Improving the PWX Application Process

After experiencing one round of the application review process, I have some suggestions on improving it.

To keep these dialogues concise and to the point I tend to believe that the key solution lays in the project proposal and applications. These may have to be presented by adopted concise and comprehensive standard format, containing specific parameters of a perfect projects definition that match adopted standard selection and prioritization criteria. These parameters and criteria would necessarily derive from adopted underlying general domestic water supply & sanitation development policy principles. The same parameters may form the basis for monitoring verifiable indicators respectively evaluation.

For example: currently stakeholder information is not clearly and explicitly spelled out.

I welcome a discussion on this topic.

Maarten

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Dear colleagues,

Kindly allow me to contribute the following for dialogue sake on personal title.

Indeed, the latest project application dialogue (to which I contributed for the first time), I experienced as broadly differentiated by subjects and levels of dialogue, the result of which remained relatively inconclusive.

To keep these dialogues concise and to the point I tend to believe that the key solution lays in the project proposal and applications. These may have to be presented by adopted concise and comprehensive standard format, containing specific parameters of a perfect projects definition that match adopted standard selection and prioritization criteria. These parameters and criteria would necessarily derive from adopted underlying general domestic water supply & sanitation development policy principles. The same parameters may form the basis for monitoring verifiable indicators respectively evaluation.

Evaluations may be performed at two levels, i.e. by quick scan respectively comprehensive scan.

Dialogues may consist mainly of clarifications on text and/or substance respectively exchanges of views on substance.

Principle policy rational as applied in the WaterforKeren Programme (a d.o.b. Foundation project in Eritrea) consist of e.g. :

Domestic water supply is a daily must, as basic human right and matter of life, survival and economy. As such it forms a remaining prime daily concern and responsibility at personal-, household-, community private and governmental (micro-, meso-, macro) levels. World wide deprived communities are massive by numbers, partially situated at remote and isolated locations, while central organisation, administration and management capacities and enabling environments limitations are prevailing.

Hence, eradication of domestic water supply and sanitation security shortfalls logically relies on sufficient wide spread momentum at the time, such as can only be created on the basis of: locally self-born evolution processes, i.e. demand driven and on local beneficiary stakeholders initiative, organisation, responsibility and capacity, within an enabling environment (e.g. governance policy and regulation, technological / investment finance support services).

In addition, such primarily locally born evolution processes are specifically emancipative through self-learning-by-doing, do implicitely create the essential sence of ownership and are affordable and custom made in all respects.

Water and water supply (and sanitation) represent an economic good, with the customers community as main permanent social, economic and financial foundation. Water supply (and sanitation) investment financing for that matter requires to match the specific water supply economic operations management system. Remaining non-economic investments would be by donation, implying careful tuning between both the alternatives of credit, charity or mix, in order to remain constructive.

Secondly economic investment financing facilities are required to be fundamentally easily accessible and liberalised, democratised and decentralized e.g. on a basis of ‘mesocredit’ (as microcredit alternative), and without bias (such as BPRF/PWX).

Domestic water supply security evolution processes, take into account the geo-hydrologic and hydraulic cycle as a whole (i.e. water resources – water production, distribution and delivery – end-use – waste water disposal), in both social, environmental, technologic, specific operations management economic and meso/macro enabling environmental respects.

In addition it emphasize the full possible range of applications i.e. personal hygiene (bathing, laundry), environmental hygiene (cleaning), sanitation, garden/animal husbandry, drinking and cooking (as minor component) within all households alike. For that matter water supply concerns water production, distribution and delivery by set quantity and quality standards applicable at in-house end-use level (not just at delvery level), home transports, storage and differentiated household applications inclusive.

In practice usual hand carried home transport capacities hamper the actual quantity and quality standards of water availability and actual in-house use. An average household of say 5 persons to be provided with say 100 ltr (at rates of 20 l/p) by hand carried transport from an outside collection point, deserves to be adressed.

As drinking water represents only a minor proportion of domestic water supply, it seems over-ambitious and highly inefficient to maintain drinking water quality standards for bulk domestic applications. Alternatively potable water may either be produced secundary and supplied separately centrally or be pasteurized at per household level (e.g. through insolation or solar cooking). Water end-use with respect to bathing, laundry and w.c. flushing may alternatively be combined by public water service stations for collection and in case bathing+laundry+toilet.

Project definition index

On the basis of the above cited policy formation rational a project definition index would require to highlight e.g.:

1. Identification:

– Title

– Location

– Initiator

2. Organization:

– Responsible

– Implementor

– Stakeholders

– Benefiiciary types and group(s)

– Other actors

– Organigram

3. Recurrent operations management :

– Mandate

– Institutional facility and operational management capacity

– Information base

– Economic operations management plan

– General investment requirements

4. General enabling environment:

– Governance and politics (e.g. policy, legislation, supervision,
information base, P.R.)

– Support services (local / meso / macro level)

– Investment finance services

– Institutions

– Prevailing macro economy

5. Technology and security:

– Water resources conservation technology and security

– Water production sources, technology, security, capoacity

– Water distribution technology, security, capacity

– Water deliveries technology, security, station nos, customer ratios

– End-use collection transport distances and capacities, household
nos/stations ratios, requirement standard (l/c/d), in-house storage
technologies and capacities, distribution technology/appliances,
applications, rainfall harvesting, sanitation, waste water disposal

6. Strengthening/upgrading investment plan

MSc/Sept08