Practical institutional support

Mozambique covers 700,000 SQ. KM. and has a population of 16m. The 1995 national water policy set the stage for the present water and sanitation sector. Estimates for coverage are 30% for urban water and 40% for sanitation. Rural water coverage is said to be 35% and rural sanitation coverage 25%. In some cases non-functioning systems are included. The central player in the water sector is the National Directorate for Water (DNA) within the Ministry of Public Works and Housing. Mozambique has moved from civil war to peace and democracy. The sector has moved from non-sustainable emergency water projects to serious efforts towards sustainable systems. The DNA has changed its role from project design and implementation to policymaking, strategic planning, facilitation and regulation. Recent laws provide a legal base for new concepts that include privatisation and community participation. New water accords are being forged with neighbouring countries, setting the stage for minimising future conflicts. Major projects have been started such as the privatisation of 5 cities and a demand-based rural project in Inhambane. The long- and short-term challenges are to increase coverage in a sustainable way. The process of change and its concomitant internal and external resistance play a role in modifying the actions taken as well as blocking muchneeded improvements. The first steps have been taken despite the constraints. The opinions on the DNA as an institution range from it being a dynamic organisation, to being a stumbling bureaucratic state apparatus. The truth probably lies between these two extremes.