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Abstracts
Panel: The Water and Sanitation Challenge in South Asia
Comparative approaches to efficient storm water management
Securing poor people’s right to safe drinking water: ‘Rain Water Harvesting’ (RWH) – a tool to reach out to the most marginalised communities in Thar
Water and sanitation in Pakistan: Understanding the poverty link
Bringing water supply to Dhaka urban slums
Overcoming deprivations in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH) sector: An emphatic analysis from Bangladesh
Social mobilisation in Bangladesh: An innovative approach to meeting water-sanitation related MDGs towards poverty eradication
Comparative approaches to efficient storm water management
Faisal Haq Shaheen*
Pakistan’s urban cities[i] are among the most rapidly growing, unsustainable and vulnerable (in terms of informal sector[ii] populations) in the developing world. Socio economic assessments and surveys of the street realities of ‘meta cities’ across Asia, Latin America and Africa; reveal a sharp contrast between national ‘pro poor’ market based policy designs and the outcomes that impact the urban poor[iii]. Recent studies and statistics emphasize the challenges, concentrations and potential that urban rehabilitation and service delivery management pose, in terms of providing basic services, such as water and wastewater[iv]. Both external (colonial legacy[v], neo colonialism[vi] and urban sprawl) and internal (administrative culture, policy, capacity and capability) factors constrain the equitable provision of basic services by municipalities to all segments of urban society. Rights based paradigms specific to urban water services have been dominated by water and sanitation debates for the past decade[vii], and governance has been challenged with the realities of physical and economic resource scarcity. In light of such challenges, the focus and potential of storm water management is examined[viii]. Initiatives across the Global North - Toronto, Chicago, Paris, Melbourne and London - are examined in terms of environmental, economic, infrastructure and citizen engagement[ix]; where energy and scarcity are driving storm water management initiatives[x]. In South Asian contexts, case studies are drawn from Karachi, Lahore, Mumbai, Kolkotta, Delhi and Dhaka, where storm water management initiatives have been developed to revitalise and buttress urban water resource management strategies. Secondary data is taken from multilateral institutional studies, consultant reports, international non-government organisations, specialist institutions and municipal water utilities[xi]. Policy findings across Northern and Southern contexts, employing a dynamic institutional approach to urban water and supply management, show the benefits of a shared responsibility of storm water management between households (rain water harvesting), communities (drainage maintenance and community infrastructure assistance) and municipal authorities (canal maintenance and aquifer recharge)[xii]. Implications and recommendations for policies and programmes in urban Pakistan are recommended in light of recent severe weather events and the likelihood of continued climatic change.
 *Faisal Haq Shaheen is a PhD candidate at Ryerson University’s Policy Science Program. He is also a Business Management Analyst with the Municipality of Toronto and serves as a Visiting Research Associate at SDPI.
Endnotes
[i] The ‘Meta City’ is defined as cities with a population of over 30 million inhabitants. Such cities are found largely in Latin America and Asia and are plagued with ad hoc development and limited service provision to inhabitants.
[ii] Interestingly, while political change has become routine in many developing countries, the IS continues to experience neglect, in spite of its growth and support of the formal economy.
[iii] Laquian, A. 2006, The Inclusive City – Infrastructure and Public Services for the Urban Poor in Asia. Connecticut: Greenwood Press.
[iv] In turn, these colonial structures have a bearing on the internal linkages that connect with neo colonial forces and pressures that also impact municipal structures.
[v] Colonialism in the context of developing country urban governance refers to the struggle of indigenous civil service staff to adapt and adjust their social and cultural sensibilities to utilising an administrative structure imposed from the outside. In spite of the independence of many developing countries from colonialism, the legacies of these structures persist and result in alienation between the civil service and the populations they serve. The colonial mindset of top down, hierarchical and class oriented relations within the bureaucracy has also complicated relations within the civil service.
[vi] Neo colonialism, similarly, refers to the dominating influence of foreign governments and supranational bodies, such as the IMF, WB and WTO in shaping the policies of developing country governments, which inevitably influences urban regimes.
[vii] Wanielista, M.P., and Yousef, Y.A., 1993, ‘Stormwater management’, Wily-Inderscience, New York.
[viii] Rauch, W., Seggelke, K., Brown, R. and Krebs, P., 2005, ‘Integrated Approaches in Urban Storm Drainage: Where Do We Stand?’, Environmental Management, 35(4), pp. 396-409.
[ix] Villarreal, E.L., Semadeni-Davies, A., Bengtsson, L., 2004, ‘Inner city stormwater control using a combination of best management practices’, Ecological Engineering, 22(4-5), pp. 279-298
[x] Burby, R.J., Bollens, S.A., Holloway, J.M., Kaiser, E.J., Mullan, D. and Sheaffer, J.R., 1988, ‘Cities Under Water. A Comparative Evaluation of Ten Cities' Efforts to Manage Floodplain Land Use’, www.csa.com.
[xi] The interventionist state refers to donor countries that have increasingly placed the emphasis on market models and approaches to development and have ignored the administrative realities and contexts of the developing countries.
[xii] Otterpohl, R., Grottker, M., Lange, J., 1997, ‘Sustainable water and waste management in urban areas’, Water Science and Technology, 35(9), pp. 121-133
Securing poor people’s right to safe drinking water: ‘Rain Water Harvesting’ (RWH) – a tool to reach out to the most marginalised communities in Thar
Munawar Hassan*
With the growing population rate, the stress on existing natural resources, especially water, is increasing at an alarming pace across the globe. Geographically, Pakistan is located in a water scarce region, which is gradually changing into a water stressed zone.1 It is estimated that the available water per capita will decrease to less than 850 litres year by 2020. The arid regions of the country have been experiencing water shortages for some time.
Tharparkar is one of the most acutely water stressed arid region of Sindh province of Pakistan. Annual rainfall in the region is minimal, ranging between 4-20 inches. Ground water is severely contaminated and brackish in nature. High levels of fluoride, arsenic, salts and other hazardous chemical and biological elements make ground water unsuitable for human consumption. Rain is the only option in this scenario. It is observed that lack of access to safe drinking water affects other dimensions of social development such as health, livelihood and education.
There is historical evidence that the people of Thar have been depending on collecting and storing rainwater when it rains, which is normally in the monsoon season (July-September). A good amount of downpour recharges subsurface water and yields drinkable water through wells and deep hand pumps. However, little attention has so far been given to exploring options of maximum utilisation of the available rainwater.
Keeping in view the potential and need for Rain Water Harvesting (RWH), WaterAid along with its local partners and communities experimented an integrated RWH project in village Dedh Sarh near Mithi, Thar. The domestic water requirement was estimated for the entire population of the village (471 people) as 1,602,000 litres for nine months. To store adequate rainwater, various options including lining of tarais (natural earthen ponds), construction of underground tanks of varying sizes and roof-top RWHs were considered. The construction of these structures implied local/indigenous knowledge as well as modern engineering designs and materials. Low cost water filtration systems were promoted to raise the safety level of harvested water to acceptable standards.
This paper will examine the efficacy and adoptability of this RWH system from a more socio-economic perspective. The changes that have been observed in the lives of village people and new arenas for further advocacy and exploring other such options for different parts of Thar as well as other arid regions of the country will be discussed.
*Munawar Hassan is a development practitioner working in the area of social development for 15 years. He graduated from Sindh Agriculture University, Tando Jam in 1994 and got his masters degree from the University of London in 2006 in international development. Currently he is engaged with WaterAid in Pakistan as a Programme Manager.
[1] Pakistan Strategic Country Environmental Assessment 2006 by South Asia Environment & Social Dev. Unit, The World Bank Report No. 36946-PK http://www.heritage.com.pk/travel-guide/sindh/thar-2/
Water and sanitation in Pakistan: Understanding the poverty link
Ahmed Nawaz Hakro
Though access to water in Pakistan has been improved from 86 per cent in 1990 to 90 per cent in 2006 and access to sanitation services from 33 per cent to 58 per cent during the same period, the sector still suffers from poor quality of service, poor cost recovery and operations, poor maintenance, low level of tariff and lack of efficiency and intermittent water supply, poor quality of drinking water and sanitation facilities. As a result, we frequently hear of the outbreak of water borne diseases.
Pakistan like other developing countries carries a large burden of water borne diseases and expends a very negligible amount of the budget on solving this issue. Several policy documents emphasize the vast coverage, equality, efficiency and access issues related to water and sanitation along with certain measurable targets, yet investment in water sanitation is US$ 4 per capita. Government reports claim premature achievement of rural sanitation targets under the MDGs, and ‘on track’ progress for urban sanitation.
This paper is designed to address and review critical issues faced by the water and sanitation sector in Pakistan and provides linkages with poverty and asks how this sector could become a way to address poverty at large. The paper also critically reviews and identifies problem areas that require intervention and evaluates the various options of intervention and their effectiveness in this connection. The paper will review the best practice frameworks that suggest reevaluating water and sanitation strategies to establish strong links to address poverty, and to assess whether those interventions could be effective. The concluding section will give recommendations.
 *Dr. Ahmed Nawaz Hakro is a Ph.D Economics, Assistant Dean, Research, Graduate Studies and External Relations, University of Nizwa, Sultanate of Oman. He has 20 years of professional experience working with Glasgow University, UK, Quaid Azam University Islamabad and Sindh University Jamshoro Pakistan.
Bringing water supply to Dhaka urban slums
Dibalok Singha*
The study that will be presented delineates the experiences of Dushthya Shasthya Kendra (DSK), a national NGO, in Dhaka, Bangladesh to provide access to safe water to poor people living in the slums of Dhaka. The approach that has been adopted is based on community management, the participation of women and a willingness to pay for services.
With urbanisation increasing rapidly coupled with an increasing population, the study assesses the project experiences in relation to the role and importance of reform in utility agency and how this reform increases poor peoples’ access to water supply services. Besides it also analyzes alternate service delivery mechanisms and organisational dynamics led by poor people in the community.
*Dr. Dibalok Singha, MD, is a Consultant Public Health, Executive Director Dushtha Shasthya Kendra (DSK), Bangladesh.
Overcoming deprivations in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH) sector: An emphatic analysis from Bangladesh
Shamim Ahmed
Though the UN declares access to clean water and sanitation as a human right, many people in Bangladesh are still excluded of their right of access to water and sanitation. There have been large investments in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH) sector, however, coverage has not been extensive enough. WaSH does not only refer to someone’s right to existence, it also ensures maintaining human dignity.
Despite the fact that Bangladesh needs to make more progress, the government and other NGOs have worked a lot to improve the water and sanitation situation in Bangladesh and have invested large amounts of money to improve the situation. It has made some headway in achieving the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals that are related to water and sanitation. According to the Millennium Development Goal 7, Ensure Environmental Sustainability, target 7c talks about reducing the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by half by 2015. Bangladesh has achieved its target where improved water sources are concerned. However, in the case of sanitation, only 54 per cent of the population is using improved sanitation facilities whereas it was 39 per cent in the base year 1990/91.
However, much work still has to be done. For example arsenic can still be found in water samples and alternative approaches like rain water harvesting have not been adopted.
This paper analyses the equity and inclusion situation of Bangladesh in connection with water and sanitation. The deprived groups and areas have been identified and specific recommendations have been made to overcome the situation in the future.
*Shamim Ahmed is a development economist and working as an Assistant Programme Coordinator for WaterAid Bangladesh.
Social mobilisation in Bangladesh: An innovative approach to meeting water-sanitation related MDGs towards poverty eradication
Badiul Alam Majumdar*
Since poverty is a multi-dimensional problem, its eradication not only requires creating income earning opportunities for the poor, but also enhancing the overall quality of life, which requires provisions for good sanitation and safe drinking water. In fact, receiving such essential services is a universal right. With such a multi-dimensional poverty eradication approach in mind, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) included, among others, the water and sanitation related targets.
Inadequate access to safe water and sanitation facilities, along with poor sanitation practices kill thousands of children every year from diarrhoea, cholera, typhoid and other water-borne diseases. For example, diarrhoea alone kills about quarter of a million Bangladeshi children every year. Thus, providing water and sanitation services to all the people of Bangladesh is of urgent need.
Although Bangladesh has made great strides over the years in providing water and sanitation facilities, it still has a long way to go to meet the MDG goals. Available information shows that the proportion of Bangladeshi population with access to improved water sources increased from 94 percent in 1994 to 98 percent in 2006 (GoB 2009). However, arsenic contamination of 22 percent of the tube wells in the country has lowered the access to safe drinking water to an estimated 78 percent during the early 1990s. The most recent Bangladesh Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) of 2009 found that access to improved sources of water, adjusted for arsenic contamination of 50 microgram per litre, has increased to 86 percent. However, if the the World Health Organisation’s standard of 10 microgram of arsenic per litre is to be applied, only 75 percent of the population in 2009 used safe water. But the MDG target for safe drinking water for 2015 is 89 percent of the population. Thus, it is highly unlikely that the safe drinking water related MDG target will be achieved, if we are to use the more stringent WHO standard.
The prospect of achieving the sanitation related MDG target appears to be even more unlikely. According to the latest MICS, access to improved sanitation facilities has increased from 39 percent in 1990 to 54 percent in 2009, although many would question the veracity of this achievement. The MDG target for 2015 is 70. Thus, with the present slow rate of progress, it would be impossible to achieve the MDG target for sanitation. Universal coverage would obviously take a much longer time.
The traditional approach to solving the water and sanitation problems has been to give, either free of cost or at a subsidised rate, tube wells and sanitary latrines to the “beneficiaries” by local government bodies and non-government organisations (NGOs). Although such an approach increased the water-sanitation coverage throughout Bangladesh, the rate of increase has not been very high, especially relative to the investments made. In fact, one can see with one’s own eyes innumerable tube well pipes sticking out of the ground, with missing heads, around the country. This is because of a lack of (often minor) repair of tube wells that have gone out of order. (When tube wells remain inoperative for a while, their heads typically disappear.) Such lack of repair was mainly because the tube wells were installed by “outsiders” using donor money with no “ownership” of the local people. The local bodies or NGOs did not make the repair because the duration of their “projects” had expired.
Similarly, sanitary latrines given to beneficiaries were sometimes not installed because the beneficiaries were not fully convinced about the urgency of the use of such devices – the latrines were given to them by the benefactors either for free or as part of other interventions. As a result, beneficiaries at times used sanitary latrines for other household purposes. Thus, in many locations more sanitary latrines were distributed than the number of total households, but still the universal sanitation coverage was not achieved. In some cases, the latrines were not used even though they were installed by the providers. Sometimes, the beneficiaries used the latrine but did not properly wash their hands, as a result of which they could not be free of diarrhoea and related diseases.
Based on these experiences, we have come to realize that in order to make the water and sanitation coverage sustainable, a markedly different approach is needed – an approach where people themselves will have ownership in the solution of the problem. We have recently experimented with an innovative “social mobilisation approach” in one Upazila of Bangladesh. We feel strongly that the social mobilisation approach is more cost effective and it will help us go the extra distance needed to achieve the MDG targets within the shortest possible time. We are experimenting with this approach in the Patnitola Upazila of the Noagaon district consisting of 11 Unions and a population of about a quarter million. The experiment involves first mobilising the Union Parishads and then with their help, a large number of volunteers. The volunteers then mobilise the people to address not only water and sanitation problems, but also good hygienic practices. They also address ways to improve the overall quality of life, as demonstrated through the formation of self-help groups, increased income earning opportunities and so on. The important assumption behind this volunteer-based approach is that since poverty is a multi-dimensional problem, its solution also requires a multi-dimensional intervention addressing as many problems as possible.
The experiment began in 2008 and is being carried out in partnership with the Hygiene, Sanitation and Water Supply (HYSAWA) Fund, a statutory company formed with the support of the Government of Bangladesh and the Government of Denmark. The proposed paper will document the process through which this novel experiment is being implemented, the results achieved so far and the lessons learned from it. We feel that there is a great deal to be learned from this novel experiment which will be useful in the future for addressing water and sanitation issues in the context of the larger goal of poverty eradication.
References:
GoB 2009, ‘The Millennium Development Goals: Bangladesh progress report 2009’, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.
*Dr. Badiul Alam Majumdar is the Vice President and Country Director of The Hunger Project, Bangladesh.
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