A case for governance and institutional re-alignment for small towns piped water services in Africa

Small towns are “settlements that are sufficiently large and dense to benefit from the economies of scale offered by piped water supply systems but too small and dispersed to be efficiently managed by a conventional urban water utility” (World Bank, 2003:1). Pilgrim (2007:1) identified a management gap from the inappropriateness of the traditional ‘community management’ and ‘urban water utility models for small towns. This management gap is linked to institutional gap. Contemporary institutional and governance weaknesses and other sustainability challenges threatening existing services coupled with dwindling grant opportunities for new investments call for a paradigm shift to re-position small towns piped water services as self-reliant utilities. Careful institutional re-alignment will strengthen monitoring oversight and regulation and encourage local private sector participation with a re-orientation for formal management arrangements, professional and business orientation and transparent/accountable governance. The sustainability of existing services will provide the foundation for sustained water supply coverage increases.