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Box 12: RWSS Sector Reform Project
This project is being implemented in 58 districts in 22 states all over the country, including
Chittoor, Nalgonda, Prakasam and Khammam in Andhra Pradesh. This project advocates four
key principles for sustainable RWSS systems:
1. Changing the role of government from provider to facilitator
2. Increasing the role of communities in the planning and management of
their own facilities
3. Users paying all operation and maintenance costs, and at least 10% of the capital costs
of supply
4. Promoting integrated water resource management
The institutional arrangements to implement the project include the formation of Village
Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSCs), as sub-committees of the Gram Panchayat, to
manage implementation and subsequent maintenance at the village level.
Source: Note on Andhra Pradesh Pilot Projects: Rural water supply and sanitation sector
reforms, Water and Sanitation Program – South Asia, September 2000.
25
20
No. of habitations
15
10
5
0
0 25 50 75 100
QPA ordinal scores (de tails in accompanying table )
Figure 39. Panchayat Response to Water Related Problems, Kalyandurg Habitations, 2001
QPA Ordinal Scoring Options Ordinal Scores Number of
villages
Listens, but no action is taken 0 9
Listens and acts, but no follow up and hence no result 25 11
Listens and acts, but results come after a long time 50 8
Listens and acts, gets quick results but not effective 75 5
Listens, acts, and gets quick and effective results 100 21
Two main reasons were identified for the poor response by the panchayat. These were;
. Apathetic leaders: These included sarpanches of the revenue village living in one of the
constituent habitations and paying relatively less attention to complaints from the other
habitations.
. Fund constraints: Even when sarpanches were interested in taking action, funds were
often a major constraint.
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