Integrated Pro-Poor Water and Waste Water Management in Small towns

Case studies

The following 14 case studies from 7 different countries represent innovative pro-poor approaches from which useful lessons can be derived. They deal with a broad spectrum of water and sanitation issues such as piped water distribution, city-wide strategies, water conservation, wastewater management and public toilets. See case studies by category

Documentation was done following a set of Guidelines developed by ESCAP. Persons and institutions in Asia and the Pacific Region working in this field were encouraged to document successful cases for publication to ESCAP website. The cases had to present proven results in improving poor communities’ access to water and sanitation as well as a possibility for replication. The guidelines together with further instructions can be downloaded here.

The views expressed in the case studies are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations Secretariat. Mention of firm names and commercial products does not imply endorsement by the United Nations. This publication has been issued without formal editing.

Piped water distribution

1) Water supply management in Colombo, Sri Lanka
An urban community is connected to the main utility through an NGO, which lays the pipes inside the community, collects water charges from the households, and pays the national water utility for bulk water. The practice is sustainable because the price that the NGO pays to the utility for the water is lower than what it charges the users. The gain is a reduction in unaccounted water. This is a follow-up of a project sponsored by UNESCAP in another area of Colombo.
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2) Water delivery in Nha Be  Viet Nam
In a peri-urban area outside Ho-Chi Minh City, residents rely on water transported by trucks. To help residents, the Government subsidises the transport costs of water and encouraged a network of stations, where the trucks deliver the water and the residents collect it. One community developed this further by installing a local piped network from the station, which delivers the water directly to their homes.
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3) Water supply management in Cokrodiningratan community, Indonesia.
A community that had previously not been receiving water from the municipal utility formed an informal water company. This company takes water from wells, distributes it through pipes, and charges the households. Special agreements are in place to ensure that households who cannot pay for individual connection still have access to a public tap.
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4) Waterworks system in Barangay Tabok, Philippines
The Barangay Council (lowest level of local government) formed a non-stock, non-profit corporation to manage and operate a system of water supply and distribution; water treatment; water conservation; and drainage for over 800 subscribers. The practice increased access to safe potable water, promoted water conservation and minimised land utilisation. It also provided financial support to other local development projects.
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5) Water Supply system in Morphu village, Lao PDR
A Public-Private Partnership for the creation of a village water supply system. A private entrepreneur installed a water tank, a pump and small network of pipes to serve most households in a village in Laos. The day-to-day management was originally handled by the private contractor but is now done by the village authority.
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6) Water for the Poor Communities in Manila, Philippines (TPSB)
Manila Water Company Inc. (MWCI), the company that won the concession for maintenance and expansion of the system in the East Zone of Manila following the privatization of the water supply, realized that the standard service was not accessible to the slum dwellers in the area. To solve this problem, the company partnered with communities and designed water distribution systems adapted to the needs of each community. To address the difficulties in providing individual connections to households that have no legal title and are often physically difficult to reach, the company provided the water in bulk to the community, which in turn distributed it among the households. Although most inhabitants of these communities still lack individual connections, the system has improved their access to water and has reduced the losses due to non-revenue water for the company.
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City-wide strategies

7) Integrated Water Management in Baguio City, Philippines
A local government initiative, with the aid of an international association of local governments (ICLEI) and co-funding by ADB, aimed at improving local water governance and water policy interventions in the city of Baguio. The multi-stakeholder alliance devised and coordinated institutional and policy interventions to decrease unaccounted consumption and reduce volatility in water supply.  Immediate outcomes are the increase in the municipal budget for water and sanitation, and the establishment of associations of water vendors to ensure quality standards.
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Water conservation

8) Rain harvesting in Kerala, India
In a coastal area with substantive rainfall but very poor availability of drinking water, a local NGO, PLANET Kerala, introduced to the communities a simple method of replenishing the ground water table by harvesting rainwater from rooftops. The practice contributes to improve significantly the quality of well water.. It is a highly cost effective method, thus easy to make it affordable to poorer communities.
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9) From public tap to household connections in Ikhachhencommunity, Nepal
In this urban community, a constantly running public tap used to waste significant amounts of water. A system was put in place by the community to tap and collect water flowing from the traditional stone spout and deliver it to households in a manageable way. The operational cost of the system was covered by community members themselves. It improved access to safe drinking water by local users,  encouraged conservation of the water source and; improved the water source of the stone spout.
(Coming soon).

Wastewater management

10) Sanitation by the Community in Denpasar, Indonesia (SANIMAS)     
This is a community-based wastewater collection and treatment system that has been replicated in about 100 locations around Indonesia. Government and donors subsidise the initial investment, but the running costs and maintenance are taken care of by the community. The treatment plant can be built under a road, thus making it suitable for urban communities with limited space.
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11) Wastewater treatment facility in the Muntinlupa Public Market, Philippines
Public markets pose a challenge for waste management in cities and towns. Local government of Muntinlupa (Metro Manila), with the assistance of USAID, installed a low-cost waste-water treatment plant in the public market. The investment is recovered through a small surcharge in the rental fee that vendors pay for their stall. The practice helped lessen water pollution, saves money by recycling water and maintaining clean standards in the market.
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12) Waste Water Management and Recreation Park in Orissa, India
An innovate solution for converting an unsanitary wetland in the middle of the city, which was being used as a waste dumping ground, into a green area with recreation facilities. The municipality awarded a concession to a private company to establish and run a recreation park and charge fees for visitors. In exchange, the company contributes to the costs of treating the wastewater that had previously been discharged in the area. The practice addressed the issue of untreated sewage through low cost technology, creating a sanitary environment for the city residents.
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Public toilets

13) Community Toilets in Tangerang, Indonesia
An NGO constructed community toilets in Tangerang, an industrial town close to Jakarta (Indonesia) where migrant workers settled in areas without water and sanitation facilities. The facilities were built with the help of foreign donors but are now sustained by user fees. The centres sell fresh water by the bucket and also provide toilets and bathroom services. The facilities are managed as a private businesses, by a selected family from each community. As a result, community health has improved; land values in areas surrounding the centres have increased, and new sources of income have been created.
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14) Public toilets in Hetauda Bus Park, Nepal
Public toilets in a bus station of a Nepali town were dirty and dangerous because of poor maintenance. A concession to a local entrepreneur has revitalised them, to the benefit of all passengers and at no cost to the municipality.
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