There is a growing interest internationally to recalibrate the monitoring framework
used to measure access to basic water services. There are drives to move on from the
current technological and
binary approach (improved
-
vs.
-
unimproved water supply
technologies). Several initiatives have been applied to support the processes of resource
allocation, targeting and prioriti
s
ation in development policies. These approaches
consider the level of service
delivered by taking into account aspects such as water
quality, quantity, and continuity.
The recognition of the human right to water and sanitation is a milestone that should
contribute to the evolution of this work in progress. It brings in other issues
such as
affordability, physical accessibility and acceptability.
To incorporate all these human rights criteria in monitoring initiatives is undoubtedly a
complex task. It involves the definition of new indicators, design of field data collection
methodol
ogies, statistical analysis of collected data, and use of information generated in
policy formation and decision
-
making. The research presented in this paper has tried to
tackle this emerging challenge. It has developed and piloted indicators that measure
access to water from a human rights perspective. The proposed indicators have been
applied to two different groups within communities in northern Nicaragua: people
using a water system managed by a rural water committee against those vulnerable
groups char
acteri
s
ed by self
-
provision.
The research concludes that data needs to be well
analysed
, information needs to be
adequately post
-
processed, aggregated and disseminated to promote its use in decision
-
making.Peer Reviewe