The Community Water Plus research project studies a sample of twenty of the most successful community-managed rural water programmes in India, examining what type, extent and style of supporting organisations that are prevalent in the rural water supply chain and the resource implications of this. The conceptual framework and methodology described in this working paper are believed to be of relevance beyond this specific research project, and can be used by other studies into support to community-managed rural water supplies.
Community-based organisations have shown to be able to operate and maintain their water supplies on a day-to-day level. But they often need support in addressing challenges that are beyond their capacity, such as major replacements. In India - as elsewhere - a range of support mechanisms have emerged to help community-based organisations in overcoming these challenges. However, little insight exists in the different institutional modalities for structuring such support, the relation between the support entity and service providers and the costs of providing support. This tool helps systematically assess those aspects of support to community management.
The tool consists of two parts:
It must be noted that this tool has been developed in the context of a very specific research project. The assessment framework and the recommended data collection tools (which are available from the authors upon request) are considered to be relevant for any study into post-construction support arrangements.