The following replicable learnings have evolved during implementation of programme:
i.) Emergence of local leaderships and social capital: Local leaderships, citizen’s engagement and capacity building has led to building up a strong social capital which is responsive, accountable, transparent and active for addressing the water supply issues at users level by innovative ways with a strong ownership feeling.
ii.) Transparency and accountability: Due to cohesive working and ownership feeling, community has demonstrated high level of transparency and accountability by evolving different methods.
iii.) Social Audit: Entire village is acting as a social audit mechanism due to the right to question and vigil by entire society.
iv.) Equity and Social inclusion: Various innovative like care for underprivileged, differential tariffs and other social inclusion mechanisms have been devised by the community for ensuring equitable water distribution.
v.) Women and children: In several villages, all women VWSCs have been formed and women are leaders in 879 VWSCs. In several cases, women have been the front runners where men were not taking much interest.
vi.) Users to pay: Tariff recovery for Governmental supplies has substantially increased. Water tariff mechanisms have been devised for intra-village distribution by community and recoveries are to the tune of 80 to 90%.
vii.) Conjunctive use of water: Dual water supplies, use of surface water, rooftop rainwater harvesting and cluster storages are being practiced for this purpose.
viii.) Regulatory mechanisms: Community has imposed socially acceptable regulations for groundwater or surface water use so that drinking water supplies are sustainable.
ix.) Multi-agency involvement: Good lessons have been learnt for congenial working with NGOs, self-help group, village level organizations, etc.
x.) Flexible approach: Choice of technological options as well as flexible norms for community contributions have made community comfortable and attracted towards the programme.
xi.) Linkages for responsiveness: WASMO has also built up linkages for feed-back and responsiveness with Government agencies. Even metering of water supplies has been appreciated and demanded by the community.
xii.) Water Quality Surveillance: Water safety is now ensured by locals by forming 9,973 water quality surveillance teams.
xiii.) Drinking Water Woes: Drudgeries due to long waits at public stand posts, water supply through tankers, and fetching water from long distances have reduced considerably.
Key elements for success:
High level of transparency, proactive facilitation, strong team effort by professionals of WASMO and NGOs, exhaustive IEC strategy, social process at village level, Village Assembly as a strong tool of social audit, flexible approach, space for dialogue and discussions, clear partnership agreements with VWSCs and NGOs with regular follow-ups, efficient leadership at organizational level, development of social capital and local leadership and a professional organizational structure with human resource development focused approach, community control over finances and direct facilitation of village level governance from one point for reduction of delays have been the main attributes for success of the initiative in this regard.
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