Context
The insufficient supply of safe drinking water and inadequate access to basic sanitation services are key constraints to development in Mali. Just 63 per cent of the rural population has access to safe drinking water, while basic sanitation facilities such as latrines are available to a mere 22 per cent. The comprehensive development and professional operation of infrastructure, as well as transparent regulation are yet to be established.
The country’s 703 municipalities have been responsible for drinking water supply and sanitation since 2002, but do not yet perform these tasks satisfactorily. Local and regional specialist authorities are not providing the professional support required. Democratic accountability, transparency and civil society participation in the water sector are weak. The responsible actors are not in a position to guarantee sustainable drinking water supply and basic sanitation services throughout the country.
No effective mechanisms are in place to mobilise and carry out investments in the interests of a significant expansion of services. Municipalities and operators are considered creditworthy to only a restricted extent. Municipalities work in isolation to mobilise funds. Intermunicipal associations and cooperative structures that might assume this task have not been set up to date.
Accredited private sector auditors perform control and regulatory duties at present. This system has functional deficiencies and is neither sustainable nationwide nor attractive to the private sector The sanitation sector does not yet have a database that might serve as the basis for planning investments or reporting. The drinking water database is outdated and does not make disaggregated data available.
Objective
The capacity of the responsible sectoral authorities, regional bodies and operators to provide nationwide water and sanitation services has improved. Poor people living in rural areas and small towns have significantly better access to safe drinking water and appropriate sanitation.
Approach
The project works with the ministries responsible for water and the environment and respective sectoral authorities at local, regional and national level. Other key partners include regional bodies, operators and accredited auditors.
An improvement in relations between the state and society by making public procurement and resource allocation more transparent and making policy citizen-centred helps to strengthen the people’s trust in municipalities as key stakeholders in consolidating peace. Increased access to basic services will help to stabilise regions in the medium term.
The project pilots, following a multi-layer approach, strategies and implementation plans in three regions. It combines strategic advice with the implementation of pilot measures. The findings from implementation are used as a basis for reference at national level and formulated as standards for broad-based implementation.
The consulting firm GFA supports the implementation of the project and trains operators.
Results
With support from the project, a standard service agreement was developed for operating water infrastructure. The National Water Directorate intends to introduce this agreement throughout the country.
A strategy for cooperation between municipalities has been developed and implemented in 15 intermunicipal associations who recruited 15 technical agents. It increases the broad-based impact of water supply and sanitation measures and fosters economies of scale. The number of municipalities to receive support increased from 12 to 38.
Training 20 trainers in the project regions is achieving multiplier effects. In 130 operator committees training activities are taking place with the assistance of the trainers on the ground. The trainings show positive effects on non-revenue water and on fee collection.
Professional service providers for a nationwide technical and financial audit were trained on behalf of the ministries and equipped with an IT system. By gathering management data on the local level the system enables national performance monitoring. For the first time, a data basis exists for the regulation of the rural drinking water supply. Ten key performance indicators have been developed to measure the sustainability and quality of services. A dynamic information system exists for a nationwide benchmarking in the water sector.
Regarding water quality, 50 drinking water systems were equipped with chlorination modules and an impact study was carried out. The results show positive effects on the water quality and thus improve the health of the users. Furthermore, an ideas competition for women was held, in which mobile water treatment instruments were to be won.
In the area of sanitation, 20 partner municipalities were supported in developing gender-sensitive sanitation plans. These plans form the basis for the construction of public latrines in markets, schools and health centers. In addition, measures were taken to promote private latrines. At the national level, standards have been developed that the sanitary authority intends to introduce nationwide. The standards derived from the measures prepare investments by KfW Entwicklungsbank for the further expansion of sanitation supply. In order to better capture the development of the sanitary sector, the sanitary authority is supported in the introduction of an information system.