Start Date: 2009-09-01

Completion Date: 2010-12-31

Technology Used:

Approach:

Our approach builds on more than 30 years experience in the water sector and is based on strengthening the legitimate roles of the different actors (local government, regional government, civil society, private sector, and water user associations) within an integrated water resource management framework. It is adapted to the Malagasy context and follows the Malagasy decentralization and water strategies.

This approach is characterized by progressively placing the responsibility for planning, coordinating, and monitoring water and sanitation interventions at the municipal level.

Our partner NGO, FIKRIFAMA, has also more than 20 years experience in the water sector and is responsible for the social engineering, the training of water user associations, and the extension work.

The private sector is involved: studies are executed by local engineering firms on the basis of detailed terms of reference and the works are carried out by local contractors through an open tender procedure.

PROTOS and FIKRIFAMA engineers provide technical expertise and monitor the studies and the works and assure quality control.

The water users elect a committee responsible for distribution, operation and maintenance. Each water user pays an annual fee to this committee which goes to an operation and maintenance fund.

Local technicians are trained in operation and maintenance and sign a contract with the water committee. The 6 municipalities of the valley set up a common “water unit” to provide assistance to the different water users committees. Each municipality signs a contract with the water committees operating on their territory that specifies rights and duties of water users, water committee and local government.

Technology:

Springs in the mountains are protected; main line is a gravity fed system in PVC pipes to a reservoir, gravitational distribution through HDPE pipes to public standpipes.
Attached photos show a similar system achieved in 2008 in the Andromba valley.(Antsanahadrisa system)

Phases:

The project for which we seek funding concerns 2 new water schemes; one to be build with the contribution of the 1st funding round – another one hopefully to be build with the contribution of the extra round.
Each of the subprojects will be done in one

Community Organization:

The community makes the request to the municipality.
The municipality looks at the requests, sets priorities, and decides (with advice from PROTOS and FIKRIFAMA) which villages to serve first with the available funds.
With the communities whose demands have been retained, FIKRIFAMA starts the “social engineering” which includes meetings with the community to explain the whole process, discuss community participation and responsibilities, explain technical studies, organize the election of water user committee members and train them in their roles and responsibilities.
The communities participate in the works with non specialized labor and a financial contribution. The municipality also puts a financial contribution.
After the works have been finished the municipality signs over the work to the water user committee which then become the “owners and managers” of the system but with an obligation to report to the municipality and assure good and transparent management. The municipality has the right to control and intervene if the water user organization does not play its role.
Each family member contributes between 2000 – 3600 Ar (1.00 – 1.80 USD) per year to make use of the system which goes to an operation and maintenance fund. This is usually paid after the rice harvest.

Government Interaction:

The project works closely with the government directions. PROTOS and FIKRIFAMA are both member of the national WASH platform that supports government in sector strategy development.
Main principles of this strategy include community organization, responsibility of municipalities and stimulate cooperation between municipalities, payment for water, IWRM.

Ancillary activities:

Training of local partners on Integrated Water Resources Management

Cartography of the area and establishing a natural resources management plan to guide future development interventions and assure sustainable water use.

Other Issues:

Although Madagascar politics is in a period of transition this should have no impact on the execution of the project. First stakeholders are the water committees and the local government – they are not directly concerned by the political instability.

This project is very innovative since it works on:
- translating IWRM-principles to the ground, by including all types of water users in a comprehensive planning process;
- cooperation between water users committees and local government, and also between different municipalities – defining roles and responsibilities at each level;
- contracting procedures between all local actors, inducing a shared goal of good governance.