The impact of water governance levels on access to water for the most vulnerable: a case study from the Philippines

In the Philippines, and especially in the North Cotabato area, the most vulnerable people do not have access to water. Water governance in the country is improving but there are still issues to address. This research, conducted in ACF’s mission in the Philippines, will study the different levels of water governance (international, national and local), their mechanisms and their interactions, in order to show how they affect access to water for the most vulnerable and how they could be improved

WASH governance in support of NGO work: trends and differences from field studies

Action Against Hunger commissioned five studies on WASH governance in the Philippines, Pakistan, Djibouti, South Sudan and Kenya in order to better inform its strategic planning and operations. Similar trends were found across the countries, such as the fragmentation of the WASH sector, the limited capacities at local level, and the lack of data or limited community engagement. Differences were also noted between legal frameworks, the maturity of national level institutions, and the inclusion of disaster risk management. This abstract provides a snapshot of the main findings and how it translated into operational recommendations for the organization. A practical manual to apply a governance lens into humanitarian and development programs was published by Action Against Hunger based on these experiences

Stakeholder engagement in water governance as social learning: lessons from practice

The OECD Principles on Water Governance set out various requirements for stakeholder engagement. Coupled with conceptualizations of social learning, this article asks how we define and enact stakeholder engagement and explores the actual practice of engagement of stakeholders in three fields of water governance. The results suggest that a key consideration is the purpose of the stakeholder engagement, requiring consideration of its ethics, process, roles and expected outcomes. While facilitators cannot be held accountable if stakeholder engagement ‘fails’ in terms of social learning, they are responsible for ensuring that the enabling conditions for social learning are met

WASH governance in support of humanitarian programs in South Sudan: a case study from Northern Bahr el Ghazal

ACF recognizes the need for more WASH governance in link with its operations in humanitarian crisis, and has conducted a series of studies on the subject. One such study was done in South Sudan in 2015 to analyze the state of WASH governance, and the links and gaps in order to improve ACF programs, as the WASH crisis in South Sudan is not only a resource crisis but also an issue of governance. The sector is fragmented and lacks regulation and policies. The limited availability of spare parts and of control mechanisms hinders the access to water of the population. To capitalize on its governance work, ACF has published a WASH governance manual dedicated to its country offices and its partners. It explains why, when and how to implement WASH governance activities or projects in humanitarian and development contexts

Integrating basic urban services for better sanitation outcomes

Rapid urbanization in developing countries demands better integration of planning and delivery of basic services if cities are to be sustainable, healthy and safe. Sanitation improvements are commonly overlooked as investments go towards more visible services such as water supplies and drainage networks. The Sustainable Development Goal for sanitation and hygiene currently remains severely off-track. This paper presents the findings of a Delphi method survey to identify expert consensus on both why and how to integrate sanitation, by which we mean both sewered and non-sewered sanitation services, into other basic urban services (including water supply, drainage, energy and roads) to achieve better sanitation and broader development outcomes, notably for poor citizens. Consensus on why integration is important highlights the physical interdependence of services, where neglect of one service can compromise gains from another investment or service. Consensus on how includes actions to address political priorities and leadership; governance and capacity constraints; clearer planning, procurement and financing mechanisms; and adopting incremental approaches matched to wider urban strategies. It was suggested that achieving these actions would improve accountability, monitoring and service level audits. Experience from previous integrated urban programmes should be incorporated into formulating new sanitation service agreements across all service types. Supported by better-informed dialogue and decision-making between those responsible for urban sanitation and for associated basic services, we suggest integrated and incremental approaches will enable more sustainable urban services planning to achieve ‘quality of life’ outcomes for poor urban residents

Regulating emptying and transport services for faecal sludge in Sub-Saharan African cities

In Sub-Saharan African cities, the majority of the population relies on onsite sanitation facilities, that typically generate faecal sludge. Emptying and transport services for this faecal sludge are key components of a complete sanitation service chain, without which the sludge would be left on site, pits or tanks would overflow, and sludge would not effectively reach treatment or safe disposal sites. These services are crucial to enable safely managed on site sanitation in cities, to protect public and environmental health. To address the adverse impacts and the inadequacy of many such emptying and transport services, local governments and national entities have started organising and regulating them.The effective regulation of these services, both on paper and in practice, is the focus of this research. The research explores the current regulation in place in sub-Saharan African cities and analyses the barriers and enablers to regulating emptying and transport services. It does this by using a mixed-methods approach and a combination of three studies: a Delphi study among emptiers, an Inventory of regulatory practices, and a multiple-case study of three cities (Kampala, Lusaka, Freetown).The research concludes that there are a variety of regulatory situations in sub-Saharan African cities. Many cities have at least some regulation in place for emptying and transport services, and this regulation is often at least partially implemented. Three regulatory approaches, often combined, are commonly used by the regulators: a) command and control; b) support and incentivise; c) self-regulation. The degree of implementation of the regulation is influenced by the content of the regulation, the regulatory process (from initiation, through creation/reform to implementation), and the context. The motivation, capacity, knowledge, and resources of all stakeholders are crucial considerations to achieve regulated services. Five categories of stakeholders were found to play an important role in the regulation of emptying and transport services: regulators, monitors/enforcers, regulated, self-regulation bodies, and influencers. This research led to the development of a framework incorporating the key elements to be taken into account when regulating services. This will prove a useful guide to regulators, sanitation planners, and their development partners, when starting the process of regulating services or when wanting to understand why the enacted regulation is not being successfully implemented. It will also enable researchers to further analyse the regulation and the regulatory processes within other cities where on site sanitation facilities services are present.</div

Private emptiers' perspectives on the regulation of faecal sludge emptying services in Sub-Saharan Africa

Using a two-round Delphi study, 15 faecal sludge emptiers from 11 cities in Sub-Saharan Africa have expressed views on the regulation of faecal sludge emptying services. Their responses identify the regulatory mechanisms in place where they operate, their opinions of these mechanisms, and prioritisation of those considered most useful to enable safe emptying services for all urban residents. All respondents (100%) support regulation, with 80% finding the regulation they encounter useful. However, all also state that regulatory mechanisms should extend beyond only rules and sanctions, to incorporate support, incentives and pro-poor mechanisms. This study is the first to provide a first-hand account of Sub-Saharan African private emptiers' willingness to accept clear regulation. In that regard, regulation should be flexible and adapted to the context in order to facilitate fair competition, safe and satisfactory service for customers and workers alike, and to alleviate the public and environmental health risks

The emptiers' perspective on the regulation of their services in Sub-Saharan Africa: a Delphi study

This record includes an extended abstract and MP4 presentation. Presented at the 42nd WEDC International Conference

Regulating sanitation services in Sub-Saharan Africa: An overview of the regulation of emptying and transport of faecal sludge in 20 cities and its implementation

Onsite sanitation is widely used in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) cities. Safe transportation and emptying of the resulting faecal sludge are essential for healthy cities. Typically provided by an informal and unmonitored private sector, these services are being increasingly regulated. This research provides an overview of the regulatory mechanisms in place in 20 cities across SSA, their implementation and emerging common trends. Findings highlight the diversity of tools, mechanisms, and capabilities. We conclude that incremental and pragmatic change is needed to achieve fully regulated services, with adequate implementation particularly facilitated by support and incentive mechanisms, and participation of all stakeholders

Barriers and enablers to the regulation of sanitation services: a framework for emptying and transport services in Sub-Saharan African cities

Onsite sanitation is the dominant form of sanitation in Sub-Saharan African cities. Services for emptying the fecal sludge from these facilities and transporting it to safe disposal or treatment plants are crucial to public and environmental health. While these services are becoming increasingly regulated, implementation of the regulation remains a challenge. Through a multiple-case study anchored in the Contextual Interaction Theory, this research investigated the barriers and enablers to regulating emptying and transport services for fecal sludge. Looking at the cases of Kampala, Lusaka, and Freetown, this research found that both the content of the regulation and the regulatory process (initiation, creation or reform through to implementation) play a key role in the extent to which the regulation is or can be implemented. New elements relating to the knowledge, motivation, and resources of all stakeholders are identified as crucial to achieve regulated services. The findings have resulted in a framework that identifies the key elements to consider when regulating services. This framework would prove useful to practitioners and researchers engaged through all stages of creating, implementing, and evaluating regulatory practices