Water today, better lives tomorrow

ADB's 4th Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project provided water to about 40 districts in the far western, midwestern, and eastern development regions of Nepal. In a case study, ¿Water Today, Better Lives Tomorrow¿ [1], the folllowing lessons are shared:

The decision-making process for projects needs to be embedded in the beneficiary communities. If the communities do not make project decisions, their ownership of the project facilities will be weak, jeopardizing sustainability.
The community must be mobilized to contribute project costs. This will strengthen ownership and provide incentives to the communities, the key stakeholders, to seek ways to reduce costs and increase efficiency.
Community capacity building should be closely linked to the more tangible project activities and results to sustain the community's active participation.
The ¿software¿ component of a project is as important as its ¿hardware¿ component. Community information, awareness campaigns and education, particularly of women, must be given enough emphasis as well as financial and other support. These efforts need to precede construction activities. Monitoring and evaluation needs to be strengthened so that projects are implemented as designed, midcourse corrective actions can be taken, and intended project benefits are achieved.
Benefits in the water sector can be obtained only if sanitation and hygiene education are addressed in an integrated manner.