Decentralized water management and sustainable rural water supply

Decentralized Water Management (DWM) aims to optimise water supply services in a legal framework, through a maximal involvement of the local level. In rural water supply the DWM focus is on a step by step approach and on the long term impact of activities. A basic element is efficient operation with cost recovery supported by financially sustainable local organizations. This document describes some recent developments in the DWM approach towards rural water supply related to handpump projects and is based on the authors experience as a DWM consultant to the Provincial Water Department and NGOs in southern Angola in the past two years. One of the major constraints for sustainability remains the access to spare parts. Therefore specific attention is paid to the introduction of the Afripump, a new “spare parts free” handpump that can help solve these problems.