Hydraulic ram pumps and Sling Pumps

OP-32-Eoften has a positive influence on a user’s satisfaction and willingness to pay, as is found by numerousurban utilities. Social marketing strategies and techniques can help to forge better relationshipsbetween service providers and consumers in urban areas. Social marketing is less frequently applied inthe context of rural and low-income urban water and sanitation provision. It is, nevertheless,sometimes feasible to introduce some basic concepts of social marketing to improve relationshipsbetween community organisations and users. As Yakubu (1997) pointed out, marketing and totalcustomer service can be effective ways to recognise customer needs and to stimulate willingness topay. This also applies to community-based services providers.1.3.1 Identifying factors influencing WTP 19Communities differ between rural and urban areas and within regions. Nevertheless, there are commonfactors determining WTP, as literature and field studies have pointed out. These factors can beclassified into two main categories: community factors and service factors.Community factorsCommunity factors are linked to an attitude or a characteristic of the community and they can besubdivided as follows:• demand and participation of communities,• prevailing local customs and legislation,• perceived benefits derived from improved services,• levels of income.Maximising willingness to pay means ensuring that these factors contribut positively to a community’sattitude and capacity.• Demand and participation of communitiesA project initiated because of community demand and in which the community has been involvedright from the start, can contribute to a greater WTP. It increases the feeling of ownership andresponsibility of communities as well as their commitment towards a financially sustainable service.There is a tendency to ask communities to contribute to the initial investment, in cash or in kind,without which a project would not start. The expression of this demand by a project in cash or in kindis considered as a willingness to pay. However, it does not guarantee that WTP will be permanent, assustainability depends also on many other factors.• Prevailing local customs and legislationWater is often considered a gift of God, and post-independence policies often promoted the provisionof water free of charge to rural areas. However, it can be argued that it is not water that has to be paidfor, but water services. It should be noted that many communities and their leaders are well aware ofthe dilemma, and use local customs and traditional law to address this issue.• Perceived benefits derived from improved serviceWhere users perceive that new facilities provide a level of service higher than the existing level, theywill be more inclined to pay. This is particularly the case if they are not satisfied with their presentlevel of service. It is however important to realise that agencies and communities may not share thesame perception of benefits. Similarly, differences may exist within communities and betweendifferent community groups. The perceived benefits can be the following:• Convenience can be perceived in terms of easy access and a short distance between a water pointand the household, but also applies to the comfort, and ease of using and operating the new watersupply system. Decreasing the physical burden of walking long distances carrying water is likely toinfluence WTP.• Social status can strongly motivate people to upgrade their service to a level which correspondsbetter to their way of living and their pattern of consumption.• Health is a motivator. A strong health awareness of the potential risks of using traditional sources isa proven factor in motivating people to pay for an improved service.19From The New Delhi Statement (1990).16