service delivery indicators and monitoring to improve sustainability of rural water supply in ghana

SERVICE DELIVERY INDICATORS

AND MONITORING TO IMPROVE

SUSTAINABILITY OF RURAL WATER

SUPPLIES IN GHANA

Prosper

Dzansi

6 th RWSN

Forum,

Kampala 2011

OVERVIEW

� Background to Triple-S

� Limitations of monitoring functionality

WATER SERVICES THAT LAST …2

� Moving toward a service delivery approach

to monitoring

� CWSA & Triple-S pilot service delivery &

sustainability indicators

� Conclusions & recommendations

BACKGROUND TO TRIPLE-S

� Triple-S: a six year research project 2009 – 2014

� Managed by IRC in collaboration with partners and

funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

� Seeks to tackle log-term challenges of sustainable


� Seeks to tackle log-term challenges of sustainable

water supply by contributing to shift from “infrastructure

perspective” to service delivery approach for rural water sector through:

� Action research in Ghana, Uganda (& Burkina Faso)

� Working with government and sector stakeholders

� Research, documentation and dissemination

� International partnerships and advocacy

LIMITATIONS OF MONITORING FUNCTIONALITY

� Functionality is the commonest form of monitoring

� Reports of functionality rates in Ghana differ: 58-

90% (national guidelines allow 95%)

� But, problems of measuring functionality:


� But, problems of measuring functionality:

� Only focuses on output, not underlying factors

� May not show deterioriation of service

(especially for piped networks)

� Functionality on one day does not give indication

of time for repair

� Functionality over time is better, but still doesn’t

indicate risk to sustainability

MOVING TOWARD A SERVICE DELIVERY APPROACH TO MONITORING

� Three aspects to monitor:

� The service delivered to users (quantity, quality,

accessibility & reliability over time);

� Performance of service providers (technical,


� Performance of service providers (technical,

financial, management, organisational);

� Performance of service authorities (planning,

coordination, regulatory, support functions)

� Government, service providers and users should

have information to set targets, monitor progress,

take corrective action and ensure accountability

MONITORING SERVICE –SERVICE LADDER

Service level Description

High >60lpcd; high quality on demand. 95%

reliability

Intermediate >40lpcd; acceptable quality; <500m;


Intermediate >40lpcd; acceptable quality; <500m;

<300 people (<150 well); 95% reliability

Basic

(Benchmark)

>20lpcd; acceptable quality; <500m;

<300 people (<150 well); 95% reliability

Sub-standard Better than no service, but lacks 1 or

more criteria from ‘Basic’ service

No service Does not meet any ‘Basic’ criteria

MONITORING SERVICE PROVIDERS

� WATSAN committees (point sources) and WSDB (small town piped system) most common in Ghana

� 2002 – Monitoring Operation & Maintance unit:� Backstopping to districts & communities for O&M� Monitoring & evaluation


� Monitoring & evaluation � Identifying training needs and providing capacity

building (public, private & communities)

� Benefits:� Management by WATSANs/WSDBs much better� Feed-back to DWST & community much better� Neighbouring communities supported one another

� Led to national monitoring system for CWSA: ‘DiMES’

INDICATOR DEVELOPMENT PROCESS IN GHANA

Second half 2010 / first half 2011:

� Draft of indicators and scoring tables by small team, based on CWSA guidelines, manuals and model by-laws

� Review of draft indicators in 2 regions, by CWSA staff, supported by local consultants -> Refining of indicators


supported by local consultants -> Refining of indicators

� Presentation of the draft indicators to the Triple-S technical committee -> Refining of indicators

� Presentation of indicators to the National Level Learning Alliance Platform (November 2011), for validation and refinement through group work

� Testing of sustainability indicators though conducting case studies in 2 regions

CWSA & TRIPLE-S PILOT SERVICE DELIVERY & SUSTAINABILITY INDICATORS

� Service delivery indicators:

� Water services in line with CWSA standards

� Sustainability indicators:

� Service provider indicators:


� Service provider indicators:

� Management & governance indicators

� Financial management indicators

� Operational indicators

� Support function indicators/ enabling environment

� Each indicator and sub-indicator uses scoring 0 (worst)

to 100 (best)

Is there a WATSAN? Score: 0

Has the WATSAN been

constituted in line with

the guidelines?

•Gender Balance (at least

30% women)

•There is a cashiering

function and caretaking

function separated

•Vendors are engaged at

each water point

No

yes

Score: 25No

EXAMPLE INDICATOR: A well qualified, trained and experienced gender balances WATSAN is in


each water point

Training and retraining

Only initial training

Initial training and

irregular retraining

Initial training and at

least bi-annual

retraining

yes

Score: 50

Score: 75

Score: 100

WATSAN is in place

INDICATORS FOR SELECTED CASES IN NORTHERN REGION

90

100

Average score governance and management

indicators

Average score financial management indicators

Average score operational indicators


0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Nanton Yoggu Bimbilla Busunu Wulensi Lito

Average score service provider indicators

ENABLING ENVIRONMENT ASSESSMENT FOR GHANA’S NORTHERN REGION

Enabling environment factor

Bu

sun

u

Bim

bil

a

Yo

gg

u

Lito

Na

nto

n

Wu

len

si

There is a well-resourced DWST, consisting of 3 well

qualified and experienced staff members, receiving the

needed support by CWSA and District Assemblies 75 75 25 75 75 25

There are efficient monitoring and data flows 50 25 0 50 50 25


There are efficient monitoring and data flows 50 25 0 50 50 25

District Water and Sanitation Plan is incorporated into

medium term development plans and budget of the

assembly, which is used to guide implementation 100 100 0 50 100 25

DWST monitors O&M of water facilities in terms of financial,

technical and administrative performance, including

periodic audits, and provides support where needed. 50 50 0 75 75 50

Bye-laws for the WATSAN committees and WSDBs exist and

are enforced effectively 0 50 50 50 100 50

NGOs and CSOs providing water facilities do so in

coordination with the District Assemblies 100 75 50 100 50 50

TOTAL SCORE 63 63 31 67 75 38

INDICATOR DEVELOPMENT PROCESS – NEXT STEPS

Next steps (second half 2011):

� Baseline on level of service delivered, service

provision and service authority functions in 3

Triple-S focus regions


� Testing of data collection and presentation tools

(FLOW, Excel tables, graphs, maps)

� Scaling-up (through World Bank sustainable rural

water programme) to 66 additional districts and

linking to the national monitoring system (DiMES)

CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS

� Indicators developed with consultation of

stakeholders, led by Government.

� Monitoring not just functionality but service

orientated and sustainable monitoring system


orientated and sustainable monitoring system

� Used to help plan for support and improve rural

water sector performance

� Resources needed for data collection & analysis

� Regulation being put in place

WATER SERVICES THAT LAST


www.waterservicesthatlast.org

http://www.waterservicesthatlast.org/Monitoring

service delivery indicators and monitoring to improve sustainability of rural water supply in ghana

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