Access to water and sanitation is indeed a human right; however quality water and sanitation service provision should not be assumed a ‘free service’ as a result. Hence it is crucial to understand the costs involved of monopoly water service provision to enable informed decision-making on tariff determination. Namibia, is not only characterised with extreme conditions of water scarcity and skewed income distribution, with a history of free water services, but it also is prone to information asymmetry and lack of transparency (especially financial) challenges in the price-setting process. Hence, the research aim was to adapt a framework for determining price-setting processes and to investigate the potential role of an economic regulator to inform the process and policy accordingly in Namibia. In this regard, the research explores the price-setting processes of independent economic regulators in England and Wales and Zambia (as a guide to understand the dynamics and intricacies of setting and enforcing prices for utilities based on the need for sustainable cost recovery and efficient service provision) to further investigate possible improvements to the Namibian price-setting process. The research objectives were explored through descriptive and exploratory case study approaches, mainly comprising of semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. The research found that the most appropriate regulatory framework for Namibia is an intermediate framework- a hybrid regulatory body (consisting of a combination between government and independent expert panels). The research also identifies crucial operating principles, regulatory tools (with emphasis on accounting separation within financial models) and consumer involvement as major components for the Namibian price-setting process. In essence, accountability through transparency (effective information sharing and stakeholder involvement) is identified by the study to address the principal-agent challenges faced within Namibia, especially given the extreme conditions.

Grassroots social resistance to neoliberal reforms of urban water and sanitation has taken a dynamic trajectory in the past decade, especially in Latin America. The thesis' proposition is that these struggles have undergone qualitative changes. Their previously defensive strategies are developing into propositional strategies that increasingly focus on public and community alternatives to privatisation. This politicisation and movementisation of urban WATSAN is hardly discussed by academic literature, despite it being an emerging opportunity for propublic sector reform. Thus, the inquiry concerns the role of social movements in the exploration of alternatives to privatisation and looks at transnational networks and localnational struggles. This thesis employs critical ethnographic, participant research methodology. Empirical research took place from 2004 to 2008 and developed an emergent practice of politicised social movement research. As conceptual framework, the role of social movement in urban water and sanitation is considered as a process of radical reformism and social appropriation. On this basis, the global water justice movement's emergent discursive frame is analysed and found to centre on the democratisation of public water. By means of a comparative typology theory I then analyse local and national-level social struggles and develop the concept of pro-public challenge. Two case studies further elaborate on this type of political process of sector reform. These are the Uruguayan sector reform after a national referendum in 2004; and the case of Peru, where the embedded case of the city of Huancayo developed a public-public partnership as alternative to a planned water utility privatisation. The thesis develops a meso-level qualitative analysis of the political process of movementisation of sector reform in form of matrices, contingent pathways and contingent generalisations. The central finding is that social movements at transnational and local level develop new roles in pro-public sector reform. Despite substantive impacts, their power to implement alternative paths of development was found to be limited. They run the risk of not meeting all the resulting new challenges posed by politicised participation in sector reform, failing to develop adequate strategies, resources, organisational capacity and expert knowledge.

A demanda desta pesquisa está relacionada com a deficiência na prestação dos serviços abastecimento de água e esgotamento sanitário (SAA&ES) nas áreas com populações em situação de vulnerabilidade socioambiental, localizadas geralmente nas periferias urbanas. O objetivo foi propor um conjunto de indicadores, prioritariamente para uso da Agência Reguladora de Saneamento e Energia do Estado de São Paulo (ARSESP), destinados à melhoria do acesso aos serviços, utilizando para isto a perspectiva do modelo de regulação sunshine. As Agências Reguladoras possuem o papel de regular, fiscalizar, e monitorar a prestação dos SAA&ES, e já utilizam para isto um conjunto de indicadores responsáveis por medir o desempenho das operadoras. Porém, estes indicadores não são ainda suficientes para fortalecer foco na resolução do problema do déficit de atendimento nas áreas urbanas com populações em situação de vulnerabilidade socioambiental, e por isto não favorecem que seja abordada de forma integrada, como deve ser feita. Além disto, os indicadores utilizados pelos diferentes atores do setor de SAA&ES também não conseguem apoiar o desenvolvimento de um diagnóstico suficiente sobre a real situação dos serviços. Assim, o resultado é a carência de informações sobre a prestação dos serviços, que consequentemente dificulta o papel da agência reguladora em elaborar mecanismos de incentivo, e determinar parâmetros de eficiência dos serviços. Esta pesquisa foi realizada por meio da formação de um conjunto de indicadores, categorizados em dimensões da prestação dos serviços. Os indicadores foram aplicados no contexto do município de Cubatão na Região Metropolitana da Baixada Santista, por meio de estudo de caso. O propósito foi analisar a aplicação do conjunto de indicadores e refletir sobre a situação das informações e dos dados sobre a prestação dos serviços nas áreas com populações vulneráveis. O resultado final foi a viabilização de um conjunto potencial de indicadores discutidos e calculados a partir dos dados que foram levantados e sugestões de melhoria como aprendizado do processo de aplicação e de formulação dos indicadores. / The demand for this research is related with the disability in providing water supply and sanitation services (W&S) in areas with social and environmental vulnerable populations, which are usually located in the city peripheries. The aim was to propose a set of indicators to the São Paulo State Energy and Sanitation Regulatory Agency (ARSESP) intended to improve service access using the sunshine prospect regulation model. The regulatory agency has as a role to regulate, supervise and monitor the ES & SAA deliveries and it already uses a set of indicators responsible for measuring the operator performance. However, these indicators are not yet enough to bring focus in solving the service deficit in urban areas in social and environmental vulnerability and thus it is not addressed in an integrated manner, as it should. In addition, the indicators used by the W&S sector cannot support the development of a diagnosis that leads to a full understanding of the real situation of the services. The result is the lack of service information which consequently hinders the role of the regulatory agency in drawing up incentive mechanisms and determining the service efficiency parameters. This research was made with the formation of a set of indicators categorized into dimensions of service delivery. The indicators were applied for Cubatão city context, in Santos Metropolitan Area – São Paulo State, through a study case. The purpose was to analyze the implementation of the set of indicators and reflect about information and data situation of service provision in areas with vulnerable populations. The final result was the accomplishment of potential set of indicators discussed and calculated from the data that were obtained and some suggestions for improving the learning process about application and formulation of indicators.

Thesis (MPA.) --University of Limpopo, 2011 / The study is an evaluation of the challenges that the Thulamela Municipality face in the delivery of water and sanitation services. The purpose of the study was to find ways of improving service delivery and addressing backlogs so that sustainable delivery of water and sanitation services can be achieved. A descriptive quantitative method was conducted using a questionnaire, peer-reviewed journals, books and official documentation. The Thulamela Local Municipality is based at Vhembe District in Limpopo Province. The study shows that there is a serious challenge of backlogs in water and sanitation delivery. These will be difficult to overcome due to financial constraint and, lack of human capacity and technical resources. The researcher concluded that the municipality has serious backlogs in service provision which needed to be addressed urgently. She recommends that the municipality should outsource some services, provide efficient and effective resource to ensure that there is sustainable service provision.

Many of the recent armed conflicts have taken place in cities of the Developing World. In the resulting emergency situations, water supply and sanitation are among the most essential services to restore. They form part of the urban services available to the city dwellers that are commonly managed by local water sector institutions. This is, in principle, acknowledged by aid agencies but partnerships between them and water sector institutions do not always happen because of concerns such as: independence vis-a-vis the local government; possible corruption arid inefficiency problems; and political obstacles. Moreover, agencies prefer short-term structural rehabilitation to long-term institutional development, for which they do not always feel sufficiently qualified and experienced. This study tackles the problem by determining how these partnerships influence the performance of aid operations, in particular in terms of efficiency I effectiveness in the case of emergency response and of sustainability and coverage in the case of rehabilitation. It is based on a number of case studies selected in: Kabul (Afghanistan); Jaffna (Sri Lanka); Monrovia (Liberia); Beni (Democratic Republic of Congo); Port-au Prince and Port-de-Paix (Haiti), and Grozny (Chechnya in the Russian Federation). For emergency operations, findings show that partnerships tend to take place when the type or level of technology involved and/or security conditions do not allow the aid agency to work independently from water utilities. Partnerships do not necessarily influence efficiency I effectiveness in the short term but are beneficial because they prepare for rehabilitation. In terms of rehabilitation, findings suggest that current practice maintains a separation between large-scale rehabilitation projects and community-based projects focusing on specific neighbourhoods. This has a detrimental effect on sustainability and fails to address the needs of the most vulnerable populations. The study recommends a more coordinated approach that involves a reform of funding patterns, in order to reconcile sustainability and universal service.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-11T13:53:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 rita.pdf: 2875613 bytes, checksum: 5e32b07a7fbd4413969184f90ce62026 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-11-03 / O abastecimento de água potável a uma população tem ação direta na saúde pública e na qualidade de vida por atuar diretamente na eliminação dos riscos vinculados ao consumo de água contaminada por microorganismos prejudiciais a saúde. Apesar do saneamento básico ser, segundo a OMS, um grande provedor na diminuição dos índices de morbidade e mortalidade infantil no mundo, o acesso da população ao serviço não é uma realidade presente para uma boa parcela da população urbana nas grandes cidades brasileiras. A problemática relativa a este assunto na cidade de Manaus serviu como fomento para uma análise na qualidade da água consumida em escolas. O estudo tem como objetivo avaliar as condições sanitárias da água de consumo humano e a situação higiênico-sanitária dos sistema de abastecimento de água e esgoto sanitário das edificações escolares. A pesquisa teve como fonte de dados os laudos microbiológicos e físico-químicos da água, assim como os relatórios de inspeção técnicas de cada escola gerados pelas ações de vigilância em saúde ambiental do projeto VISA na ESCOLA da Secretaria Municipal de Saúde. O estudo foi realizado nas escolas públicas municipais situadas na zona leste de Manaus. Os parâmetros selecionados nas ações de vigilância constituíram um Indicador Sintético Escolar (ISE) formado por 24 parâmetros (2 microbiológicos, 6 físico-químicos e 16 higiênico-sanitários). O ISE classificou as 103 escolas em 03 classes: adequada (18), regular (39) e inadequada (46), conforme as condições sanitárias da água e a situação higiênico-sanitária das instalações hidrosanitárias encontrada nas ações de fiscalização. A classe inadequada do ISE englobou as escolas com presença de coliformes totais e coliformes termotolerantes na água de consumo demonstrado que existe uma população sob risco de contrair doenças pelo consumo de água fora dos padrões da Portaria 518/2004 MS. A classificação do ISE foi espacializado em mapa temático por meio da técnica de geoprocessamento. O uso do ISE composto de dados mistos (quantitativos e qualitativos) na avaliação das condições sanitárias da água de consumo mostrou-se como uma ferramenta de auxilio apropriada para a vigilância em saúde ambiental utilizar nas ações de controle das condições sanitárias da água consumida nos estabelecimentos de ensino da rede pública municipal de Manaus

Magister Public Health - MPH / Background: Millennium Development Goal 7 was to ensure environmental sustainability by aiming to halve the proportion of people without sustainable access to basic sanitation and safe drinking water by the year 2015. The 2015-MDG Report estimated that the use of improved sanitation rose from 54% to 68% globally, but the target of 77% was not met, and that implies slowing the progress in the health and education sectors. Although Malawi has made significant progress in increasing access to safe water and improved sanitation in comparison to other Sub-Saharan African countries, disparities in improved water supply and sanitation within Malawi remains a challenge. In Malawi, only about a quarter of all schools have improved latrines with a ratio of one latrine for every sixty learners. While the water and sanitation situation in primary schools of Malawi is reported to be making progress, such progress remains unreported in secondary schools. Aim: The purpose of this qualitative study was to provide insight on the water and sanitation situation in secondary schools by understanding factors that influence learners' use of the water and sanitation facilities and personal hygiene practices in a girls' boarding secondary school in Zomba District, Malawi. Methodology: This study employed a descriptive qualitative study design using individual interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs) and observations. A purposive sample consisting of 12 learners participated in two FGDs, while individual interviews were conducted with 6 prefects, 2 teachers responsible for sanitation at the school and 1 matron. The FGDs and individual interviews were targeted at exploring these participants' perceptions, experiences, challenges faced in the use of water and santation facilities and perceptions of appropriate interventions to improve hygiene practices and utilization of sanitation services. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Findings: The findings indicate that there were several factors that influenced learners' use of water and sanitation and their hygiene practices at the school. One of the main challenges was the irregular supply of safe water by the Southern Region Water Board which meant that alternate sources of water, which was not always potable, had to be used instead. Poor water and sanitation infrastructure and facilities including lack of privacy in shower cubicles and the poor condition of the incinerator that is meant for disposal of sanitary pads were other challenges facing the learners. There were also insufficient toilets and shower cubicles for the number of learners at the school. A good number of learners knew the importance of hand washing for their personal health at school, but limited accessibility to running water compromised their hand washing practices and personal hygiene including menstrual hygiene. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the challenging factors occur at the macro, meso and micro levels but more importantly that these levels are interrelated and impact on one another, emphasising the complexity of the water and sanitation situation in the study school, but could most likely also be the situation at other schools in Malawi. Therefore multi-level interventions will have to be put in place to address these challenges. Recommendations: The present study recommends that at macro level the Department of Education should provide an enabling environment and political will to facilitate development of a multi-sectoral approach that would complement the school operation rules to improve the adequacy of the water and sanitation facilities and hygiene practices. In addition, the Southern Region Water Board should ensure a reliable supply of safe water to the school and provide better infrastructure of piped water. At meso level (school organisational level), the school management should take more responsibility for maintaining the infratstructure. In addition, the school-board, the school management and parents'-teachers' association and learners should form a committee to discuss and implement strategies that would enhance the learner's use of water and sanitation facilities at the school and ensure their privacy and dignity. At micro level, the school, the communities including families and religious leaders should encourage personal hygiene practices repeatedly amongst everybody.

A demanda desta pesquisa está relacionada com a deficiência na prestação dos serviços abastecimento de água e esgotamento sanitário (SAA&ES) nas áreas com populações em situação de vulnerabilidade socioambiental, localizadas geralmente nas periferias urbanas. O objetivo foi propor um conjunto de indicadores, prioritariamente para uso da Agência Reguladora de Saneamento e Energia do Estado de São Paulo (ARSESP), destinados à melhoria do acesso aos serviços, utilizando para isto a perspectiva do modelo de regulação sunshine. As Agências Reguladoras possuem o papel de regular, fiscalizar, e monitorar a prestação dos SAA&ES, e já utilizam para isto um conjunto de indicadores responsáveis por medir o desempenho das operadoras. Porém, estes indicadores não são ainda suficientes para fortalecer foco na resolução do problema do déficit de atendimento nas áreas urbanas com populações em situação de vulnerabilidade socioambiental, e por isto não favorecem que seja abordada de forma integrada, como deve ser feita. Além disto, os indicadores utilizados pelos diferentes atores do setor de SAA&ES também não conseguem apoiar o desenvolvimento de um diagnóstico suficiente sobre a real situação dos serviços. Assim, o resultado é a carência de informações sobre a prestação dos serviços, que consequentemente dificulta o papel da agência reguladora em elaborar mecanismos de incentivo, e determinar parâmetros de eficiência dos serviços. Esta pesquisa foi realizada por meio da formação de um conjunto de indicadores, categorizados em dimensões da prestação dos serviços. Os indicadores foram aplicados no contexto do município de Cubatão na Região Metropolitana da Baixada Santista, por meio de estudo de caso. O propósito foi analisar a aplicação do conjunto de indicadores e refletir sobre a situação das informações e dos dados sobre a prestação dos serviços nas áreas com populações vulneráveis. O resultado final foi a viabilização de um conjunto potencial de indicadores discutidos e calculados a partir dos dados que foram levantados e sugestões de melhoria como aprendizado do processo de aplicação e de formulação dos indicadores. / The demand for this research is related with the disability in providing water supply and sanitation services (W&S) in areas with social and environmental vulnerable populations, which are usually located in the city peripheries. The aim was to propose a set of indicators to the São Paulo State Energy and Sanitation Regulatory Agency (ARSESP) intended to improve service access using the sunshine prospect regulation model. The regulatory agency has as a role to regulate, supervise and monitor the ES & SAA deliveries and it already uses a set of indicators responsible for measuring the operator performance. However, these indicators are not yet enough to bring focus in solving the service deficit in urban areas in social and environmental vulnerability and thus it is not addressed in an integrated manner, as it should. In addition, the indicators used by the W&S sector cannot support the development of a diagnosis that leads to a full understanding of the real situation of the services. The result is the lack of service information which consequently hinders the role of the regulatory agency in drawing up incentive mechanisms and determining the service efficiency parameters. This research was made with the formation of a set of indicators categorized into dimensions of service delivery. The indicators were applied for Cubatão city context, in Santos Metropolitan Area – São Paulo State, through a study case. The purpose was to analyze the implementation of the set of indicators and reflect about information and data situation of service provision in areas with vulnerable populations. The final result was the accomplishment of potential set of indicators discussed and calculated from the data that were obtained and some suggestions for improving the learning process about application and formulation of indicators.

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) is considering the implementation of an Aquifer Protection Strategy to protect the country’s critical groundwater resources. This study will assist in filling the knowledge gap in the form of a groundwater protection zoning case study in the Rawsonville area. Understanding how groundwater is being accessed and used is required in determining the level and type of groundwater protection needed. Groundwater access points were identified as being boreholes, springs and rivers. A few potential contamination sources were identified at the site such as leachate from fertilizers and pesticides which may reach the groundwater used by the farmers for domestic water supply as well as irrigation.

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of a degree of Masters of Arts in Community Work in the Department of Social Work, at the University of Zululand, 2010. / South Africa has one of the most progressive legislative and policy frameworks for water and sanitation services in the world, which includes a constitutional right to water and a national free basic water policy. However, when it comes to the local government level (municipalities) who arestipulated with the duty to provide water and sanitation services not only in informal settlements, the reality is quite different.In many municipalities, water and sanitation services programs are still run according to long established routine and customs which have never been examined for their effectiveness or appropriateness to current conditions of the areas (informal settlements) where services are driven to. Nevertheless, the intention of this study was to evaluate municipality programs in addressing water and sanitation services in informal settlements. To produce data for thestudy, the questionnaires, interviews schedule and document review or analysiswas utilised.A sample of 10respondents was drawn from three Umhlathuze municipalities, namely: Richards Bay, Empangeni and Esikhawini municipalities. The findings from the study indicated that Umhlathuze municipality programs in addressing water and sanitation services in informal settlements is a failure, the municipality have a sour working relationship with the community, the criteria used to choose the strategy to the provision of the services does notencourage community participation, and finally, the municipalities are still using a bit of the past supply driven approach and the new approach; demand responsive approach simultaneously. The set objectives for the study were achieved, andmost importantly, it is recommended that fullcommunity participation at different levels and stages of water supply and sanitation service planning and implementation should be encouraged.