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Published on: 26/03/2014

In rural Mozambique, nearly 35% of water facilities are not working or in need of repair. The National Directorate of Water [DNA: Direcção Nacional de Águas] is confronting this problem by catalysing the process for sector reform. This means moving the rural water sector from focusing dominantly on building new facilities towards setting up institutional and management structures that can maintain and ensure long-term water facilities. In order to support this shift, DNA adopted the service delivery approach—to essentially improve sector harmonisation and to promote learning in Mozambique's rural water sector.

Focusing on sustainability of rural water supplies

Mozambique's rural water sector is characterised by uncoordinated donor-funded programmes which focus primarily on building new systems—often without consideration for indefinite maintenance of the services. The disjointed and limited approach to service delivery hinders communities from receiving uninterrupted water services. A rural SWAp is now in preparation which will establish a coordinating secretariat to set up platforms at national and provincial level. The water services that last initiative for the rural sector is part of a broader effort by the Mozambican government and its partners, who signed a Code of Conduct agreement in 2008.

What is the initiative doing?

DNA, IRC, and other collaborators such as UNICEF Mozambique and ProWater Consultores Lda are now collecting international and national lessons from sustainability innovations in water and sanitation services. The goal is to analyse a compilation of best practices, and recommend ways for replicating lessons into Mozambique's rural water context.

Activities

  • Strengthening sector collaboration by feeding international lessons for the national and provincial establishment of Grupo de Água e Saneamento (GAS)
  • Improving monitoring of Community Participation and Education, as well as Zonal and Community Led Total Sanitation ++;
  • Researching, distilling, and documenting lessons from sustainability innovations implemented under the UNICEF One Million initiative ; as well as from the JICA and MCA water and sanitation programmes in Nampula province

For more information contact: Alana Potter, IRC senior programme officer and Mozambique country co-coordinator at triple-s@irc.nl .

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