Sustainable replication and scaling up of small piped water networks

UTCE (2008). Sustainable replication and scaling up of small piped water networks : technical assistance consultant’s report. Manila, The Philippines, Asian Development Bank. 107 p. : 45 fig., 13 tab. 15 ref.
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This study assesses outcomes of the Asian Development Bank’s four small piped water network (SPWN) pilot projects in the Philippines (2 projects), Tien Giang Province in Viet Nam, and in Ahmedabad, India. It also reviews related documents and literature to provide actual policy recommendations for ADB related to their “replicability”, sustainability, and scalability. The focus of this study is on the small-scale water providers (SSWPs) who pioneer and operate piped water networks.

The rationale for this study is not to repeat the obvious fact that implementing water supply in low-income areas brings high social benefits but to identify which characteristics might be changed to increase the potential for their sustainable large-scale implementation in the future.

In this study, the advantages and disadvantages of engaging SSWPs and SPWN systems are evaluated in comparison to the traditional style of piped supply in which central utilities deal directly with individual consumers. After the literature review (chapter 2) and methodology (chapter 3), chapters 4, 5, and 6 describe the situation in the studied cases and their respective estimated potential for sustainability. Replicability and scalability is context dependent – different system characteristics are optimal in a different context. Therefore, these are generally discussed (in chapter 7) after the review of outcomes of all studied SPWNs in the different local contexts. Conclusions and recommendations for ADB are in the final chapter.

See also: Asian Development Bank (2008). In the pipeline : water for the poor : investing in small piped water networks. Manila, Philippines, Asian Development Bank. Download here