Water Actions - Pakistan

Introducing the concept of payment for drinking water in the rural communities of Pakistan has always been a hard nut to crack. But not anymore, says the community mobilization team of the Punjab Community Water Supply & Sanitation Project (PCWSSP).

The rural communities of the Punjab province have always considered the provision of safe drinking water the responsibility of the public sector rather than their own. This created a dilemma when it came to sustainably and cost-effectively managing the water supply schemes. However, for the first time in the history of the country, this perception has changed. Asian Development Bank, in collaboration with the rural communities, has made this daunting task a promising reality through its "Punjab Community Water Supply & Sanitation Project," which works with the marginalized rural communities in the province of Punjab.

The project team decided to test the idea of making communities pay for the water they drink by introducing a formal mechanism for water metering in rural water supply schemes.

The model was piloted in a small village of Varo in the district of Chakwal. Communities were mobilized and introduced to the advantages of water metering, particularly as they concern water conservation and reduction of household expenditures.

The scheme worked! The community in this small remote village decided to take on the initiative and its challenges. A few community members took the lead and started collecting the cost for installation of water meters. The project assisted the community in procuring dry water meters from the nearby city of Lahore and trained a person among the villagers as a plumber. This person was made responsible for proper installation of the water meters. The total cost of installation per household ranged between PRs.1,200-1,600, inclusive of the meter cost.

Once the water meters were installed, the community designated office bearers who became responsible for bill collection and the operation and maintenance of the scheme. The bill was collected from each household based on the units consumed, with the price per unit determined by dividing total monthly operating expenses by total number of water units used. The whole affair proved to be a great success.

To further test the model, it was replicated in two more villages in Chakwal. Majority of communities followed what villagers in Varo did; however the residents of village Balkasar proved to be more innovative when it came to collection methods.

The Balkasar community reached an arrangement with the local bank to deposit their bills directly to the bank. The bank charges PRs.5 per bill as a service charge and the community has also imposed a fine of PRs.20 per month on late submission of bills. For chronic defaulters, the penalty was disconnection.

The concept that was initially applied in the three villages of district Chakwal proved to be a winner. It is now being replicated in fifteen more villages of district Chakwal on community demand. The scenario with and without water meters installed, as described by the communities, is as follows:

Scenario without Water Meters installed

Scenario with Water Meters installed

Inadequate and irregular supply of water due to low pressure, especially for the consumers living at higher altitude/ tail-end.
Wastage of water due to inequitable distribution and unnecessary storage.
Installation of illegal connections, especially by influential households located on rising main, thus affecting the supply of water at the tail-end.
Unnecessary increase in the flat billing rates due to increase in electricity charges, thus leading to the threat of closure of schemes.
Installation of electric pumps on water connections, bore holes, and dug wells to increase the supply of water; thus causing inequitable distribution and water feuds.
Exploitation of consumers by water sellers on special occasions like weddings, deaths, and other social gatherings.

Adequate and regular supply of water due to improved pressure (The pressure has increased to 20 lbs throughout the distribution network; it was previously 2 lbs at the higher altitude/tail-end).
Conservation of water that helps retain underground water table due to reduced water wastage.
Elimination of illegal connections.
Substantial reduction in average monthly bill (Currently the consumers pay on average PRs. 50 in comparison to PRs.150 flat-rate in the past).
Substantial savings due to removal of electric pumps.
Increase in the number of connections for poor households due to affordable water supply.
Reduction in feuds among the community, thus resulting in increased cohesion.
Increase in sense of ownership thus ensuring scheme sustainability
Reduction in operations and maintenance cost of the water supply systems.
Complete removal of water pumps

The initiative is the first of its kind in Pakistan and has received kudos from the government, the civil society, and most importantly the communities. The pilot has proved that water metering should be an integral part of water supply projects to ensure sustainable and continuous supply of water, and to effectively operate and manage these schemes.

While water supply entities in cities are struggling with water metering, the poor communities in this marginalized district have shown a landmark achievement that would go a long way in water conservation and efficient management of supply systems owned by the communities. This, hopefully, is only the beginning to a revolution.

Water

Country Water Action: Pakistan Changing Perceptions: Formalizing Rural Water Supply Billing Systems in Pakistan (January 2006)

Country Water Action: Pakistan
Changing Perceptions: Formalizing Rural Water Supply Billing Systems in Pakistan
(January 2006)