Rethinking capital cost contributions

Community capital cost contributions for improved water supply has become a cornerstone of the Demand Responsive Approach (DRA) internationally. And while other components of DRA remain important, such as community choice, water point management at the lowest level, and the centrality of the community in the planning and implementation process, it is clear that many projects will either proceed or be cancelled depending on whether the community can provide its capital cost contribution. Failure to pay often means the end of a project. WaterAid (Moçambique) has been operating in Niassa Province, northern Moçambique since 1995. WaterAid’s partners are the Niassa Provincial Department of Water and Sanitation (DAS), the District Directorate of Public Works and Housing in the districts of Maúa and Nipepe (DDOPH – Maúa and Nipepe), ESTAMOS (a local Mozambican NGO) and private sector construction companies. This paper focuses on our recent experiences with capital cost contributions in the district of Maúa. Maúa has been selected by DAS as a Provincial pilot site for the government’s new National Water Policy and (Draft) “Implementation Manual”. Both are based on the principles of DRA, and signify a considerable change of approach in the Mozambican water sector (see Breslin, 2000; and DNA, 1995 and 1999).