Addressing Anticorruption Measures In Water And Sanitation Scheme

Addressing Anticorruption Measures in Water and Sanitation Scheme Ramesh Kumar Sharma Regional Manager, Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Fund Development Board Lazimpat, P.O.Box 12414 Kathmandu, Nepal [email protected]

In our world one child dies every twenty second for not having clean water. This shortage in service delivery to the people living in hardship has distant link with result of corruption in the water sector. Global Corruption Report (GCR)1 of 2008, along with Water Integrity Network (WIN)2 has thematic focus on need to fight for corruption in water. Corruptions in water also negatively affect the environment, increase the price of food, and makes it difficult for the development community to achieve Million Development Goal (MDG). In this context RWSSFDB water and sanitation program ensures anticorruption measures for good governance in an institutional framework which fully shares information and ensures transparency. The service delivery model also financially empowers the grass root community. The latest breakthrough is application of Community Score Card under Social Accountability or Jagaran Karyakram to initiate entirely new range of value added practices to fight any form of weakness, quality constraints or corruption in water. Corruption in the water sector both puts at risk the lives of billions of people and slows development. Engineers need to play comprehensive role not only to their specific job assignments but to take leadership in out boundary broader roles like Increasing Political Accountability, Strengthening Civil Society Participation, Creating a Competitive Private Sector, Developing Institutional restrain on abuse of power and in Improving Public Sector Management for enforcing anticorruption. Engineers may achieve these by developing appropriate strategies. Key Words: Water, Anticorruption, Social Accountability, Integrity, Community

Introduction Global Corruption Report 2008 sites “Corruption in water supply and sanitation has many facets and varies substantially in size and incidence. Informal measures indicates that a large percentage of water sector finance is drainned by corruption. Study of Plumer J and Cross P (2006) shows in Sub Saharan Africa, US$ 6.7 Billion is required annually to reach the MDGs. In one decade 30% of the US $ 20 Billion will thus drain from the sector. Davis J. (2004) study indicates in India’s water sector side payments occurred in 50% of all transactions.

World Bank SAR document of 1996, sites several quality and sustainability related weakness on the background of negligence and poor implementation as lesson learn of that time in water sector of Nepal. What Corruption Like in Reality: Water Integrity Network Document 2008 sites nature of corruption in water in the following form „ „ „ „

Poor are faced to pay bribe to connect to water pipes or tanker Inflate cost of small or large water structures and bore holes Divert irrigation water away from poor villages Biased decision on allocation and location of water and waste water service points, pipe system and treatment facility. „ Falsify meter reading „ Foster ill advised procurement of expensive but poorly constructed facilities „ Buys Jobs and Promotions

Strategies and Achievements RWSSFDB exercises various strategies to develop its schemes in people’s demand responsive and sustainable manner. CAP Planning for People's Right to Plan and Implement: Community has chance to actually plan their own project within informed choices under 14 community action plans. CAP is improved and finalized within nine month of Development Phase. Entire mass endorses these action plans to avoid any practice of personal influence or gain over water project design and benefit sharing. This builds capacity not only for planning but also to implement and operate the scheme. It has ensured true bottom up practice and community ownership. Public Expenditure and Fund Flow thru People's Account: The community implements the scheme under a tripartite agreement among the board, SO and community. Joint account is handled by the community with support from SO to implement the scheme. In this account Board transfers all construction budgets in which 2.5% cash is matched by the community. The community manages Sanitation Revolving loan Fund and Women Technical Support Service Grant fund which is transferred from SO account to them. Financial audit is carried out by board prequalified agencies, prior to which Social Audit is carried out in the scheme as soon as the construction is complete. In RWSSFDB secretariat financial management is carried out by computerized FMIS system and FMR financial management report of each trimester expenditure is reviewed by the World Bank. Project Procurement under Full Ownership of Community: RWSSFDB is one of the rare institutes which initiated community procurement practice in true sense. Community prepare marketing plan, investigate market for quality products at cost effective prices to purchase all the non local material of the scheme they have to construct. The ten years of practice has shown that RWSSFDB community had been able to buy NLM at lower rate then other agencies. Any discount received is documented and deposited in Operation and Maintenance Fund. Material Quality Spot Check monitoring helps to streamline this

process and ensure transparency in expenditure. If there is case with evidence of any supplier providing duplicate materials to community, RWSSFDB is capable to blacklist such supplier. Gender Mainstreaming for Equity and Just: RWSSFDB program focus on women as they are the real water manager. Women as Treasurer, village health promoter, mother and child tap stand leader and 33% meaningful representation in water and sanitation user committee are some strategies to gain equity in role with male. Further there are group saving and income generating program WTSS to empower women. Social Inclusion for Equal Access to Resource: Equal access to resource and benefit sharing for the Indigenous people and backwards is serious concern of RWSSFDB for which Social Mapping is carried out in all schemes. Also Livelihood and Social Inclusion (LSI) 3 is a mechanism which is used to ensure social inclusion. There is Well Being Ranking practice to identify and subsidies poor. In remote area transportation is subsidized. Priority is given to Dalit, IP sensitive SOs, beneficiaries and selection of staff. In nine IP languages dissemination materials are prepared and distributed. There is land registration with use of legal MOU paper for the land where there are water structures, to be built. This has ensured access of water to all, even to Dalit and backwards. Cost Effective Services Delivery to the People: People contribute in cash and kind to implement their scheme. Cost and design fully optimized scheme is therefore right of people. RWSSFDB fully assists them in developing such scheme by use of technical option thru SARAR tool which correctly informs them about their choice. The nation wide non local rate collection by the community and board helps to set most cost effective rate. As there is no private contractor the cost of construction to its output is amazingly low. This was observed by the World Bank Regional Directors while they visited scheme in 2007. Peer Review Report from DFID (Dec 2005)4 states the scheme percapita cost NRS. 3248 is lowest in the sector following up with NRs 4500 of NEWAH and NRs 6304 of Gorkha Welfare. Monitoring and Evaluation Framework: Sector Lessons from past has shown gap in planning and implementation quality and service delivery aspect. There is high focus on monitoring to mitigate these weaknesses. All the payment monitoring is strictly in the hand of third party. This shows the funding, implementing and monitoring agencies are not one but different that leaves them no option but to act very professionally. The different M&E practiced in RWSSFDB are: • Community Monitoring • Compliance and Process Monitoring • Strategic Monitoring • Development Monitoring Also there is huge milestone, report and contract management computer database. Social Accountability for People's Right to Question on Quality of Service Delivery: The Board introduced Social Accountability or Jagaran Karyakram5. This approach could further build community capacity and equip them with right tools so that they become able to judge performance of service deliverer such as NGO, Service agency or even their own WSUC committee, and staff. 25 Para Professionals received four trainings for

Jagaran Program. NGOs are being trained as well. In the community a small Jagaran Committee is comprised which will practice "Community Score Card" in this program at different project cycles. Social Auditing is other part in which they are trained. After piloting in 125 scheme of Bach VII, this program will be launched in entire schemes of forthcoming batches. Initial results are very encouraging like people identifying weakness in their contractual working within program components and redoing it to properly exercise implementation or managing operational issues. Multi Sector Thrust to Draw Holistic Input: The board operates in private public partnership model with NGO, Community and Service agency involvement. DDC, VDC, Line agencies, I/NGOs CBOs, WSUGs are brought together in course of working and there is meeting in yearly regional workshops. DDC council approved schemes are taken for implementation to avoid any duplication. District Water Resource Committee in DDC registers the WSUG. The Board is considering to explore further DDC/DTO collaborative model in future. Check list and surveys have been conducted to find existing condition and enhance coordination, collaboration with local government. NGOs are encouraged to participate in multi sector review meetings in the district. DDC/VDC provide match fund to support implementation in 36 schemes of Batch V and VI with NRs 2400502 in nine districts. Multi sector involvement, monitoring and interface meeting thus helps RWSSFDB institution to develop as transparent and non corrupt organization. International insights and reflection are also drawn in routinely basis. In the year 2007, from Srilanka CWSSP 14 officers and Directors visited RWSSFDB schemes. In 2008 CWSSP sent 10 officers and ladies from line ministry to visit. In the same year from Water Services Trust Fund, trustee's team of five came to visit water and sanitation schemes. World Bank earlier sent 14 Regional directors team and then nine Executive Directors team to observe the RWSSFDB fields. Financial Audit for Contract Output Check: RWSSFDB conducts independent audit from hired firms for the community projects as soon as it is complete. The deviations are recorded and forwarded to the NGO and community for correction. Yearly finance and audit workshop strengthens them to build their capacity in finance and audit and do less and less mistakes in financial operation and documentation. The government separately audits these projects. Post Implementation Phase: After construction of scheme, there is two years PI Phase in which repair needs are observed and scheme is also maintained for water quality improvement by the community. NGO facilitates the monitoring and reporting to board. Project Insurance: RWSSFDB is working on provision of insuring community water project in whole or part. Analysis is being carried out for various old and new batch schemes. An MOU is underway to negotiate with insurance party. After success of this program community will be paid in case of any damage to their scheme during 15 to 20 years design period. Complaint Handling Process: RWSSFDB has complaint box and a standard complaint handling process. M&E division takes lead on such complaints. In workshops and by

media also grievances and misunderstanding is sought to sort. Each six month meeting is called and progress briefed to media in the Office meeting hall. Research Study and Regular Evaluation Work: After completion of community water project In a time line of three, five and ten years several studies are conducted by pre qualified firms to draw lesson of entire design period. Some of these studies are: Baseline Study, Technical Audit, Knowledge Attitude Practice (KAP), Community Action Planning (CAP), Community Development Activities (CDA), Mid term Impact Study, Long-term Impact Study, Institutional Study, Demand Study, Social Impact Study. Analysis and evaluation of these studies helps to review remodel and restructure the water and sanitation program as non corrupt, technically appropriate, socially desired and country suitable program.

Result and Outcome Sustainability: The most important aspect of any model project is its sustainability. RWSSFDB schemes with the operation and maintenance account and paid village maintenance worker is found sustaining and well functioning. The long term sustainability study of seven year old Batch one schemes is 92 percent6 . Sat ishf act ory

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Long Term Sustainability B-I Project

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Long Term Sustainability B-III Project

Last January study in 820 schemes of Batch I to Batch VI the amount raised in account of O&M fund is found NRs 45347537.52. Human Resource Development and Sector Capacity Building: Aware human resource development is the best anticorruption tool. RWSFDB has built capacity of 209 NGOs in implementing clean water and sanitation schemes since March 1996. The staffs of NGOs and Service agencies receive range of training in management, construction, Report writing, Monitoring and finance. NGOs train the project communities in the village. They receive leadership, construction, operation maintenance, management, finance and documentation related trainings. Scheme women are involved in health sanitation, non formal education, gender and income generation related trainings. Training, M&E, Research Study capacity of private agencies have been developed to continually strengthen watsan sector apart from directly delivering trainings from board staff in Jeevika (Livelihood) and Social Accountability program which are new venture in the Nation. Legal Status Holding Water Sanitation Communities: RWSSFDB water sanitation user groups are registered in their district under water resource act by the district water resource committee after proper investigation on their application. This process

empowers the community with legal status of CBO. Batch I to Batch VII 2024 communities have legal registration. Promotion of Transparency for Good Governance: RWSSFDB uses range of tools to promote transparency and good governance. The operational manuals, guideline books, VDEO, CDs, SARAR PRA tool all add to transparency via information flow. Project information including finance can be observed at any time in the website www.rwss.org. Project News Later Khashkosh is there to disseminate information at regular basis. Fortnightly National Radio program is there to communicate with people in remote areas. Scheme communities are encouraged to start KHASKOSH radio listeners club, of which some are very active and contribute useful materials. Regional management keeps an eye on local national newspapers to contribute water related news to the news papers as well as the news TV channels. FM radio stations and news paper reporter are contacted to place information on any implementation contract. There are incidences of 'Avenews TV' use to solve implementation problem in Tanahu District and Radio Sailung Community FM use to settle source conflict issue in Dolkha District. CNN TV7 on Feb 8, 2009 broadcasted RWSSFDB project as meaningful effort. In Washington DC Water Week program8, February 15-24, 2009, RWSFDB case sheets, model show and community presentations were highly appreciated by the international participants. In any scheme Public Display Boards stands with all vital information about the water and sanitation scheme with financial figures. RWSSFDB started this effort in 1999 which has been largely replicated in the Nation by other organizations. Conclusion and Recommendations: To converge development vision in reality anticorruption measures needs to be fabricated at the institutional and governance framework. This value can be added in the leadership of engineers as they are there in policy level to the ground projects to materialize peoples demand for sustainable water and sanitation service delivery system. Therefore it can be recommended that: ƒ Water program institutional framework at every level needs to be checked and addressed against any vulranability for corruption. ƒ Popular anticorruption bottom up measures like Social Accountability Program is presently requirement of development programs. Within this Citizen Report Card, Social Audit, Interface Meeting and Action Planning should in real sense be practiced. ƒ Peoples ownership in Project Planning, Implementation, Procurement and Fund Management adds value towards sustainability. ƒ A Display Board with estimated budget, actual expense declaration, and key features of service delivery is desirable for minimum transparency of any projects in community. Ref: 1.Transparency international (2008) Global Corruption Report, Corruption in Water Sector. 2. Water Integrity Network Strategic Framework 2008-11www.waterintegritynetwork.net 3. World Bank, Project Agreement Document, LSI section, IDA Credit 3199 NEP 4. Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Program, Peer review report DFID, December 2005 5. RWSSFDB, Social Accountability Jagaran Karyakram Implementation Plan (2008) 6. Systech Consultancy, Sustainability Study Report (2007) 7. CNN TV program date 8 Feb, 2009 http://cnn.com/video 8. Water Week Program Washington DC Feb 15-24, 2009 9. RWSFDB MIS data 2009 10. Gemidiriya Community Development and Livelihood Improvement Project Sri Lanka www.gemidiriya.org