Community-driven development as a driver of change: water supply and sanitation projects in rural Punjab, Pakistan

摘要

This paper examines the question: how effective is a community driven development (CDD) approach to ruralnwater supply? Some theoretical advantages of CDD approaches include: (1) community choices are more attunednto local needs; (2) sustainable O&M is more likely; (3) social capital is bui (4) more participation yields betternoversight and less corruption; and (5) communities become active partners in development, itself a worthynobjective. Using quantitative and qualitative data from a water supply and sanitation project in Punjab, Pakistan,nthe study finds that the CDD approach, consistent with expectations, has done well in extending water supply,ndrainage, and sanitation coverage to the poor rural communities, and demonstrated outcomes that are onlynachievable through CDD—including water tariff and cultural changes. The project was also effective in promotingnlocal participation and ownership, particularly by women’s groups, and is therefore likely to have sustainablenoperation and maintenance (O & M). This study uncovers two dimensions of CDD in water and sanitation asnmeans to an end: political reform, by proposing implementation strategies of decentralisation; and cultural reform,nby providing an approach to break cultural barriers.