This is the second part of two-part blog written by Andrew Mang, Co-Founder at Aswanet, a water service provider operating in Uganda.
In my first post, I briefly introduced the idea of the ‘hidden water crisis’ of poor service delivery and discussed how information problems exacerbate problems with service provision. For this follow-up post, I’m going to talk more about the factors that go into developing a service model and how ICT can be used in phases as part of a comprehensive development strategy.
Developing a service model for water provision is made very complicated by the need to fix any problems extremely quickly. The Aswanet team conducted research in Buikwe District, Uganda that found that many families only store enough water to last 12 – 24 hours, so any service model must operate within that timeline. That means that you have to have financing, staff, and spare parts available before something happens so you can respond immediately. It’s not acceptable to spend days collecting money after a breakdown. It’s not acceptable to perform temporary fixes without a plan to perform proper repair. It’s not acceptable to wait for the next annual assessment and hope that the local government finally gets around to fixing whatever problem exists. Problems need to be fixed immediately so users aren’t forced to use unsafe water sources.
So far, I’ve outlined the need for an effective rapid response that incorporates the right staff, equipment, and financing arrangements to be sustainable. A program like this is built and scaled with mobile technology – every step can be improved by using mobile tools! Rapid information transfer from remote locations to maintenance teams is the key to making everything work. Of course, large development programs are expensive, so different levels of service can be implemented in stages across large areas as resources permit.
Here’s what a rollout could look like:
Step 1: Local or national authorities use mobile technology to rapidly assess the status of water points on the ground. Current assessments are often done using traditional pen-and-paper techniques – these are slow and time-consuming, and as a result are often done on a quarterly or yearly basis. Once the water points have been logged, the authorities can train local users to report problems to the proper monitoring authority so interventions can be planned. At this point, infrastructure will still be broken down for an unacceptable period of time, but decision-makers will at least be aware of the problem and be able to facilitate repairs.
Step 2: Teams of highly trained technicians who can respond to problems quickly are set up. These technicians need to have the authority to make decisions and repairs autonomously so problems can be solved quickly. Their jobs can be facilitated by mobile reporting systems that allow more detailed information to be collected in advance and relayed to their dispatch. Today, mechanics often have little information when heading to a service call and have to promptly diagnose and repair problems on the spot; advance reporting makes it easier to ensure that the right tools and materials will be available to the mechanics when needed. At this point, if financing is available, near-continuous service can be provided.
Step 3: Implement technology that will enable the effective collection of finances from the appropriate parties. In many countries this will be the end users themselves, but finances could also be collected from international organizations or government agencies. Mobile money infrastructure allows finances to be collected easily from users in remote locations, and it’s definitely the best way to securely transfer funds in many developing economies. By ‘closing the loop’ in these transactions, sustainable systems can be installed and operated by government, large companies, or small entrepreneurs.
Step 4: Develop frameworks to further scale a continuous service model across national and local utilities. Data related to time of usage and quantities demanded can be collected and analyzed by engineering teams to further optimize operations at a large scale. This phase represents the traditional incremental development processes that occur once the primary service has been tested and is already being delivered to the end user.
As you can see, these kinds of interventions can be layered and implemented in phases when appropriate. These technologies can be implemented on a small scale for prototyping, or on a larger scale once the economics are figured out. Keep in mind that software systems allow rapid development and iteration. By combining old infrastructure with modern information technology, systems can be planned and implemented, and then data can be collected, analyzed, and used to further optimize things. It’s important to note that the sector was not this way in the past – traditionally, making changes in the water sector required years or decades of data collection, planning, piloting, and finally implementing the proposed changes. ICT has the potential to revolutionize the water sector and facilitate rapid, iterative innovation throughout the entire world – impacting billions of lives.