Leveraging community capacity to manage improved point-water facilities

Community-based water management systems (CBWMSs) are now a popular policy strategy for sustainable rural safe water supply in Africa. However, the effectiveness of the model is marred by numerous bottlenecks of varying character and scale. This chapter, which is based on a case study of a rural parish in south-central Uganda, examines some of these bottlenecks. The study indicates that whereas CBWMSs are well known among water-sector actors as desirable for achieving functional sustainability of improved water facilities, conscious actions have not been taken to leverage the effectiveness of these water management systems. This failure is at the very heart of the weaknesses within the new policy frameworks which embrace principles of community participation, privatization, and public–private partnerships. The study advocates a public authority with renewed attention to local conditions that determine CBWMS effectiveness, especially in developing countries like Uganda.