With high levels of non-functionality and low levels of service, it is clear that rural water assets are notbeing adequately managed. It is also a symptom of the current focus on first time access, which needs toshift to a focus on long term service delivery. There is a need for actors within the rural water sector tofollow other infrastructure-heavy and professionalised industries, and start adopting asset managementpractices. This paper gives an overview of the main components of infrastructure asset management andmakes a case for wider adoption in the rural water sector (for all types of rural water systems, includingboth hand pumps and piped schemes) in developing countries. It provides new evidence from a case studyon good practices from rural municipalities in South Africa and identifies first steps for under-resourcedmunicipalities.
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