Socio-economic Impacts of Water Supply and Sanitation Projects

Transcription

1 Socio-economic Impacts of Water Supply and Projects I. Background 1. The provision of safe drinking water and basic sanitation is among the most critical challenges for achieving sustainable development over the next decade. Water is intrinsically interconnected with the MDGs and basic sanitation was added to the catalogue at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. To halve by 2015 the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation is one of the numerical and time-bound targets defined for the MDGs. 2. However, the provision of safe drinking water and basic sanitation contributes to sustainable improvements in peoples lives regarding their health and education situation, the preconditions for productive employment as well as for the eradication of extreme hunger and the empowerment of women. MDGs and Projects MDG 1 Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger MDG 2 Achieve Universal Primary Education MDG 3 Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women MDG 8 Develop a Global Partnership for Development MDG 4 Reduce Child Mortality MDG 7 Ensure Environmental Sustainability MDG 6 Control HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other Diseases MDG 5 Improve Maternal Health 3. The impact water supply and sanitation projects on the different aspects such as the health situation as well as the empowerment is not generally quantified and only sometimes qualified based on specific empirical studies. Impact assessments are used to evaluate the programmes, but there are many methodological issues involved in making these assessments which mainly deal with problems about validity (or the truthfulness of claims being made) and reliability (wether observations of a particular impact will be seen similarly by different observers). Validity can be improved by quantification and measurement. 4. This concept note gives a brief overview over core issues related to impact dimensions for water supply and sanitation projects and provides guidance on the following questions:! To what extent and how is the impact orientation of water supply and sanitation reflected in Financial Cooperation projects and programmes?! What are the different impacts on peoples living conditions to be expected from the provision of safe water and basic sanitation?

2 Socio-Economic Impacts of Water Supply and Projects 2! How, under which preconditions and to what extent can water supply and sanitation projects contribute to improvements in the health, education and poverty situation of people?! What experiences have been recorded regarding the impact of water and sanitation projects on the different dimensions? II. Impact-Orientation in FC 5. Since the mid 1990s, impact orientation and efficiency of aid delivery have been at the center of the international discussion on development cooperation. The formulation of the MDGs was a first step towards formulating joint development goals and indicates the commitment of the international community to a renewed focus on poverty reduction. The Paris Declaration calls for both partner countries and donors to adopt a managing for results approach to development cooperation. This implies managing and implementing aid in a way that focuses on the desired results and uses information to improve decision making. 6. Impact orientation of development cooperation has long been a core element of Financial Cooperation (FC) projects and programmes. The log-frame approach is based on defining inputs, outputs, outcomes and impacts for the interventions and requires the analysis of the underlying impact chains as well as the associated risks and assumptions. For water and sanitation projects, the development goals and project/programmes objectives defined in the logframe are in line with the MDGs. MDG Goals and Targets are often reflected on the different levels in the logframe. 7. However, the time and costs required to measure the impact empirically and the protracted methodological issues often exceed a justifiable effort in the context of development cooperation projects and programmes. In most cases, it is more appropriate to consider the typical impact chains, to assess their validity for the specific situation, in particular with regard to preconditions and complementary factors essential for the impact and to make an informed assessment of the impact of the interventions. In order to inform this process, the typical impact chains as discussed below have been analysed for the different project types and illustrated with qualitative and quantitative results from empirical studies. These guidelines provide information on relevant issues for assessing the impact, such as information to be gathered during the feasibility study or compulsory complementary aspects to be reflected in the project design. III. Impacts of improved water supply and sanitation 8. Water supply and sanitation are essential for human health and survival, for food security and the empowerment of women as well as the education of girls, for reduction in productivity losses due to morbidity and malnutrition, for the management and protection of natural resources. Although the crucial importance has been widely recognized, the right to safe water and adequate sanitation remains a promise unfulfilled for the world s poorest citizens. The lack of access to safe drinking water and to basic sanitation impedes economic development, thwarts progress towards gender equality and puts the health in danger. The unsustainable exploitation of natural resources is often due to insufficient or inadequate water supply and sanitation. The arguments in support of expanding the access to water supply and sanitation services and promote environmental sustainability can be expressed in terms of human values, human rights as well

3 Socio-Economic Impacts of Water Supply and Projects 3 as in health and economic terms. Each of these dimensions shall be analyzed in the following, describing the ways and interlinked aspects by which improved water supply and sanitation contribute to the aspired impacts and by demonstrating their relation to the 8 MDGs. 9. Access to basic services like water supply and sanitation is a moral and ethical imperative rooted in the cultural and religious tradition of societies around the world. The United Nation have affirmed the Right to Water in 2002, recognizing that the right to water is indispensable for leading a life in human dignity and a prerequisite for the realization of other human rights. It states that the human right to water entitles everyone to sufficient, safe, acceptable, physically accessible and affordable water for personal and domestic use. The statement echoes the importance that adequate water supply and sanitation has for the health situation, for economic and social development and for an ecological balance. 10.MDG 1: Poverty and Hunger: Assuring the water supply for the household has significant consequences both in terms of time and monetary costs. At the same time, insufficient and inadequate water supply and sanitation result in increased health risks for the population and a higher morbidity and mortality due to waterrelated diseases. Improving water supply and sanitation will have a positive impact on the individual income and poverty situation of the beneficiary household. Reducing the time and energy burden of water collection by providing safe water at a nearer distance will enable household members to engage in other activities, among them productive and income generating activities. Improved water quality will reduce the health risks and also the costs of preventing and treating ill family members. Furthermore, the reduction of working days lost to water-related diseases will also have a positive impact on the household s income situation. 11.By reducing the water-related health risks and thereby improving the health status of the population, domestic water supply and sanitation also has an impact on the nutritional situation of poor people. Healthy people are better able to absorb the nutrients in food than those suffering from water-and-sanitation related diseases, particularly worms which rob their hosts of calories. Furthermore, a reduction of the distance to the nearest safe water sources, will also have a positive impact on the energy (calories) required for securing the household water needs. With the reduced time burden from improved water services, more time can be spend on productive activities either directly in food production or in other incomegenerating activities. MDG 1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger Time savings due to improved access Income-generating activities MDG 1 Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger Better health Reduced costs for medicine Target: to halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people living on less than a dollar a day and those who suffer hunger Reduced costs for water

4 Socio-Economic Impacts of Water Supply and Projects 4 12.MDG 2: Primary Education: Improved water supply and sanitation facilities exert their positive impact on primary education through several channels. Relieving girls from their water fetching duties can improve their school attendance as can the installation of separate sanitation facilities at the schools. Both boys and girls school attendance and educational achievements improve significantly with reduced health-risks and better nutritional status from improved water supply and sanitation as well as reduced injuries and strain from water carrying, in particular for girls. Chronic early childhood diarrhea can result in permanent effects on brain development with the resulting impact on a child s learning achievements. MDG 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education Time savings due to improved access Better health Precondition for attendance Regular school attendance MDG 2 Achieve Universal Primary Education Target: to ensure that, by 2015, all boys and girls complete primary school 13.MDG 3: Gender Equality: In most societies, ensuring the household s water supply falls under responsibility of the women. Considerable time and energy are being spent daily on collecting water and caring for family members suffering from water-related illnesses. Improving water supply and sanitation impacts positively on women s living conditions by giving them more time for productive endeavors, adult education, empowerment activities and leisure. At the same time, reducing the distance to the water supply and sanitation facilities will also improve the security and safety and reduce the risk of harassment. Improved water, sanitation and hygiene impacts on the socio-cultural position of women and has the potential to provide them with privacy and dignity as well as increased status within the family and wider community. Female representation on water boards and user committees strengthens the role of women in society and has farreaching socio-cultural impacts. MDG 3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women Time savings due to improved access Income-generating activities MDG 3 Promote gender Equality and Empower Women Better health Regular school attendance Reduced care for family members Target: to eliminate gender disparities in primary and secondary education preferably by 2005 and at all levels by 2015

5 Socio-Economic Impacts of Water Supply and Projects 5 14.MDG 4: Child Mortality: Water-related diseases are the most common cause of death and illness among the poor population in developing countries and children under 5 are particularly affected. Of the 1,8 Mio deaths per year due to diarrhea, over 90% of children under 5. But also with regard to the other water-borne diseases caused by the consumption of contaminated water (diarrhea, typhoid, cholera), water-washed diseases caused by insufficient water for personal hygiene (skin and eye diseases, diarrhea), water-based diseases such as guineaworm and schistosomiasis (caused through contact with infected water) as well as diseases transmitted by water-related insect vectors (malaria) children are disproportionally affected. Providing sustainable access to safe water supply and basic sanitation together with hygiene education can bring about a major reduction of water-related health risks and child morbidity and mortality. MDG 4: Reduce Child Mortality Reduction of waterrelated diseases MDG 4 Reduce Child Mortality Lower Mortality Target: to reduce by two-thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the mortality rate among children under five Better nutritional status Lower risks of other diseases 15.MDG 5: Maternal Mortality: A reduction in maternal mortality depends strongly on the water supply and sanitation situation. A contributory factor to poor maternal health is contaminated water and poor hygiene, leading to infection and slow postnatal recovery. Good water supply facilities will support fewer miscarriages from heavy water transport and safer home birth. At the same time a better general health condition due to reduced health risks linked to insufficient water and sanitation will also have a positive impact on maternal mortality. However, reducing the health risk by improving water supply and sanitation needs to be linked to improving hygiene practices in order to bring about the desired impacts. This is particularly valid for postnatal hygiene practices, both concerning midwifes and the mothers. MDG 5: Improve Maternal Health Time and energy savings due to improved access Reduction of water and hygiene-related diseases Less miscarriages Lower susceptibility to other diseases MDG 5 Improve Maternal Health Target: to reduce by threequarters, between 1990 and 2015, the ration of women dying in childbirth

6 Socio-Economic Impacts of Water Supply and Projects 6 16.MDG 6: Other Diseases: Insufficient water supply and sanitation as well as inappropriate hygiene practices are associated with number of different diseases, as described above. Arsenic contamination in drinking water has been recognized as a important health risk, in particular in Bangladesh. Increased levels of salt in the drinking water, in some cases associated with the salination of soil and water ressources, can lead to kindney problems. Eliminating stagnant, standing water around the households and water points can contribute to reducing the incidence of malaria, in particular in dry areas with few natural mosquito breeding places. At the same time, reducing the incidence of water-borne, water-washed and waterbased diseases through improved services and hygiene behaviors will have a positive impact on reducing the susceptibility to other illnesses. For people living with HIV/AIDS, water, sanitation and hygiene is extremely important in reducing the incidence of opportunistic infections. MDG 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other Diseases Time and energy savings due to improved access Reduction of water and hygiene-related diseases Lower susceptibility to other diseases MDG 6 Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other Diseases Target: to halt and to begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS and the incidence of malaria and other major diseases 17.MDG 7: Environmental Sustainability: Insufficient or inadequate water supply and sanitation is very often associated with an unsustainable exploitation of natural resources. Improved water management, including industrial pollution control and water conservation is a key factor for maintaining ecosystem integrity. Adequate treatment and disposal of excreta and both household and industrial wastewater contribute to less pressure on freshwater resources. Furthermore, improved sanitation reduces flows of human excreta into waterways and reducing the respective health and environmental risks. Furthermore, water, sanitation and hygiene is important for improving the lives of slum dwellers, by reducing the risks of contracting water-related illnesses, relieving the burden on women and opening opportunities for small-scale enterprises.

7 Socio-Economic Impacts of Water Supply and Projects 7 MDG 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability Improved Reduced Environmental Risks MDG 7 Ensure Environmental Sustainability Reduced Water Losses Economic Sustainability Improved Coverage Target: Principle of sustainable development Target: to, by 2015, halve the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water Target: Improvement for slum dwellers Ecological Sustainability 18.The relevance of the different impacts described above varies across regions and between project types. Improving water supply in rural areas where water sources are at great distances from the villages will have a different impact on the time burden associated with water collection than urban water supply improvements. At the same time, the environmental benefit deriving from improved wastewater management will most probably have a greater impact on ecosystem health than basic sanitation in rural areas. Three selected projects are presented in the following section to illustrate the potential impact of rural water supply projects, urban water supply projects and wastewater projects. For each project type, one specific impact dimension is highlighted. IV. Selected Case Studies 19.Drinking water supply in Tanzania s Hai District remained a serious problem until the end of the 1980s. The quality of the water from the numerous sources along the slopes of the Kilimanjaro was excellent, but the existing pipeline system was only rudimentary. The majority of the population had to fetch water from open furrows and ditches. Women spend long hours per day in order to secure the daily water supply needed by their families. Furthermore, this water was polluted with bacteria and other pathogens as well as toxic chemicals from the use of mineral fertilizers and plant protection agents on the surrounding coffee plantations. Consequently, the population suffered from numerous diseases caused by dirty water: diarrhea, worm diseases, skin and eye infections. 20.The local authorities supported by the Protestant Church engaged in ensuring drinking water supplies in the Hai Districts. Starting in 1989 and with grants provided through KfW Entwicklungsbank, catchments were built for springs ad streams, pipelines built and rehabilitated and public standpipes installed in the villages along the pipeline. At the same time, water user committees were founded in the settlements located in the supply area which united to form a Water Supply Trust. The Trust was registered as a non-profit enterprise and was assigned by the government to operate the water supply system. Approximately people are currently being supplied with clean drinking water and surveys by the Ministry of Health indicate that water-borne diseases have decreased significantly. The positive health effects are amplified by the fact that the sanitary situation in the project area has also improved considerably. Nearly all families have invested in latrines. Two women in charge of hygiene issues are integrated

8 Socio-Economic Impacts of Water Supply and Projects 8 in each water user committee and are responsible for providing advise and for educating people about health and hygiene. 21.In addition to the positive impact on the health situation and on gender relations, an overall improvement of the living conditions is voiced by the population. The length of time women spent providing water for the family was reduced from up to 4 h to 5 to 20 minutes per day. The improved water supply increased the opportunities for women to improve their economic productivity. The time formerly dedicated to fetching water was freed up for income generation. Most women reported increasing their productive work in agriculture, in particular for growing bananas, ground nuts, cassava and vegetables on small plots. The agricultural produce were partly used to complement the family diet and partly sold at nearby markets. In some villages, women organised themselves in banana growers associations and sold their products in nearby towns. Time was also devoted to other income generating activities such as handicrafts, sewing, and food processing. Public Standpost in Tanzania s Hai District 22.In the late 1990s, the quality of life and the development perspectives of Diyarbakir, a city in the south east of Turkey with about 1 million inhabitants, were significantly constrained by an insufficient water suppy and sanitation situation. Migration towards the urban area from the surrounding villages put additional pressure on the existing systems. Less than half of the inhabitants were connected to the central sewerage system dating from the late 1970s, around people were using on-site facilities. Particularly in the densely populated old parts of the town, regular flooding of the system which was used both for rain and wastewater resulted in unhygienic conditions. The infiltration of the

9 Socio-Economic Impacts of Water Supply and Projects 9 wastewater and the overflow from cesspits contaminated the sources and wells used for supplying the town with drinking water. 23.In the shantytowns inhabiteted by the migrants from the rural areas, the sanitatory conditions were particularly precarious. The waste water collected by the system is led through those marginal settlements in open ditches and results in unacceptable health risks. Furthermore, the waste water was being used for irrigation of the small orchards and vegetable gardens on the outskirts of Diuyarbakir which produced more than half of the fruit and vegetable supply for the town. The heavy contamination of the agricultural produce with pathogens as well as the unacceptable sanitary conditions in the shantytowns resulted in a high incidence of water-related diseases. The incidence of thyphoid increased threefold and of amoebiasis fivefold between 1990 and 1996 due to the health risk associated with the unsufficient water and waste water situation. 24.Further negative consequences resultet from the fact that the watse waterwas not treated but directly dicharged into the river Tigris. During the summer month, the basic discharge of the Tigris was not sufficient to dilute the waste water to an acceptable level. The resulting contamination of the water led to the near extinction of fish iand the destruction of the natrual ecosystem. 25.The improvement of the sewerage system, namely the construction of a treatment plant, the extension of the existing sewage network and the establishment of a system for the emptying of the on-site facilities, has had a very positive impact on the living condition of the population and in particular has reduced the health risks related to the insufficient water supply and sanitation situation. Between 2002 and 2004, the incidence of typhoid as well as hepatitis A decreased by over 50% each, dysentary was reduced by 48% during the same period and the number of diarrhoea cases dropped from in 2002 by 38% to in The reduction of technical water losses in the city of Al-Mukalla and the improvement of the water supply of the population was the objective of the Water Losses Reduction Programme in Yemen. The administrative and technical water losses in Al-Mukalla amounted to 41% of total production in 1994 and the provision of the population with safe drinking water could only be ensured with an unsustainable exploitation of the existing water resources. The interventions were focussed on the inner city zones in the old part of town characterized by high population density and the poor condition of the obsola te network. The programme measures included the rehabilitation of the network and the installation of water meters. 27.Between 1994 and 2004, the daily water production was increased by a factor of 2,8 compared to the 1994 production. The specific per capita consumption increased from 44 l/cd to 97 l/cd improving the coverage of the water needs of the population. The continued distribution of the increased production demanded by the population through the existing network would have led to enourmeous increases in water losses, both in relative and in absolute terms. Therefore, parallel to the increase in production, the total water losses for the supply system of Al-Mukalla were reduced from 41% to 29,9%, the focal inner city zones even down to 21,2%. The technical water losses in the rehabilitated part of the network were measured at an average of 7,5%, administrative losses accounting for around 13,7%. 28.The reduction of the water losses and the improvement of the water supply situation on the city of Al-Mukalla had a positive impact on the sustainable use of

10 Socio-Economic Impacts of Water Supply and Projects 10 the existing water ressources. Whereas initially the high losses combined with the relatively low water production resulted in an insufficient per capity supply, the loss reduction already increased the available share for consumption and reduced the drain on the existing ressources. Improved water management and water supply and sanitation contribute to the sustainable exploitation of natural resources and provides for maintaining ecosystem integrity.