Improvement in the delivery of urban water supply services in Afghanistan by corporatisation of water utility

The Afghanistan Urban Water Supply and Sewerage Corporation (AUWSSC) was formed in 2006 (transformation of the previous government enterprise into a corporation). The liquidation of the previous enterprise, the transferring of assets and liabilities, the selection of the senior management team and the functioning of AUWSSC as an independent budget entity took several years. Nevertheless, the water supply network and services have increased significantly since the AUWSSC became operational. For example, the water production capacity per day has increased by 23%, the total water system network pipelines have increased by 35%, the customer service connection registrations have increased by 37%, and the total revenue generation per year has increased by more than 50%. At the same time, several challenges remain and key recommendations are given, from field level improvements, to hiring of capable staff, to development of procedures and guidelines, which would help enhance the services of the corporation.