Guidelines for planning and designing RWSS programmes

During and since the Decade of Water Supply & Sanitation, understanding of the various components necessary for domestic water and sanitation projects has increased enormously, but this has not generally been translated into successful projects and programmes. The potential of village level operation and maintenance (VLOM) and improved health have not been achieved. The use of groundwater has not always been successful due to misjudgements and mis-interpretation of the hydrogeology. The need for an integrated approach to domestic water supply, hygiene and water use education, sanitation and community organisation and management is now accepted by many people working in the sector. Integration of domestic water supply with other demands on water resources is also now recognised as essential. However, there is a lack of guidance for professionals on how to achieve this integration. Many of the books concentrate on a particular subject, and though referring to other subjects, provide little help on how to combine them in a project. To provide a solution to this problem, a research and development project is developing guidelines to assist in the process of planning and designing integrated rural water supply and sanitation programmes. The Water, Engineering & Development Centre (WEDC) at Loughborough University in the UK and the British Geological Survey (BGS), supported by the Commonwealth Science Council (CSC), are being funded by the British Department for International Development (DFID) under its Knowledge and Research Programme.