Is there any optimum level for community participation in RWSS? - an engineer's view

Active community participation is considered the single most important determinant of overall quality of Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS) projects implementation to ensure the long term sustainability of delivered WSS services. It would be worthwhile to study the optimum level of community participation with the ultimate objective of sustainable water supply service development. This paper attempts to evaluate the level of actual community participation and difficulties come across during Asian Development Bank assisted Third Water Supply and Sanitation (Sector) Project (TWSSP) implementing in Sri Lanka. It is concluded that, as there are no “blue print” solutions in the RWSS sector, optimum community participation is a relative phenomenon. Participation is dynamic, and its nature change with project implementation approach and socio economic condition of the target community. Achieving effective participation is expensive and complicated and hence needs due attention to decide optimum participation level.