to demands as they arise, and to be able to change course if the situation demands it.