Launch of information-sharing platform for water service monitoring in small towns

In developing countries, the quality of drinking water supply services in small towns is not always satisfactory and their lifespan can be excessively short. These deficiencies are caused by various institutional, technical, financial, organizational or cultural reasons.

 

Systems to monitor water services have been tested in several countries in order to improve the performances, transparency and sustainability of these services. Some have had extremely positive impacts and help support service regulation. They involve collecting and analyzing technical and financial data in order to assess service quality on the basis of objective and rigorous criteria relating to service operating, and disseminating this data to the relevant authorities.

 

An information-sharing and capitalization platform has been set up to allow this data to be discussed. The subject area for debates has intentionally been limited to the drinking water supply services provided to rural and semi-urban populations by networks that are not managed by major national or international operators. The platform is open to all actors concerned by public water services (State services, donors, municipalities, delegated managers, heads of regulatory agencies, monitoring operators), as well as other actors in the sector (associations, consulting firms, professionals…). The aim is to share and enhance our knowledge of the different monitoring systems that are currently used.

 

The platform for information-sharing on the monitoring of water services in small towns benefits from support from AFD (Agence française de Développement), SEDIF (Ile de France Water Syndicate), AESN (Seine Normandy Water Agency) and GRET (Research and Technological Exchange Group). It was initiated in partnership with the Water and Sanitation Program (WSP).