This study on micro water supply systems deals with the sustainability of water supply systems in multiple locations. The study was initiated in response to a request from the New Delhi office of the World Bank. The lessons learned from the study and the cases of Colombia, Peru and Ivory Coast are relevant for the design of institutional models and financial resources to supply systems for multiple sites-an option that arises when local water sources are scarce or are unsuitable for human consumption or when a system of pipes is only feasible if a group of small communities put together their resources. This field note provides some initial findings.

This diagnosis has shown that there is great experience in incorporating and empowering women in water projects and sanitation, but the industry has not yet assimilated gender policies and clear strategies to guide its incorporation and mainstreaming institutions at different levels (political, design and execution), as well as the different phases of the project cycle. The aim of this paper is to recognize the findings and recommendations of gender diagnosis and propose guidelines for a strategy on projects for water and sanitation in the Andean region. The findings and recommendations are presented in four levels: a) political macro sectoral b) planning and formulation of projects c) institutional capacity on gender issues, and d) the results achieved, so far, in community users of water systems and sanitation. The document contains three parts: Part 1: The general context: Bolivia and Peru, identifies the context and the Andean population involved, by presenting features on gender relations in the Andean and Amazon areas and access to quality water services and sanitation in the region. Part 2: State of the incorporation of gender in the water and sanitation sector. Finally, part 3: The value added working with gender, and how the proposed 3 guidelines make for a strategy that propels gender equity in water and sanitation projects.

Consideracoes gerais; caracteristicas tecnicas: descricao da tecnologia; dimensionamento: do volume total de agua (Vt), do tanque de armazenamento (Ta), da area de captacao (Ac); Manejo: bomba manual, pavimentacao, area de captacao, sistema de filtragem; Custos.

Honduras has collected promising and interesting experiences in common disinfection of the water supply for consumption in rural and urban communities. Honduras has been responsible for introducing and developing community technologies such as chlorination by tablet and by solar disinfection (SODIS) to substantially reduce infant deaths caused by water-borne diseases. This document includes the following headings: presentation; description of the projects; the challenge of water disinfection in Honduras; water disinfection methods in public systems; water disinfection methods at the household level; and SODIS pilot projects in Honduras.

This report presents the proceedings of the SWAp ("Sector Wide Approach") Workshop in Water Supply and Sanitation held in Montelimar, Nicaragua, May 19-20, 2005. The report describes the discussion on the conceptual framework and principal components of the SWAp approach, and general lessons learned thus far. The proceedings then examined the SWAp programs as applied in Nicaragua and Bolivia in particular. The workshop participants formed groups to develop a 100-day plan of action for implementing a SWAp in the water and sanitation sector.

This study analyses and organizes sectoral information on water and sewerage services for Peru. It describes the elements for decision-making, it suggests a strategy for realignment of the meso-macro level to help strengthening the water and sewerage sector. The study is organized in two parts. The first part contains the diagnosis of the sector characteristics and recommendations for its strengthening. The second part contains annexes with relevant statistics on the status of services provided, according to rural and urban areas and by departments and districts.

This document describes the process followed by the Proyecto Piloto de Agua Potable Rural y Salud Comunitaria (PROPILAS) en Cajamarca, Peru, in execution since 1999. Throughout its first phase of implementation the PROPILAS became a laboratory for designing new strategies for intervention in the water supply and sanitation sector. It has validated implementation models with private sector participation, district municipalities, and organized communities. In its quest for improved sustainability in the delivery of water supply and sanitation services in rural areas, the PROPILAS validated two models of for financing and execution for the delivery of services: a) the municipal model, and b) the local community model. Both of these models feature aspects concerning capacity building, infrastructure works, sanitary education, and community participation.

This field note reports lessons from a recently concluded pilot project in the city of El Alto, Bolivia. The project aimed to find innovative ways of reducing the cost of providing water and sewerage connections to poor households, while at the same time ensuring that they reap the full benefits of these services. The results are encouraging. First, costs of both water and sewerage connections were reduced by around 40%. This was achieved by adopting a condominal network design (that connects groups of houses to the main supply rather than each individual home) and using volunteers from the community to carry out construction. Second, hygiene education resulted in an increase in the number of people installing bathrooms. The percentage of households who put in bathrooms (at75 percent) was twice that among people who did not receive training (35 percent). Water consumption also rose among these households by 30 percent, compared to what they used prior to education. Micro credits had a small effect in encouraging people to install bathrooms but did not succeed in reaching the poorest households and were thus eventually discontinued.