WB to Monitor Water Services in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe's WASH Rehabilitation Programme Measured to Identify Successes, Enhance Learning and Improve Delivery

Supplying safe, clean water has long been a challenge for the country's growing population. More than 4,000 people lost their lives during an outbreak of cholera in 2008 - 2009, and thousands more were affected throughout the country, including small towns like Beitbridge, which reported 26% of cases. Even in the major cities of Harare, Bulawayo and Gweru, dilapidated infrastructure made service delivery difficult. Alarmed by deaths from water-borne diseases, international organizations such as the World Bank Group (WBG) stepped in to help save lives and create life-saving institutions.

There still remains a risk of water-borne disease outbreaks as a number of deaths related to dysentery, diarrhoea and others have recently been reported. In Harare, the challenges are compounded by losses through leakages of more than 40% of treated water due to antiquated and dilapidated equipment and water distribution system.

In transiting from emergency through early recovery to sustained growth, the WBG has put greater emphasis in creating sustainable institutions and the use of country systems. In addition to the Analytical and Advisory Assistance support provided to government ministries, departments and support partners, the WBG supported $2.65 million Emergency Water and Sanitation Rehabilitation Programme in Beitbridge Town. The program succeeded in improving water access from zero to 70%, and built engineering capacity within Beitbridge Town to deliver services. To re-establish urban water and sanitation utility viability nationally and enhance efficiency in revenue collection and effective prioritization of interventions, the WBG is supporting, in a participatory manner, a water and sanitation service-level benchmarking exercise.

This service-level benchmarking draws from the WBG's international experiences, customizing for Zimbabwe without compromising the value and quality of data. It focuses on the 32 urban local authorities in the country, which range in size from 5,000 people to up to three million, and tracks service delivery performance over time. The service-level benchmarking enables these local authorities to tell success from failure, allow for learning and acts as a self-regulation tool that enhances transparency and accountability.

Source: World Bank

Read More Related Content On This Topic - Click Here

Media

Taxonomy

• Job Function
• Sanitation & Hygiene