News

The head of Kabarole District in Western Uganda has renewed a pledge to work with Triple-S on ways of improving the levels and sustainability of rural water services. Richard Rwabuhinga, Chairperson of Kabarole District local government, welcomed the Triple-S annual review and planning meeting to Fort Portal in Kabarole and said that work with the district authority was already making important gains.

In June and July of 2012, Triple-S underwent a mid-term assessment (MTA). In the months following the MTA process and formal delivery of the report last November, the Triple-S team has been involved in an intensive process of recalibration and replanning. A first version of this recalibration is set out in a replanning document which was finalised in January.

This five day course scheduled for 9 - 13 September 2013 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands gives senior water sector professionals an understanding of the key elements in delivering sustainable rural water services at scale. It provides examples and models from various countries and draws on the latest thinking from Triple-S.

How can we, as a collective sector, improve in providing WASH services that last? Triple-S now has a tool to help answer this question. You can test sector-wide policies and practices using the new beta version of Triple-S’ “WASH sustainability assessment tool”. The tool indicates where policies and practices are strong and where improvements can be made. 

The 2013 WASH Sustainability forum will take place at The World Bank in Washington, D.C. on 11 and 12 March 2013. Event hosts – The World Bank Group, UNICEF, Global Water Challenge, WASH Advocates, Aguaconsult, and IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre – are expecting 190 people to attend the event, representing 80 organisations and 14 countries from around the globe. Water For People, George Washington University, USAID, The Coca-Cola Company are some of the many organisations who have R.S.V.P.’d. Thirty of the organisations have already signed the  WASH Sustainability Charter.

On 7 February 2013, international development partners discussed and analysed during an e-discussion the Triple-S Qualitative Document Analysis (QDA) reports. Participants generally found the QDA reports to be an important and welcomed piece of evidence-based research which effectively draws attention to significant problems in the sector. 

In January 2013, the Coca-Cola Company joined a diverse group of organisations who signed on to support sustainable WASH services under the WASH Sustainability Charter. Coca-Cola Company is the 100^th signatory for the Charter and is the first Fortune 500 Company to sign.

Asset management and financial planning for life-cycle costs are two of the most critical systemic failure points in water service delivery, according to Triple-S’ Qualitative Document Analysis (QDA). Triple-S’ QDA is a way to assess whether the rural water sector is moving from building systems towards a service delivery approach, while also identifying gaps between policy and practice. The first phase of the QDA consisted of a policy document review, while the second phase focused on practice documents. Results from both phases are now available.

The Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN) is coordinating a three week e-discussion on water point mapping, entitled “From data to decision making”. The e-discussion will take place between 21 January and 8 February 2013. Registered stakeholders can share experiences and challenges from the full monitoring cycle. The e-discussion will be hosted in English and French, and is open to anyone who registers  here. If you are not a member of RWSN, but are interested in the topic, we still encourage you to join. If you have problems registering, please contact Sean Furey at  sean.furey@skat.ch.

Want to know how your organisation scores in sustainability performance? Complete the online self-assessment form and find out if your organisation’s sustainability policies and practices are strong or need improvement. You’ll have access to a customised list of resources to help develop your organisation’s performance.

Eighteen senior water service professionals from Timor-Leste, Ghana, Uganda, India, Burkina Faso, Belgium, and The Netherlands gathered from 12 to 16 November 2012 in The Netherlands to participate in the training event: ‘An Introduction to the Concepts of Service Delivery: The Role of the Service Authority’. The week-long programme aimed to enhance participants’ understanding of the concept of “ service delivery”, as well as their knowledge of the  role and functions of service authorities. 

During 5 to 23 November 2012, the Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN) will host a three-week e-discussion on the realities of accelerating self supply. The e-discussion is open to anyone from national governments, local governments, private sector, NGOs, as well as other networks and funding organisations including international organisation such as UNICEF. Register by 2 November 2012:  http://next.dgroups.org/RWSN/selfsupply. If you are not a member of RWSN but are interested in the topic, you are encouraged to still join. If you have problems joining please contact bertha.camacho@skat.ch. 

Global monitoring reports, such as the Joint Monitoring Programme for water supply and sanitation, indicate that water and sanitation coverage is increasing over time. However, not all countries will be able to meet the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of halving, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking-water and basic sanitation. During the South Asia Regional Conference on Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (10 to 12 October 2012), Harold Lockwood, Director of Aguaconsult and Triple-S International workstream leader, explained why certain countries will not be able to meet the MDG target by 2015. 

The Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN) working group on management support for rural water supplies convened in The Hague, The Netherlands on 2 to 3 October 2012, for their first thematic meeting on piped schemes. Objectives for the two days included compiling an initial set of conclusions and recommendations for appropriate and effective management and support models for sustainable rural small town systems; and agreeing on the management structure and activities for the working group as a way forward. 

During the 2012 Water and Health Conference at the University of Carolina, representatives from the sustainablewash.org platform will host a side-event on 29 October 2012 at 13:15 to 17:00. Join WASH Advocates, GWC, Aguaconsult, IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre, and Improve International, as they introduce an innovative new self-assessment tool and web portal for assessing, learning, and sharing information about WASH sustainability. 

During the 2012 Water and Health Conference at the University of Carolina, join representatives of Blue Planet Network, Global Water Challenge, Improve International, IRC, Splash, Water 1st International, Water For People, and others at the WASHME side event Monday, October 29 at 10:45 a.m. to learn more about the plans to launch WASHME to a larger audience.  This is a unique opportunity for WASHorganizations to monitor and share their data in a simple yet powerful way. As more of usejoin together, we'll get past the stastistics to specifics, leading to learning, and more effective performance.

IRC and Triple-S (the Water Services That Last initiative) are pleased to announce an international learning and sharing event entitled “An introduction to Service Delivery – the role of the Service Authority”. This five day event, to be held during 12 to 16 November 2012 in The Netherlands. The training is aimed at senior WASH specialists working for development partners, NGOs or governments. You can register for the training event here:  http://servicedeliveryapproach.eventbrite.com/

The latest report from Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo provides quantitative evidence on the impact of post-construction support on rural water supply performance in Colombia.

On Tuesday 21 August, Water For People hosted a Google+ Hangout on transparency in the water sector. The web-based platform convened a number of international development leaders to discuss the critical issue of transparency and analyse themes including:

•             The shifting transparency debate: from expenditures to lasting impact

•             Whether increased transparency improves quality of work

•             Tools/techniques the sector is embracing to augment transparency

We are pleased to announce the kick-off of the Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN) Working Group on “Management and support of rural water supplies”.  This Working Group focuses on management models for rural water supply and on support to service providers to ensure sustainable service provision under different service delivery models. Between now and November we intend to kick-off the working group. We’ll be organising two face-to-face meetings: the first on  29 August in Stockholm during World Water Week and the second on 3 October in The Netherlands.  

On 28 and 29 June 2012, the Joint Monitoring Programme water working group shared results from their first electronic survey. The group collected information on capacity and incentives for water-sector actors to comply with post-2015 JMP targets and standards. The survey also solicited opinions from NGOs, private consultancies, academic institutions, donors, and governmental bodies on the working group’s four draft targets.

In rural Mozambique, nearly 35% of water facilities are not working or in need of repair. The National Directorate of Water [DNA: Direcção Nacional de Águas] is confronting this problem by catalysing the process for sector reform. DNA adopted the service delivery approach—to essentially improve sector harmonisation and to promote learning in Mozambique’s rural water sector. 

World Water Week is hosted and organised by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) and takes place each year in Stockholm. This year’s thematic focus is on water and food security. IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre and partners will co-convene and participate in several meetings & side-events linked to the service delivery approach and sustainable WASH service delivery.

The 2012 Water and Health Conference: Science, Policy and Innovation will bring together academic research with policy, practice and network events. The event will consider drinking water supply, sanitation, hygiene and water resource in both developing and developed countries with strong public health emphasis.

On October 29 2012, IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre and partners will host three side-events for sustainable WASH services.

On 17 July 2012, Catarina Fonseca, WASHCost project director, participated in a webinar hosted by Global Water Challenge and WASH Advocates. Presenters and participants discussed the practical implications of the  recent GLAAS report. The UN-Water Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking-Water (GLAAS) report monitors the inputs needed to extend and sustain water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) systems and services.

Learn about who’s doing what for water. The Rural Water Supply Network launched a website outlining key projects focusing on improving rural water supply. Summaries are provided about Triple-S and other important projects. 

Join our July cartoon contest! The winning idea will be turned into a finished cartoon by a professional cartoonist and will be published on our website. The winner will receive a poster of his/her cartoon and a copy of the book Supporting Rural Water Supply.

On 31 May 2012, Mr. Thierry Barbotte, Managing Director of Vergnet Hydro SAS, and Nico Terra, Director of IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) defining the two organisations’ collaboration in the field of knowledge development for better operation of WASH services. The goal is to improve access to water services in rural areas in Africa.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Netherlands reviewed The Netherlands' contribution to improving drinking water and sanitation services in developing countries. The policy review was supported by a reference group which included Dr. Christine Sijbesma of IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre. The document is now available. 

Triple-S project staff and partners at the annual review and planning meeting in Tamale, northern Ghana, reviewed progress and set a clear course for the final two and half years of the project. The meeting from 13 – 19 May 2012 was a chance to look at the evolution of Triple-S thinking and the application of the project’s theory of change, particularly as it is playing out in Ghana and Uganda and in Burkina Faso under another project.

Water Alternatives is publishing a special issue on trends and developments in rural water supply services delivery, highlighting challenges and changes in the mainstream approaches to rural water supply. IRC and Cranfield University are teaming up to edit this special edition. Submit your abstracts by 15 July 2012! Learn more  here. 

On 17 April, Thierry Barbotte, Managing Director of Vergnet Hydro presented recommendations for governments and donors on how they can regain confidence in investing in Africa’s rural water sector. Barbotte’s webinar presentation is part of an 11 part series on rural water supply—organised by the World Bank and the Rural Water Supply Network. 

WaterHackathon—a collaborative event between software developers and designers to solve water problems—blogged about the benefits and limitations of Field Level Operations Watch (FLOW). Representatives of Water For People, the World Bank, and IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre shared their real-world experiences with FLOW. Nick Dickinson, IRC programme officer, gave insight into how FLOW is used to support Ghana’s Triple-S initiative. 

On 10 April, Glenn Pearce-Oroz of the Water and Sanitation Program, identified challenges around rural water supply and sanitation in the Latin American and Caribbean region. Pearce-Oroz’s webinar, as part of the RWSN and World Bank series, highlights useful lessons for regions which lack experience with decentralisation and private sector providers.

On 3 April 2012, Richard Carter of WaterAid kicked off the Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN) and World Bank webinar series on rural water supply. As the first presenter for the series, Carter re-examined community management, basic access, and other common premises underlying many rural water supply programmes. Richard Carter is one of eleven presenters for this webinar series. 

Funders of new water supply often ignore costs of capital maintenance and sector support costs for sustainable WASH services. Stef Smits blogs about the importance of discussing coverage and sustainability during the upcoming Sanitation and Water for All High Level Meeting. 

“The goal of universal access to clean water is far from complete”, says IRC's Stef Smits on CNN International. "Reaching the last 10% of the population -- those living in remote rural areas and on the fringes of big cities - will become increasingly difficult and expensive," he explains in “Going with the 'FLOW' towards better sanitation”.

Le 7 Mars dernier, IRC et la Florida International University ( FIU), ont signé un accord permettant à IRC d’élargir ses activités de recherche-action  sur la fourniture de services d’eau durables au Burkina Faso, dans le cadre du programme Ouest-africain pour l’eau, l’assainissement et l’hygiène (WA-WASH) de l’agence américaine de développement ( USAID).

During the London Sustainable WASH learning event, which took place on 31 January 2012, representatives of 44 WASH organisations made commitments to support the service delivery approach. They acknowledged that making changes within their respective organisations is important for collectively influencing the WASH sector to move away from solely providing WASH infrastructure towards providing sustainable WASH services. 

On 7 March 2012, IRC and Florida International University (FIU), finalised the agreement to expand IRC’s work on sustainable service delivery into Burkina Faso under the USAID programme: West Africa Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene Initiative (WA-WASH).

On 8 March 2012, Al Jazeera’s “Inside story” took a closer look at the results of the Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) report, produced by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF. Patrick Moriarty, IRC's International programme director and Triple-S director participated in a panel discussion about whether the JMP overestimated the early success of reaching the Millennium Development Goal for water and sanitation. 

AlJazeera’s "Inside story" will take an in-depth look at water and sanitation, and will have Patrick Moriarty, IRC’s International programme director and Triple-S director, as a panelist. Tune in on 8 March 2012 at 17:30 GMT. Watch your local Al Jazeera news station, or check out Al Jazeera’s live stream or YouTube channel.

On 31 January 2012, Triple-S and  Arup hosted the sustainable WASH learning event in London, UK. Nearly 60 representatives of WASH organisations attended the one-day event to learn, share information, and network. 

During the 6th Rural Water Supply Network Forum, which took place from November 29 to December 1, 2011, more than one hundred participants paid a visit to the Story Booth to be recorded on video and participate in the Triple-S story initiative.

On 15 December 2011, Global Water Challenge, WASH Advocacy Initiative, and the WASHplus project organised a webinar entitled "Leading with sustainability: Laying the groundwork for lasting services". The hour long discussion brought together WASH sector experts to share concrete and practical approaches to planning for WASH services that last.

During the RWSN Forum 2011 in Kampala, Patrick Moriarty took time to explain why the impact of IRC's international initiatives will take at least three to five years to realise.

Issue 11 of Arup’s business magazine, A², highlights how Triple-S is working with local and national partners to ensure rural people get water services that last.

The RWSN Forum will bring together water sector actors from around the globe to engage in lively discussions about the realities of improving rural water supplies.

In May 2011, a joint event between the World Bank and USAID reviewed the results from the Triple-S 13-country study and discussed implications for both lending and grant-making organisations. 

With the support of the Inter-American Development Bank, IRC and CINARA will look into the quality of service provision in forty water systems in the departments of Valle del Cauca and Caldas. The goal is to create a set of sustainability indicators for measuring quality of WASH service provision as well as the governance and performance of service providers.

Book Supporting Rural Water Supply unpacks problems and identifies success factors in delivering rural water services. Now available from Practical Action.

Monitoring efforts need to refocus from tracking coverage (the number of systems built and users who have access) to tracking sustainable service delivery. This was the main message of the keynote paper delivered by Triple-S director Ton Schouten at the First Consultation on Post-2015 Monitoring, held in Berlin 3-5 May 2011.

What enables one community to steadily maintain its water source where others fail? Check ups on Water User Committees (WUC) in Uganda's Lira district reveal some key factors.