Session FT 3.09

Asian civil society innovating change

 

 

 

 

Conveners

• NGO Forum of the Asian Development Bank
• Freshwater Action Network (FAN)

Despite the rhetoric of the National governments, International Financial Institutions and other global bodies, water issues are growing everyday. Yet world leaders and key international institutions cannot find a single voice to address this. The Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of halving the population without access to water by 2015 is becoming unrealistic. The one road approach i.e privatization and private sector participation, full cost recovery and tradable water rights is not the solution for the problem. This approach deprives water to the poor and hinders water for all. We call upon all governments and the global bodies to accept right to water. 

Yet civil society organization and public sector utilities have proven sustainable models to the urban and rural water and sanitation problems. The experience shared by the local actions presented in this session showed the importance of the participation & community management, social inclusion, financial sustainability and cost sharing, use of appropriate technology. These models can be replicated on a large scale.

The sessions make the following recommendations to all the stake holder groups mainly to National Governments. We also make recommendations to the Local communities/ organizations and Financial institutions

Orientations for action

 

1. Hundred percent inclusion of the community/geographical areas (hydrological units, administrative boundaries, social cultural commonalities) based approach rather than a restricted socio-economic segment approach is essential in achieving the water and sanitation goals. However this does not mean giving up gender and social equity approaches.
2. Adopting genuine cost sharing/ component sharing is an effective strategy to reduce corruption and mismanagement of resources and it ensures constructive community participation and reduces the overall costs.
3. Multiplicity of the Community based organizations being created through different project interventions (by the National government as well as International Financial institutions) is detrimental to the sustainable development process of the communities. We recommend that financing and facilitating organizations should focus on building conducive atmosphere for coordinated and convergent mode of functioning of existing CBOs rather than creating new water and sanitation committees. The elected local bodies of governance must be fully involved to ensure long term sustainability of the water and sanitation development process.
   

Local Actions presented

 

Building dignity through community managed rural water and sanitation in Orissa

Joe  Madiath of Gram Vikas, India

 

Community involvement in provision of water and sanitation

Nazir Ahmed Watoo of Anjuman Samaji Behbood (ASB), Pakistan

 

CBO turns into development in the SW coastal region of Bangladesh

Mohon Mondal, Gana Unnayan Sangstha (GUS) Bangladesh

 

Rainwater harvesting in drought affected areas in Sindh

Tanveer Arif, Society for Conservation and Protection of Environment (SCOPE), Pakistan.