African Water Development Report 2006 - United Nations Economic ...

Table 7.5: Contamination of water bodies by large cities in the Sudanpits *Bacterian colonies /100 mlRégion city NoNo.3mg/l Total Coliforms Coliforms fécauxObaied 455 47 71 WesternDilling 375 Uncountable 3Nyala NA 14 102Kassala 19.8 40 5EasternGash 12.3 Uncountable 113 NorthernDammar NA 80 21Atbara NA 36 23Ryadh NA NA 374 KhartoumBurri NA NA 18Nasir NA NA 14Source : Sudanese AWDR national report Note: NA: not available *: pit number used by the authorWATER AND URBAN ENVIRONMENTSManagement problemsOne of the basic and essential services that anymetropolitan city must offer is efficient watersupply. Unless and until this service is effectivelyprovided, the health of the community and itsdevelopment activities will be seriously compromised.The services provided by many water supplyagencies are very disorganized and unreliabledue to factors identified by the O&M WorkingGroup, 2002, which are stated below:(a) Inadequate data on operation and maintenance;(b) Insufficient and inefficient use of funds;(c) Poor management of water supply facilities;(d) Inappropriate system design;(e) Low profile of operation and maintenance;(f ) Inadequate policies, legal frameworks andoverlapping responsibilities; and(g) Political interference.Typical management problems include:(a) Inefficient organizational structures;(b) Absence of career structures for staff;(c) Low salaries; and(d) Poor relationships between the users andmanagement.The constraints identified as contributing to orcausing the failure of water supply systems include:(a) Poor organizational structures in the agencyresponsible;(b) Lack of spare parts;(c) Inappropriate technology;(d) Lack of trained staff;(e) Tied aid;(f ) Absence of career opportunities;(g) Insufficient funds;(h) Legal framework problems;(i) Lack of motivation by sector personnel;(j) Non-involvement of the users;(k) Low profile of operation and maintenancein the sector in general;(l) Inadequate tariff and collection systems;(m) Negative political interferenceFor water supply and sanitation services to besustainable, providers must:(a) Ensure that good quality water is continuouslyavailability in sufficient quantitiesin accordance with defined institutionalframeworks; and(b) Apply sound management practices, appropriatetechnologies, full-cost accounting,and effectively maintain facilities andequipment.In developing countries, however, managementof water supply and sanitation systems is oftenpoor, resulting in interruptions in the provisionof services and sometimes in the complete collapseof systems, which could oblige users to171