The business of the honey-suckers in Bengaluru (India)

A new IRC paper explores some contributions being made by honey-sucker tanker operators — that renders a small-scale sanitation service informally and within the private sector — on waste (faecal) extraction and, in some cases, reuse. Operating outside the legal framework of waste management, this paper provides preliminary insight into the limitations and potentials of the ‘honey-sucker business’ as a sanitation service model, based on selected experiences in Bengaluru (India).

Through semi-structured interviews and the application of Osterwalder and Pigneur’s (2010) business model building blocks tool, this paper reveals that:

1. a two-sided business model is being employed by the business (benefiting both septic tank/ pit owners and farmers);
2. positive outcomes of sludge reuse in farms seem to outweigh negative outcomes; and
3. the honey-sucker business seems to be a financially viable sanitation service model (especially amongst middle-class households with no piped connections).

As an exploratory study, the authors of the paper encourage further research into aspects that interlink with the honey-sucker business to achieve greater clarity on its positive contributions to society, and its prospects of scaling up and replication across different contexts.

Kvarnström, E. et. al., 2012. The business of the honey-suckers in Bengaluru (India): the potentials and limitations of commercial faecal sludge recycling – an explorative study. (Occasional Paper 48) [online] The Hague: IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre. 59 p. : 2 boxes, 2 fig., 5 tab. 39 ref. Available at: <http://www.irc.nl/op48>

Related materials

• A feature story entitled “Productive sanitation – the honey suckers of Bengaluru”, based on the case study, was published in the July 2012 issue of New Agriculturist at
• A presentation on the honey-suckers by Vishwanath Srikantaiah is available on Slideshare.
• IRC’s Joep Verhagen presented the honey-sucker case study during an IRC webinar organised on 2 May 2012. His original presentation is also available on Slideshare.

Access to improved water source and satisfaction with services : evidence from rural Ethiopia

Abebaw, D., Tadesse, F. and Mogues, T., 2011. Access to improved water source and satisfaction with services : evidence from rural Ethiopia. (ESSP II working paper ; 32). Washington, DC, Ethiopia Strategy Support Program II (ESSP II), International Food Policy Research Institute. v, 14 p. : 9 tab. 20 ref.

Available at: <http://www.ifpri.org/sites/default/files/publications/esspwp32.pdf> [Accessed 16 January 2011]

In recent years access to safe and reliable water supplies has received increased government attention in Ethiopia. As a result, the national coverage rate for this service has gradually improved. Yet millions of people in rural areas still do not get drinking water from an improved water source. While expanding improved water source schemes is generally essential, it is equally important to ensure that the schemes have increased users’ satisfaction with water quality and availability for everyday use. Using household survey data and employing univariate and bivariate probit models, this paper attempts to investigate the effect of access to an improved water source on users’ satisfaction with both quality and availability of water. The study findings suggest that access to an improved water source significantly raised household satisfaction with both quality and availability of water. However, the effect of the improved water source on users’ satisfaction was slightly lower for water availability than for water quality. (author abstract)

Arrangements and cost of providing support to rural water service providers

Smits, S. … [et al.] (2011). Arrangements and cost of providing support to rural water service providers. (WASHCost working paper ;  no. 5). The Hague, The Netherlands, IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre.  42 p. :  1 fig., 16 tab.  37 ref.
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This joint WASHCost and Triple-S paper is about the costs of providing direct and indirect support to rural water service provision. It provides an overview of the features such support entails, how those features can be organised, what they cost and how they can be financed. It also provides recommendations to countries for strengthening support. The paper is based on a desk review of existing literature from seven countries and an analysis of primary cost data collected by the WASHCost project in Andhra Pradesh (India), Mozambique and Ghana in 2010 and 2011.

Ladders for assessing and costing water service delivery – 2nd edition

Moriarty, P. … [et al.] (2011). Ladders for assessing and costing water service delivery. (WASHCost working paper; no. 2). 2nd ed. The Hague, The Netherlands, IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre. iv, 19 p. : 5 fig., 5 tab. 14 ref.
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This working paper introduces the concept of service levels, grouped as sequential rungs on a ladder, as a way of differentiating between broad and recognisable types (levels) of service. By developing this metaphor, a structure is provided to analyse the data being collected in different countries and settings, not just in terms of the technologies being used, but in terms of the domestic water services being received. The paper introduces water service levels and explains how these can be used as integral components of an analytical tool for applied research or benchmarking. It is best read together with Working Paper 3: Assessing sanitation service levels. Both papers are aimed at providing a framework for data analysis of life-cycle costs. This second edition reflects the experiences of applying this methodology in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mozambique and India (Andhra Pradesh).

Life-cycle costs approach: costing sustainable services

Fonseca, C. … [et al.]. (2011). Life-cycle costs approach : costing sustainable services. (WASHCost briefing note ; 1a). The Hague, The Netherlands, IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre. 37 p. :  6 fig., 7 tab.  22 ref.
Download full briefing note 

This briefing note describes the life-cycle costs approach and why it was developed. It explains the main cost components for water and sanitation in rural and peri-urban areas. Detailed cost breakdowns are presented in the annexes. Different types of analysis can be made with disaggregated cost information: comparing costs of infrastructure components, comparing the cost of services delivered or comparing the costs of difference service delivery models. The briefing note explains the building blocks used in the life-cycle costs approach for all these types of analysis and explores how these fit with different accounting practices. It explains why the WASHCost Project has adopted a regulatory accounting approach to calculate aggregated total expenditure costs and  provides a step-by-step approach to comparing and reporting costs.

Meeting the challenge of financing water and sanitation : tools and approaches

OECD (2011). Meeting the challenge of financing water and sanitation : tools and approaches. (OECD studies on water). Paris, France, OECD Publishing. 142 p. : 13 fig., 5 tab.
ISBN : 9789264120525 (PDF) ; 9789264120518 (print)
doi: 10.1787/9789264120525-en

Order online  / Look inside (free online preview)
Price: €25 | $35 | £22 | ¥3200 | MXN450

This report provides an overview of key issues related to financing the water and sanitation sector in both developed and developing countries (part 1), and presents tools and approaches developed by OECD for both policy makers and practitioners (part 2).

Part 1 is organised in three chapters. Chapter 1 identifies the investments required to build, operate and maintain the infrastructure for providing sustainable water and sanitation services. It then examines the health, economic and environmental benefits of water supply and sanitation (WSS).

Chapter 2 assesses the current state of WSS and examines investment needs, identifies the financing sources, and estimates the financing gaps to reach internationally agreed targets.

Chapter 3 examines where the money is going to come from, including from a combination of efficiency gains, adjusted targets and additional financial resources; the “3Ts” – tariffs, taxes and transfers; and repayable financing.

In part  2, chapter 4 begins by introducing the tools developed by OECD to address the key financing issues described in part 1.

Chapters 5 to 10 include brief descriptions of the following tools:

• Strategic Financial Planning for WSS at national or regional level – the FEASIBLE tool
• Financial planning tool for water utilities
• Multi-year investment planning tool for municipalities
• Guidelines for performance-based contracts
• Water Utility Performance Indicators (IBNET)
• Private sector participation in water infrastructure – checklist for public action

Managing water locally : an essential dimension of community water development

Bunclark, L., Carter, R., Casey, V., Day, St J., and Guthrie, D. (2011). Managing water locally : an essential dimension of community water development. London, UK, Institution of Civil Engineers; Oxford, UK, Oxfam GB and London, UK, WaterAid. 95 p. : boxes, fig., tab. Includes glossary. 48 ref.
Oxfam Online ISBN 978-1-78077-011-6
Download full publication [2 MB]

Based on experiences from three continents, this publication provides practical guidelines for water sector practitioners, policy-makers and donors on Community-Based Water Resource Management (CBWRM).

New web resource on rural water supply – www.waterservicesthatlast.org

One out of three rural water supply systems in developing countries doesn’t function at all or performs far below its promised level. IRC’s Triple-S (Sustainable Services at Scale) initiative has put together a web resource to help those involved in financing, planning or implementing rural water supply projects or providing services. The website brings together the latest thinking on creating water services that last, including results from Triple-S work in Ghana and Uganda. It covers key elements such as monitoring, financial planning, institutional models, and capacity building for service providers and local government. Here you’ll find tools, concepts, case studies, videos, cartoons, and more.

Web site: www.waterservicesthatlast.org

Supporting rural water supply: moving towards a service delivery approach

Lockwood, H. and Smits, S. (2011). Supporting rural water supply : moving towards a service delivery approach. London, UK, Practical Action and The Hague, The Netherlands, IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre. xii, 187 p. : 11 boxes, 13 fig., 14 tab. Includes references, glossary and index.
Download full publication and supporting country studies
Order hard copy (price: £13.46)

Collectively, billions of dollars have been invested in the provision of rural water supply systems in developing countries over the past three decades. Although progress is being made and rates of coverage are increasing, users often find that, once installed, water supply systems are poorly maintained and eventually break down, leaving them with an unreliable and disrupted water supply.

Supporting Rural Water Supply takes a critical look and asks why we have been unable to provide a sustainable water service to rural people for so long? What are the critical success factors in the areas where there has been good progress? How can we support the adoption of a service delivery approach to rural water supply – one that moves beyond implementing infrastructure projects to delivering a reliable and indefinite service?

This book brings together findings from 13 country studies which were carried out as part of a global learning initiative – Sustainable Services at Scale, or Triple-S. It offers insights into ways countries and individual organisations can move towards a service delivery approach step by step and is a valuable resource for professionals in government departments, NGOs, development banks, and donor agencies who are interested in improving the design and implementation of rural water supply programmes and the benefits from investments. (publisher’s abstract).

Read the summaries or full reports for Benin, Burkina Faso, Colombia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Honduras, India, Mozambique, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, USA, and Uganda.

The results from the Triple-S 13-country study were discussed and reviewed at a joint event organised on 27 September 2011 by the World Bank and USAID. Video, presentations and background documents available at: https://water.worldbank.org/water/node/84057

Services that last training modules

The IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre has developed training sessions on embedding the concepts of a service delivery approach and the life-cycle costs approach.

The training is set up in three modules, providing increasing levels of detail about a service delivery approach. In modules 1 and 2, guiding concepts and principles are provided with some inspiring examples. In modules 2 and 3, the principles are expanded and further practical work is provided on application of the concepts and tools in specific contexts.

View the full set of training modules.