Small town water supply and sanitation project: the learning curve

Government of Nepal is implementing the Small Towns Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project in order to improve health and quality of life of the people living in small towns by extending better and sustainable water supply and sanitation services and providing health and hygiene education program. The project design takes the community-based demand responsive approach such that the Water User and Sanitation Committee (WUSC) is fully involved and jointly responsible for all major decisions. The Project is nearing its end for the first phase and a number of projects have been completed and several are nearing completion. It is imperative at this juncture to look back and reflect on positive issues as well as hindrances, which have been instrumental in creating some delays. The paper delves into the technical problems encountered during the various stages of project implementation and identifies ways to further enhance project performance.