Community-managed water supply systems and their experience in mutual support and pooling arrangements (Indonesia)

This study describes the post-construction viability of water committees in Indonesia. It also looks at their experiences in accessing support services (technical, organizational development and financing) particularly through mutual support or pooling arrangements. The study is an input into the design of a pilot action research project, the Indonesia Multi-Village Pooling Project (MVP Project).

The study conducted a survey of 45 water committees in East and West Java, where the systems have been established for at least 2 years. Most of the villages in which these projects operate are considered rural, though most have very dense populations.

The study concludes that community-managed systems are expected to gain in prominence over the next decade as the Government of Indonesia continues to rely on this model for the delivery of water supply services in peri-urban and rural areas. For water committees to take advantage of the growing demand for their services, they will need access to support in the form of operational and technical expertise, capital financing and management. In a number of cases, water committees are using pooling strategies to improve access to support services.

At present, the intermediaries found active in supporting water committees are:

• Associations or federations of water committees
• Third party providers of support services through either non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or local government departments

See also the related PowerPoint presentation:
Sy, J.and Setiawan, D. (2008). Where is community-based piped water supply headed?. Link to presentation.