Operation and Maintenance of Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Systems

A spiral-bound collection of training materials and activities designed to help planners, managers, and engineers improve water supply and sanitation projects through the better management of their operation and maintenance. Addressed to course facilitators, the manual contains abundant notes, background information, overheads, work sheets, exercises, and fact sheets specific to conditions seen in rural areas of the developing world. Information ranges from fact sheets describing the strengths and limitations of specific technologies, through a list of factors that influence a community's willingness to pay for services, to a discussion of nineteen tools for planning and working with communities.

The manual is intended for use in a two-week course or workshop with 12 to 15 participants. Course content, which was developed following almost seven years of field testing and revision, draws on lessons learned from the failure of many projects to produce sustainable services. Foremost among these lessons is knowledge that social, managerial, institutional, financial, and environmental issues are as vital to success as the technical features of project design.

The manual has two parts. The first provides a trainer's guide for facilitators. Chapters explain the objectives of the course, provide a daily timetable, and offer tips on effective training tools, emphasizing the value of participatory methods such as field visits, case studies, brainstorming, role play, and games. A checklist for planning is also included.
Course contents are set out in the second and most extensive part, which is organized according to four modules. Modules are subdivided into units, each focused on a specific training goal. Module one introduces current concepts in the water supply and sanitation sector, and explains how water, health, sanitation, and environmental protection are interrelated. Module two, on situation analysis, focuses on ways to identify all actors involved in operation and maintenance, to assess constraints, and to identify and analyse objectives in a logical way.

The third and most extensive module addresses the range of factors that influence sustainable operation and maintenance, including technology choice. Major attention is given to practical tools and procedures for working with communities and ensuring their participation. The final module covers planning tools, concentrating on use of the Objective Oriented Project Planning methodology.chd