Is low coverage of modern infrastructure services in African cities due to lack of demand or lack of supply?

Wodon, Q. … [et al.] (2009). Is low coverage of modern infrastructure services in African cities due to lack of demand or lack of supply? (Policy research working paper ; 4881). Washington, DC, USA, World Bank. 22 p.
Download here

A majority of sub-Saharan Africa’s population is not connected to electricity and piped water networks, and even in urban areas coverage is low. Lack of network coverage may be due to demand or supply-side factors. Some households may live in areas where access to piped water and electricity is feasible, but may not be able to pay for those services. Other households may be able to afford the services, but may live too far from the electric line or water pipe to have a choice to be connected to it. Given that the policy options for dealing with demand as opposed to supply-side issues are fairly different, it is important to try to measure the contributions of both types of factors in preventing better coverage of infrastructure services in the population. This paper shows how this can be done empirically using household survey data and provides results on the magnitude of both types of factors in explaining the coverage deficit of piped water and electricity services in urban areas for a large sample of African countries. [Author abstract].

Local sources of financing for infrastructure in Africa : a cross-country analysis

Irving, J. and Manroth, A. (2009). Local sources of financing for infrastructure in Africa : a cross-country analysis. (Policy research working paper ; 4878). Washington, DC, USA, African Sustainable Development Front Office, World Bank. ii, 84 p.
Download here

With the exception of South Africa, local financial markets in sub-Saharan Africa remain underdeveloped and small, with a particular dearth of financing with maturity terms commensurate with the medium- to long-term horizons of infrastructure projects (covering electricity generation, transport, water and sanitation, and telecommunications). But as financial market reforms gather momentum, there is growing awareness of the need to tap local and regional sources. Drawing on a comprehensive new database constructed for the purpose of this research, the paper assesses the actual and potential role of local financial systems for 24 African countries in financing infrastructure. The paper concludes that further development and more appropriate regulation of local institutional investors would help them realize their potential as financing sources, for which they are better suited than local banks because their liabilities would better match the longer terms of infrastructure projects. There are clear signs of positive change: private pension providers are emerging in Africa, there is a shift from defined benefit toward defined contribution plans, and African institutional investors have begun taking a more diversified portfolio approach in asset allocation. Although capital markets remain underdeveloped, new issuers in infrastructure sectors-particularly of corporate bonds-are coming to market in several countries, in some cases constituting the debut issue. More than half of the corporate bonds listed at end-2006 on these countries’ markets were by companies in infrastructure sectors. More cross-border listings and investment within the region-in both corporate bonds and equity issues-including by local institutional investors, could help overcome local capital markets’ impediments and may hold significant promise for financing cross-country infrastructure projects. [Author abstract]

Climate change and water : international perspectives on mitigation and adaptation

Smith, J., Howe, C. and Henderson, J. (eds) (2009). Climate change and water : international perspectives on mitigation and adaptation. London, UK, International Water Association (IWA) and Denver, CO, USA, American Water Works Association (AWWA). 290 p. ISBN: 9781843393047 (IWA). ISBN 1583217304 (AWWA)

Order online from IWA here
Price: £ 52.75 / US$ 105.50 / € 79.13. IWA members price: £ 39.50 / US$ 79.00 / € 59.25

Order online from AWWA here
Price: US$ 99.00. AWWA members price: US$ 79.00

Understand the effects of climate change on urban water and wastewater utilities with this collection of international scientific papers. This book offers the latest scientific findings on climate change and its increasingly important impacts on fresh water resources and water quality. Additionally, case studies provide actual examples of how climate change and global warming are beginning to impact water resources and water utilities (Publisher’s text).

Twitter for Sh-tters

On behalf of Wherever the Need, a nonprofit working to deliver sanitation and water solutions in developing countries, Skadaddle Media launched TwitterforSh-tters.com on 15 July 2009, a social media campaign to raise funds for eco-san toilets (the aforementioned “shitters”) in India. By signing up to become a “Daily Dumpers”, Twitter users pledge to spend a day tweeting about shit to raise money for Wherever the Need.

Supporters can donate online by credit card or Paypal.

The campaign web site features Daily Dump tweets and press coverage. Updates are provided both on the web site and on Twitter.

Evaluating & improving the WASH sector : strengthening WASH governance, learning about complexity, assessing change

Garandeau, R., Casella, D. and Bostoen, K. (2009). Evaluating & improving the WASH sector : strengthening WASH governance, learning about complexity, assessing change. (Thematic overview paper series ; 23). The Hague, The Netherlands, IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre. 101 p.
Download here

Over recent decades, several events and trends resulted in an increased focus on development agencies’ results, hence an increased demand for quantitative measurement in general, and impact evaluation in particular. As part of this trend, funding agencies started to request more objective, independent evaluations to prove that their resources are used transparently on interventions that improve people’s lives, health, education, and wealth. As a result, all development agencies try to measure in one way or another the performance and achievements of their interventions.

This TOP discusses evaluations, focusing on the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector. It starts with a tale of three farms, representing three paradigms of development. Each of these paradigms is then discussed separately in the specific context of this sector. For each paradigm, the resulting evaluation methodologies are presented in a chronological order, illustrated by examples of WASH related evaluations. The TOP ends with useful books, websites and contacts.

AfricaAdapt

AfricaAdapt is an independent bilingual network (French/English) focused on sharing knowledge on climate change adaptation in Africa.

AfricaAdapt is collaboratively hosted by four organisations: Environment and Development in the Third World (ENDA-TM), Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC), and Institute of Development Studies (IDS).

Activities include a Knowledge Sharing Innovation Fund, which offers grants of up to US$10.000 to projects that seek to overcome barriers to sharing knowledge with ’hard to reach’ or marginalised African communities (deadline 01 August 2009).

Water (covering water scarcity, security and rights, drought risk management) is one of the eight themes. Each theme consists of an overview page, related news and resources, a theme map linked to related projects and a theme discussion list.

A Crosscutting Issues page covers additional important topics that may be related to two or more of the other themes.

Go to the AfricaAdapt web site.

WaterCredit web site

This is the web site of the WaterCredit Initiative, which was set up by WaterPartners International in 2003 to provide microfinance for water and sanitation projects.

As of 2009, WaterPartners’ WaterCredit portfolio has included work in Kenya, Bangladesh and India, with nearly US$ 1.6 million in WaterCredit loans disbursed to end borrowers.

The content of the web site so far is limited to background information on the initiative and its activities in India.

Go to the WaterCredit web site

Water and Cultural Diversity Database

This web site is an initiative of the UNESCO-IHP project on Water and Cultural Diversity.

It is intended to act as a information resource on the topic of water and cultural diversity and will contribute to increasing awareness on the importance of cultural factors in water management and decision making.  The database contains four main sections:

• The Library contains journal articles, publications, conventions and other legal instruments, policy guidelines and research methodologies.
• The Directory of Members and Institutions contains information on people working on the topic of water and cultural diversity, and will form the basis of a network, to be strengthened further in the Community of Practice (CoP).
• The Events calendar contains a list of relevant conferences, meetings, workshops, symposia and seminars related to water and cultural diversity.
• The Image gallery has photos and drawings that can be downloaded and used, with the appropriate acknowledgement of copyright.

Go to the Water and Cultural Diversity web site

WaterSoft – Rural Water Supply Sector Statistics, Andhra Pradesh, India

This Government of Andhra Pradesh web site provides statistics on the state’s rural water supply. It provides both details of coverage status (full coverage, no coverage, partial coverage) at different administrative levels and also tracks the financial and construction status of individual rural water supply systems. The web site is under development, and does not include for instance a user guide explaining the terminology and abbreviations used.

Go to the WaterSoft website

Making the most of the water we have : the soft path approach to water management

Brooks, D.B., Brandes, O.M. and Gurman, S. (2009). Making the most of the water we have : the soft path approach to water management. London, UK, Earthscan. 272 p. ISBN 9781844077540
Price: £49.95
Order online here

Publisher’s description:

“Demand for water is one of the major challenges of the current century, but past approaches are no longer sufficient. Based on the “soft path” approach to the energy sector, a transition is now under way to a soft path for water. This approach starts by ensuring that ecosystem needs for water are satisfied and then undertakes a radical approach to reducing human uses of water by economic and social incentives, including open decision-making, water markets and equitable pricing, and the application of super-efficient technology, all applied in ways that avoid jeopardizing quality of life.

This book is the first to present and apply the water soft path approach. It has three aims: to bring to a wider audience the concept and the potential of water soft paths; to demonstrate that soft path analysis is analytical and practical, and not just “eco-dreaming”; and to indicate that soft paths are not only conceptually attractive but that they can be made economically and politically feasible. These goals are reflected by the scope of the book which is organized around the three aspects of any soft path: a vision of a sustainable water future based on the soft path concept; an analytic method to define alternative routes to get to that future (most literally, the soft paths), as illustrated by case studies in Canada and elsewhere: and a tool kit for planners and other practitioners”.

Chapter 17 is on “Water Soft Path Thinking in Developing Countries” with examples from South Africa, India, and Middle East and North Africa.