Meeting need and achieving sustainability in water project interventions

• Published in: Progress in development studies Vol. 3; no. 3; pp. 196 - 209
• Main Authors: Huby, Meg, Stevenson, Stuart
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thousand Oaks, CA SAGE Publications 01-07-2003; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: poverty; intervention; need; sustainability; water; labour
• ISSN: 1464-9934; 1477-027X
• DOI: 10.1191/1464993403ps061oa

This paper reviews common reasons postulated for the failure of many externally
funded projects to improve the water supplies of people in poor rural areas of
developing countries. Analysis of survey data from Tanzania shows that villages most
in need of water supply improvements are unlikely to benefit from short-term
interventions based on ‘dig-install-depart’ models. Excess
availability and low value placed on labour in poor village communities reduce the
chances that necessary effort and resources will be deployed to maintain water
schemes following the withdrawal of funding agencies. The paper concludes that, to
reduce poverty, interventions must be accompanied by broader packages of prolonged
support, enabling communities to develop the skills and obtain the means to maintain
improvements in the long term.