Introduction to the SecureWater Decision Support Tool

SecureWater case study research in India and Sri Lanka reveals a number of important challenges facing successful implementation of Demand-Responsive Approaches to water supply and sanitation.

Given the international focus on acheiving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), one of the most critical findings is the frequent marginalisation of community members under DRA-type programmes.

Substantial numbers of poor households either fail to be included at all in the process of scheme design or participate initially only to 'drop out' a short while later. The benefits of improved access to water supply and sanitation are therefore often excluded from those most in need.

The key challenge is therefore to establish a more inclusive, pro-poor DRA which helps to capture those currently marginalised or excluded. This requires an improved understanding of the reasons why people are often left out or drop out.

This Decision Support Tool (DST) takes a constructive, problem-solving approach to enhancing scheme design and implementation. It emphasises understanding the ways in which poor people secure a livelihood as a basic starting point for analysis. The aim is to support decision-making processes at different levels by highlighting issues and challenges and identifying possible approaches to dealing with them through the use of worked case study examples.

The DST has been developed in collaboration with a number of practitioners and policy makers from different countries whose efforts and inputs are gratefully acknowledged.

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