Guiding Principles for Succesful Reforms of Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Sectors (Water Working Notes No.19, January 2009)

The primary objective of this report is to provide practical guidance to World Bank teams advising on the design and implementation of reforms of urban water supply and sanitation (WSS) sectors.
  
This report focuses primarily on improving the service provided by official WSS service providers, which because of limited coverage or poor performance do not always have the monopoly of provision usually associated with WSS in urban areas.

This report includes three main chapters to discuss how to measure the performance of an urban WSS service, explain apparent performance gaps, if any; and design and implement reforms to increase access to the infrastructure, improve the efficiency of operations and enhance the reliability, sustainability and affordabilityof the service. As already mentioned, this report builds on several pieces of analytical research already published (or about to be published) by the Bank on topics such as stakeholder consultation, governance of public service providers, service efficiency, public-private partnerships, financing, and economic regulation. The report illustrates the various topics covered with specific cases of reforms, or consequences of lack of reforms.

Table of Contents:

Introduction

Executive Summary

1. Measuring the Performance of the Water Supply and Sanitation Service
1.1 Access to the WSS Infrastructure
1.2 WSS Infrastructure versus WSS Service
1.3 Substitutes to the Piped WSS Service

2. Understanding the Reasons for Apparent Performance Gaps
2.1 Engaging in Process Benchmarking
2.2 Presenting the Results of the ”Metric” and ”Process” Benchmarking

3. Designing and Implementing Succesful Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Reforms
3.1 Involving Stakeholders in WSS Reforms
3.2 Revisiting WSS Policies
3.3 Changing the Culture of Public WSS Service Providers
3.4 Optimizing WSS Asset Management and WSS Infrastructure Development
3.5 Improving WSS Service Provision through Internally Developed Programs
3.6 Improving WSS Service Provision through Parnerships with the Private Sector
3.7 Financing WSS Operations in a Sustainable and Affordable Manner
3.8 Regulating the WSS Service in a Transparent and Predictable Manner
3.9 Implementing WSS Reforms
3.10 Using the Recommendations of This Report

References

Annexes
1. Evolution of Access to Safe Drinking Water in Urban Areas
2. Evolution of Access to Basic Sanitation in Urban Areas
3. IBNET and other Metric Indicators
4. Example of Summary Governance Assessment
5. Example of Confidential ”Vested Interest” Assessment
 

Post Date : 01 Juli 2009