Impact of rural water supply and sanitation in Punjab, Pakistan : evaluation study

The study covered two projects funded by the Asian Development Bank: Punjab Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (Sector) Project (PRWSSP), and Punjab Community Water Supply and Sanitation (Sector) Project (PCWSSP). The study assessed project performance and identified lessons for maximizing the development effectiveness of water supply and sanitation (WSS) interventions. It quantified the impact of WSS assistance on household welfare with a focus on health, education, and employment and evaluated the sustainability of WSS interventions. The sustainability analysis focused on two key aspects of the WSS projects: technical and physical status and the capacity of community-based organizations (CBOs) responsible for the operation and maintenance (O&M) of subprojects. The following evaluation methods were used: household surveys (1,301 project households and 1,301 comparison non-project households); technical survey of 115 subprojects; focus group discussions with 115 CBO executives responsible for O&M, and knowledge, attitude, and practice survey (KAP) of 1,400 adults and children in the project and non-project communities. The study rates the overall performance of ADB’s assistance to rural water supply in Pakistan’s Punjab Province as successful but at the lower end of the scale.