Water and Sanitation Program: REPORT Unlocking the Potential of Information Communications Technology to Improve Water and Sanitation Services Summary of Findings and Recommendations Mouhamed Fadel Ndaw July 2015 The Water and Sanitation Program is a multi-donor partnership, part of the World Bank Group’s Water Global Practice, supporting poor people in obtaining affordable, safe, and sustainable access to water and sanitation services. Author: Mouhamed Fadel Ndaw The Water and Sanitation Program is a multi-donor partnership, part of the World Bank Group’s Water Global Practice, supporting poor people About the Author in obtaining affordable, safe, and sustainable access to water and Mouhamed Fadel Ndaw, a Water and sanitation services. WSP’s donors include Australia, Austria, Denmark, Sanitation Engineer is best known for his Finland, France, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Luxembourg, role over 15 years (1996-2011), as the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United coordinator in Senegal of the urban water States, and the World Bank. sector reform and the water MDGs program (PEPAM). He then joined the African Water Disclaimer Association of utilities as the coordinator of The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed herein the Water Operators Partnership-WOP Africa, a program are entirely those of the author and should not be attributed to the based in Johannesburg. World Bank or its affiliated organizations, or to members of the Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they Fadel joined WSP Africa in July 2012 as a Sr. Regional represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the Water & Sanitation Specialist based in Ouagadougou data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and (Burkina Faso) and is coordinating WSP Africa’s work on other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any improving access to water supply services in rural areas judgment on the part of the World Bank concerning the legal status of and small towns with special focus on domestic private any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. sector participation. He recently completed a WSP study examining the impact of the use of ICTs in the management Copyright Statement of water and sanitation sector in African countries. The material in this work is subject to copyright. Since The World Bank encourages dissemination of its knowledge, this work may be reproduced, in whole or in part, for noncommercial purposes as long Photo credits: The World Bank/WSP as full attribution to the work is given. © 2015 International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank Unlocking the Potential of Information Communications Technology to Improve Water and Sanitation Services Summary of Findings and Recommendations Mouhamed Fadel Ndaw July 2015 www.wsp.org Preface This knowledge product is a summary of findings from the both short- (project specific) and medium-term objectives, Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) Study “Unlocking understand the potential information that can be generated the Potential of ICT Services in the Water and Sanitation through ICTs, increase access to and use of the said Sector”. The study builds on and complements the World information, and ensure that ICT-generated information Bank’s Africa Regional Strategy (2011) as well as the is implemented more sustainably in support of WASH World Bank Group’s Information and Communication objectives. Technology (ICT) Strategy (2012). It further complements the E-Transform Africa series, a collaboration between The complete set of the twelve reports that make up the the African Development Bank, the World Bank and the findings from this knowledge product was coordinated African Union, which captures the existing use of ICTs in by Mouhamed Fadel Ndaw, Senior Water and Sanitation six sectors (agriculture, climate change, education, health, Specialist at the Water and Sanitation Program of the financial services, government) and two cross-cutting themes World Bank, and principal author of this Summary of (regional trade and integration; ICT competitiveness). Findings and Recommendations report. Contributors include Gordon Amoako, Hosea Arito, Musa Chemisto, WSP has spearheaded the use of ICT in many countries, Maxim Fortin, Abdoulaye Kanté, Adama Sanogo, Lassina particularly through its contribution to financing the Togola, Richard Labelle, Erica Menchetti, Dorothy Kobel, mWater pilot platform in Senegal, Mali, Niger and Benin, Lillian Muhebwa, Fiona Ssozi, Ulrike Rivett, Lauren Intven Akvo Flow and Fulcrum in Liberia and Sierra Leone and from Cowater International Inc. and the University of Cape Maji Voice in Kenya. Given the interest manifested by many Town iCOMMS. Appreciation is extended to the following sector stakeholders to learn from these pilot interventions, it World Bank staff peer reviewers: Matar Fall, Lead Water is necessary to improve the documentation on the latter and and Sanitation Specialist, GWADR; Tim Kelly, Lead ICT propose the practical modalities for scale-up. There is a very Policy Specialist, GTIDR; Eija Pehu, Lead Agricultural strong drive around the use of ICT in the WASH sector and Specialist, GFADR; Mariana T. Felicio, Social Development a growing interest among external partners. Engagement Specialist, GSURR; Pierre Xavier Boulenger, Senior Water in ICT developments requires strong collaboration with and Sanitation Specialist, GWADR; and Andreas Rohde, external resources and drivers of innovations. In this regard, Senior Sanitary Engineer, GWADR. there is a need to develop clearer partnership platforms with iv Table of Contents Executive Summary........................................................................................................................................................ Vii A. Background and Context........................................................................................................................................... Vii B. Methodology and Process......................................................................................................................................... Vii C. Landscape Analysis and Findings of the Study...........................................................................................................Viii A. Background and Context........................................................................................................................................1 A1: Context of the Study...........................................................................................................................................1 A2: Objectives of the Study.......................................................................................................................................2 B. Methodology and Process......................................................................................................................................3 C. Landscape Analysis and Findings of the Study....................................................................................................5 C1: Lessons learnt from other sectors.....................................................................................................................5 C2: Aligning the role of ICT with water and sanitation goals and priorities.................................................................6 C3: Lessons learnt from ICT use within the WASH sector........................................................................................9 C4: Identification of key thematic areas for the sustainable use of ICT in WASH.....................................................10 Theme 1: Using ICT to strengthen monitoring and inventory of infrastructure................................................10 Theme 2: Sustaining ICT based planning and programming initiatives...........................................................14 Theme 3: ICT and operational efficiency improvements.................................................................................16 Theme 4: ICT and service delivery improvements (particularly to the poor)....................................................17 Theme 5: ICT to Strengthen the Consumer Voice..........................................................................................19 Theme 6: ICT and governance......................................................................................................................22 Theme 7: Financing ICTs...............................................................................................................................24 Theme 8: Public-Private Partnerships............................................................................................................27 C5: Policy and Operation Recommendations for Service Providers.........................................................................30 C6: Identification of strategic issues for at scale use of ICT.....................................................................................31 Annex 1: Overview of ICT Tools in the WASH Sector.................................................................................................33 Annex 2: Analysis of WASH ICT Tools in Country Case Studies................................................................................40 Annex 3: Additional Resources....................................................................................................................................50 List of Figures Figure 1: Mobile Technology’s Contribution to Latin American, Sub-Saharan Africa and Asian GDPs.........................1 Figure 2: ICTs in the WASH Sector............................................................................................................................7 List of Tables Table 1: Financing ICTs-Uganda’s National Water and Sewerage ............................................................................25 Table 2: Typical Cost Benefit Streams for consideration in ICT Implementation........................................................26 www.wsp.org v Acronyms and Abbreviations ACWUA Arab Countries Water Utilities Association AfDB African Development Bank AMR Automated Meter Reading  ASUFOR Association des Usagers des Forages (Borehole Users’ Association) ATTI Africa Technology & Transparency Initiative  CHW Community Health Worker DFID United Kingdom’s Department for International Development DGPRE Direction de la Gestion et de la Planification des Ressources en Eau (Directorate of Water Resource Management and Planning) DWO District Water Officer  EMIS Education Management Information System FLOW Field Level Operations Watch  GCCN Government Common Core Network  GDP Gross Domestic Product GFADR Agricultural Global Practice GIS Geographic Information System  GIZ Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (German International Cooperation Agency for Development) GPS Global Positioning System  GSM Global System for Mobile Communication  GSURR Global Practice for Social, Urban, Rural and Resilience GTIDR Transport & Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Global Practice GWADR Water Global Practice HIV Human Immunodeficiency Virus ICT Information and Communication Technology  ICT4D ICT for Development KCC Korea Communications Commission  KWT Kiamumbi Water Trust  M4W Mobiles 4 Water  MDG Millennium Development Goal MHA Ministère de l’Hydraulique et de l’Assainissement (Ministry of Water and Sanitation) MoUD Ministry of Urban Development  NCWSC Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company  NFC Near-Field Communication  NGO Non-Governmental Organization NOFBI National Optic Fibre Backbone Infrastructure  NREN National Research Education Networks  ODF  Open Defecation Free  ONAS Office National de l’Assainissement (National Sanitation Office) PCMC Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation  PEPAM Programme eau potable et assainissement pour le millénaire (Millennium Water and Sanitation Program) PPP Public-Private Partnership RFID Radio Frequency Identification Technology  RTI Radar Technologies International RWSS Rural Water Supply System  vi Unlocking the Potential of Information Communications Technology to Improve Water and Sanitation Services | Acronyms and Abbreviations SDE Sénégalaise Des Eaux (Senegal’s Private Water Utility) SIASAR Sistema de Información de Agua y Saneamiento Rural (Rural Water and Sanitation Information System) SMS Short message service  SWM Smart water meter ULB Urban Local Body  UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund USAID United States Agency for International Development USD United States Dollar WASH Water, Sanitation and Hygiene WASREB Water Services Regulatory Board  WB World Bank WfP Water for People  WPM Water Point Mapping  WQR Water Quality Reporter  WSP Water and Sanitation Program WSP Water Service Provider WSTF Water Services Trust Fund Kenya ZAWA Zanzibar Water Authority www.wsp.org vii Foreword Since the first Short Message Service (SMS) text was sent This study was carried out by the Water and Sanitation in 1992, the proliferation of mobile technology and its Program (WSP) of the World Bank to fill a gap in derivative uses has been both massive and extremely rapid. understanding how the potential of ICT can improve water According to a recent Groupe Speciale Mobile Association and sanitation services globally, with a particular emphasis (GSMA) report, in 2014, 52 percent of all global mobile in Africa. It covers a global desk review and case studies in money deployments took place in sub-Saharan Africa and seven African countries (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Senegal, 82 percent of Africans had access to Global System for Benin, Niger and Liberia), complemented by experiences Mobile (GSM) communications coverage compared to from other regions (Latin America, North America, South 63 percent who had access to improved water supply and Asia and East Asia) and analyzes strengths and weaknesses 32 percent to electricity. How can other sectors, in this of existing ICT tools. It also provides evidence on how case the water supply and sanitation services sector, make ICT can be used to leapfrog the water and sanitation sector best use of this increasingly ubiquitous access to mobile towards more sustainable service delivery. technology? And what opportunities might exist to harness mobile technology in order to help bridge the gap This study sought to not only document experiences of water and sanitation services to the poor or currently of ICT use in the WASH sector, but also analyze them underserved populations? within the framework of enabling factors and barriers in terms of vision, process, customer/user, service delivery, Recent experience from around the world has demonstrated human capacity, governance and finance. that the water and sanitation sector has not been immune to the innovative use of Information and Communication Mirroring the dynamic evolution of ICT solutions and Technology (ICT) as evidenced by the many examples applications, we hope this analysis provides an important currently being rolled out. We may only be witnessing entry-point to our evolving understanding of the best way the first wave of technology innovations for water and to harness ICT solutions for water and sanitation. sanitation service delivery, however, and have much to learn regarding the best way to adopt, quickly operationalize, and continue to innovate in successive stages. While ICT can be a key enabler for institutional transformation to address the demand for improved water and sanitation service, especially for hard-to-reach poor populations in rural and urban areas, it will never be the Glenn Pearce-Oroz silver bullet. In order to maximize its transformational role Principal Regional Team Leader for Africa in the sector, ICT should be recognized as a conduit or Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) tool that needs to be continuously managed well in order World Bank to help achieve a solution. Impact and success need to be measured not merely in terms of implementation or uptake of the new technology, but more importantly with regards to achieving the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector’s goals and priorities. viii Executive Summary A. BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT B. METHODOLOGY AND PROCESS Information Communications Technology (ICT) growth In order to achieve the above objectives, the methodology and uptake is changing the landscape of developing and process of the study were broken down into six key countries. Initial applications are showing how ICTs can activities that generated input reports or analyses, as follows: further WASH goals and priorities, including increasing • Lessons Learnt from Other Sectors: ICT has seen access, improving service delivery and improving phenomenal growth throughout Africa over the last governance. There already exists a substantial knowledge decade. Applications in the sectors of agriculture, base on the use of ICTs for Development (ICT4D). health, education and governance have illustrated the However, too often the knowledge base focuses on the benefits ICTs can provide in collecting information, technological innovation itself, rather than how it can streamlining information flow and improving work be embedded into sector management and governance processes. The first objective of the study was to take systems. This study, therefore, aims to take stock and stock of emerging uses of ICT across other sectors in reflect on the findings from key ICT applications and order to translate lessons learnt into recommendations experiences both in other sectors as well as in the WASH applicable to the WASH sector. This was accomplished sector itself. By documenting and analyzing past successes, through a desk review entitled Lessons Learnt from failures, enablers and barriers of the key applications and Other Sectors. experiences, it is possible to significantly advance the areas of policy development, guidelines, implementation, and • Experiences of ICT Use in the Water and scale up of ICT in the WASH sector. Sanitation Sector and Country Case Studies: With increasing support and infrastructure development, Objectives of the Study the global WASH sector is seeing heightened ICT The specific objectives of the study were to: interventions. In order to address two of the key • take stock of emerging uses of ICT across sectors, objectives of the study: 1) Document relevant including agriculture, health, education and experiences of key ICT applications in the water governance; and sanitation sector, highlighting the strengths and • document the relevant experiences of key ICT weaknesses of current initiatives, and 2) Identify applications (both failures and good practices) binding constraints impacting ICT adoption and in the water and sanitation sector globally and in scale-up, a second desk review was conducted, Desk selected African countries; Review: Experience of ICT use in the WASH Sector, • identify binding constraints impacting ICT and a report entitled Experience of ICT use in the adoption and scale-up as well as the role of different WASH Sector: Case Studies prepared, based on field actors (private, public, development community, visits and case studies in seven African countries. civil society); • develop policy and guidelines for the at-scale use of As part of the Desk Review: Experience of ICT use ICTs in the water and sanitation sector, including in the WASH Sector, a survey of ICT applications opportunities for public/private partnership; and was conducted (see Annex 1 for a detailed list and • facilitate country peer-to-peer exchanges and summary of the applications included) which detailed regional learning network. the experiences of ICT in the WASH sector to date, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of different pilot operations in Africa and other regions. As part of Experience of ICT use in the WASH Sector: Case Studies, www.wsp.org ix Unlocking the Potential of Information Communications Technology to Improve Water and Sanitation Services | Executive Summary case studies were prepared based on consultations, ICT field and can – where necessary — be amended interviews and focus group discussions with key water to provide an appropriate analytical framework for the sector stakeholders in each of the seven case study specific needs of a study. countries (Benin, Liberia, Niger, Senegal, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda), including implementers and • Guidelines and Policy Notes: Building on the work project participants. The case studies were assessed using done in previous components, Development of an evaluation and monitoring framework, based on the Guidelines and Policy Notes were prepared in order two assessment frameworks described in the Analytical to propose strategiesnh and policy recommendations Report, and amended to the specific requirements of to guide the design and implementation of this study. appropriate and sustainable ICT components for WASH sector projects and to evaluate the impact • Analytical Report: The Analytical Report aligned of these interventions. Guidelines and Policy Notes the role of ICTs with water and sanitation goals included recommendations on data integration and and priorities by identifying opportunities and mainstreaming; ICT evaluation; recommendations for challenges, translating enabling factors of success into policymakers and regulators; and policy and operation assessment criteria and developing analytical pieces of recommendations for service providers. work on strategic issues. Lessons learnt supported the development of analytical pieces of work on different • Online Tool: An interactive online tool was established issues, including how to use ICT to strengthen and maintained throughout the study to disseminate planning and programming, ICT and service delivery materials developed for the study. improvements, ICT and operational efficiencies improvements, financing of ICT, ICT and governance, ICT to strengthen the consumer voice, and ICT C. LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS OF and service delivery to the poor. Two frameworks THE STUDY for assessment were tested under this study. The first The first desk review of the study, Lessons Learnt from framework, the Balance Scorecard Approach1, breaks Other Sectors, translated key lessons learnt from the sectors down the process of ICT implementation into key of agriculture, health, education and governance into dimensions. This framework is valuable as it supports recommendations applicable to the WASH sector. Key an analysis of the various mechanisms at work during highlights from the lessons learnt include: the initial design and implementation stages. However, • Involve citizens in the design and use of the tool to an evaluation framework should not only define the encourage successful implementation. success of ICT tools by the uptake or scale-up of the • Align ICT interventions with the community technology, but also by the impact that the technology setting and the local resource environment; has had on the specific WASH goal or target. simple technologies that require less technical Additionally, focus on the improved capabilities within support and work well in resource-constrained the user group or the beneficiaries of the tool is an environments have a higher potential of being important consideration. The second framework, the successfully scaled up. ICT Impact Chain2, therefore looked at the impact • Use of universally available technology can accelerate of the tool after implementation. The frameworks for uptake and ICT platforms that are cost-effective, assessment are based on tested methodologies in the particularly in resource-constrained settings. This strategy allows for a bigger share of the budget to be channeled directly to the service of consumers. 1 Kaplan, R., & Norton, D. P. (1992) The Balanced Scorecard – Measures That Drive • Improve communication infrastructure to allow all Performance. Harvard Business Review, P. 71-79. citizens to benefit and participate. 2 Gigler 2011, “Informational Capabilities – The Missing Link for the Impact of ICT on development”, Working Paper Series No.1; E-Transform Knowledge Platform, Working • Invest in sector and ICT infrastructure with a focus Paper, The World Bank on alternative energy sources. x Unlocking the Potential of Information Communications Technology to Improve Water and Sanitation Services | Executive Summary • Assess the performance and impact of the ICT As part of the analytical work of the study, the following intervention, develop assessment/evaluation tools eight key thematic areas were assessed: to regularly monitor the impact of ICT in the 1. Using ICTs to strengthen monitoring and inventory sector. of infrastructure. • Enable user feedback loops to periodically monitor 2. Sustaining ICT-based planning and programming and evaluate, and continually refine the ICT initiatives. intervention over time. 3. ICT and operational efficiency improvements. • Ensure technological and procedural flexibility. 4. ICT and service delivery improvements (particularly • Develop comprehensive sector strategies, national for the poor). policies, standards and regulatory frameworks. 5. ICT to strengthen the consumer Voice. • Support the development of human and institutional 6. ICT and governance. capacities in terms of policy implementation, 7. Financing of ICTs. provision of regulatory frameworks and managing 8. Public-Private Partnerships. policies. ICTs can be a key enabler for institutional transformation As part of the Desk Review: Experience of ICT use in the to address the demand for improved water and sanitation WASH Sector, a survey of ICT applications in the WASH services for both rural and urban communities. However, in sector was conducted. The various ICT WASH applications order to maximize the transformational role of ICT in the presented in the report can be summarized based on three WASH sector, ICTs need to be perceived as merely conduits main WASH priority areas: increasing access, improving or contributing forces rather than as development impacts service delivery and improving governance. or solutions in themselves. Impact and success need to be measured not simply in terms of implementation or uptake Although the global WASH sector is witnessing heightened of the new technology but more importantly in regards to ICT interventions, the low sustainability rate of ICT achieving WASH sector goals and priorities. interventions combined with the high frequency of failure in scaling applications beyond the pilot phase remains a In addition to documenting experiences on the use of ICTs major concern. All ICT applications are driven by the desire in the WASH sector3, this study sought to examine them to bring change to their areas of implementation. However, through specific design and evaluation frameworks.4 The with reliability and cost-effectiveness of the WASH sector process facilitated the identification of enabling factors and still hampered by poverty, weak institutions and poor barriers in terms of vision, process, customer/user, human infrastructure, it must be understood that incorporating capacity and finance. The analysis was also an opportunity ICT solutions in the water and sanitation sector is not a to track the progress of the said factors in the ICT Impact ‘magic pill’, but rather ICTs should be viewed as strategic Chain5 as well as provide guidelines and policy notes on research and development tools that must be used in the inclusion of ICTs in Water and Sanitation Policy and partnership with traditional sector approaches. The key Planning to the sector’s stakeholders.6 principles for sustainability that came out of the desk review were summarized under the following themes: a) User- Centered Design, Participation and Experience b) Choice of Technology and c) Finance and Program Design. 3 See ICTs in the WASH Sector Desk Review 4 See the Analytical Report for a description of the frameworks used and detailed discussion on enabling factors and barriers 5 See all seven of the Case Study Reports to see the implementation of the assessment frameworks on the case studies 6 See Development of Guidelines and Policy Notes which includes Recommendations on Data Integration and Mainstreaming; ICT Evaluation; Recommendations for Policy Makers and Regulators; and Policy and Operation Recommendations for Service Providers. www.wsp.org xi Unlocking the Potential of Information Communications Technology to Improve Water and Sanitation Services | Executive Summary With the desire to further support the implementation and identified in the study, three stand out as potential areas scale-up of ICTs in the WASH sector, it is essential to move where high-level support could be beneficial: beyond support for specific tools or technologies and look • lack of sector level policy and regulatory frameworks. more broadly at supporting the elimination of barriers and • lack of sustainable financial models. providing enabling environments. Of the common barriers • lack of monitoring and evaluation of the implementation and impact of ICTs in the WASH sector. xii A. Background and Context A1: Context of the Study As Mthuli Ncube, Chief Economist and Vice President of Information Communications Technology (ICT) growth the African Development Bank (AfDB), puts it: “We have and adoption is changing the landscape of developing seen potential and an opportunity in technology-driven countries. The acknowledged potential that ICTs hold in entrepreneurship across Africa especially among young helping to boost economic growth and reduce poverty can people. ICTs are playing a significant role in transforming be attributed in part to how ICTs have been incorporated African economies”.10 into the thriving economies of Africa 7,8. The “Sub- Saharan Africa Mobile Economy 2013” report by GSMA The lack of data and information on existing water and Intelligence shows that mobile technology contributes sanitation assets and their current management constitute over six percent of the GDP of Sub-Saharan Africa, higher a barrier for the extension of the services to the poor. than any other comparable region globally, and by 2020 Additionally, the poorest lack adequate platforms to hold it is expected to rise to over eight percent. Evidence from their service providers accountable and to be heard by countries like South Africa and Kenya shows that ICTs decision-makers. Initial applications are showing how ICTs have played an important role in their economic growth9. can further WASH goals and priorities, including increasing access, improving service delivery and improving governance. Figure 1: MOBILE TECHNOLOGY’S CONTRIBUTION TO LATIN AMERICAN, SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA AND ASIAN GDPS (Source: www.gsmamobileeconomyafrica.com) 7 APF, 2008. ICT in Africa: Boosting Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction 8 Fleshman, M., Essoungou, A. & Gillespie, J., 2011. Investing in Africa: Digging deep for new opportunities. Africa Renewal, (April). Available at: http://www.un.org/ africarenewal/sites/dr7.un.org.africarenewal/files/Africa-Renewal-April-2011-en.pdf. 9 Heeks, R., 2011. ICT and Economic Growth: Evidence from Kenya. ICT4D. Available at: http://ict4dblog.wordpress.com/2011/06/26/ict-and-economic-growth- 10 http://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/article/afdb-envisages-the-power-of-ict- evidence-from-kenya/ [Accessed August 16, 2014]. for-africas-transformation-13080/ www.wsp.org 1 Unlocking the Potential of Information Communications Technology to Improve Water and Sanitation Services | Background and Context There already exists a substantial knowledge base on the use A2: Objectives of the Study of ICTs for Development (ICT4D). However, too often The specific objectives of the study were to: the knowledge base focuses on the technological innovation • take stock of emerging uses of ICT across sectors itself, rather than how it can be embedded into sector including agriculture, health, education and management and governance systems. As such, this study governance. aims to take stock and reflect on the findings from key ICT • document the relevant experiences of key ICT applications and experiences both in other sectors, as well as applications (both failures and good practices) in the WASH sector itself. By documenting and analyzing in the water and sanitation sector globally and in past successes, failures, enablers and barriers of the key selected African countries. applications and experiences, it is possible to significantly • identify binding constraints impacting ICT advance the areas of policy development, guidelines, adoption and scale-up as well as the role of different implementation, and scale-up of ICT in the WASH sector. actors (private, public, development community, civil society). • develop policy and guidelines for the at-scale use of ICTs in the water and sanitation sector, including opportunities for public/private partnerships. • facilitate country peer-to-peer exchanges and regional learning network. 2 B. Methodology and Process In order to achieve the specific objectives, as defined above, case studies were prepared based on consultations, the methodology and process of the study consisted of six interviews and focus group discussions with key water key activities:: sector stakeholders in each of the seven case study • Lessons Learnt from Other Sectors: ICT has seen countries (Benin, Liberia, Niger, Senegal, Kenya, phenomenal growth throughout Africa over the last Tanzania and Uganda), including implementers and decade. Applications in the sectors of agriculture, project participants. The case studies were assessed using health, education and governance have illustrated the an evaluation and monitoring framework, based on the benefits ICT can provide in collecting information, two assessment frameworks described in the Analytical streamlining information flow and improving work Report, and amended to the specific requirements of processes. The first objective of the study was to take this study. stock of emerging uses of ICT across other sectors in order to translate lessons learnt into recommendations • Analytical Report: The Analytical Report aligned the applicable to the WASH sector. This was accomplished role of ICT with water and sanitation goals and priorities through a desk review entitled Lessons Learnt from Other by identifying opportunities and challenges, translating Sectors. Section C1 summarizes the findings from the enabling factors of success into assessment criteria and first desk review in tabular form, wherein the potential developing analytical pieces of work on strategic issues. successes, key barriers and lessons learnt from each of Lessons learnt supported the development of analytical the four sectors are highlighted. pieces of work on different issues, including how to use ICT to strengthen planning and programming, ICT • Experiences of ICT Use in the Water and Sanitation and service delivery improvements, ICT and operational Sector and Country Case Studies: With increasing efficiencies improvements, financing of ICT, ICT and support and infrastructure development, the global governance, ICT to strengthen consumer voice, and WASH sector is seeing heightened ICT interventions. In ICT and service delivery to the poor. Two frameworks order to address two of the key objectives of the study: 1) for assessment were tested as part of this study. The first Document relevant experiences of key ICT applications framework, the Balance Scorecard Approach11, breaks in the water and sanitation sector, highlighting the down the process of ICT implementation into key strengths and weaknesses of current initiatives, and 2) dimensions. This framework is valuable as it supports Identify binding constraints impacting ICT adoption an analysis of the various mechanisms at work during and scale-up, a second desk review was completed, Desk the initial design and implementation stages. However, Review: Experience of ICT use in the WASH Sector, and an an evaluation framework should not only define the Experience of ICT use in the WASH Sector: Case Studies success of ICT tools by the uptake or scale-up of the report was prepared based on field visits and case studies technology, but by the impact that the technology has in seven African countries. had on the specific WASH goal or target. Additionally, focus on the improved capabilities within the user In Desk Review: Experience of ICT use in the WASH group or the beneficiaries of the tool is an important Sector, a survey of ICT applications was conducted consideration. The second framework, the ICT Impact (see Annex 1 for a detailed list and summary of the Chain12, therefore looked at the impact of the tool applications included in the desk review) which detailed the experiences of ICT in the WASH sector to 11 Kaplan, R., & Norton, D. P. (1992) The Balanced Scorecard – Measures That Drive Performance. Harvard Business Review, P. 71-79. date, highlighting strengths and weaknesses of different 12 Gigler 2011, “Informational Capabilities – The Missing Link for the Impact of ICT on pilot operations in Africa and other regions. As part of development”, Working Paper Series No.1; E-Transform Knowledge Platform, Working Experience of ICT use in the WASH Sector: Case Studies Paper, The World Bank www.wsp.org 3 Unlocking the Potential of Information Communications Technology to Improve Water and Sanitation Services | Methodology and Process after implementation. The frameworks for assessment • Online Tool: An interactive on line tool was established are based on tested methodologies in the ICT field and maintained throughout the study to disseminate and can – where necessary - be amended to provide an materials developed as part of the study. appropriate analytical framework for the specific needs of a study. An effort was made to ensure knowledge building and learning opportunities among key stakeholders, targeting • Guidelines and Policy Notes: Building on the work in particular WASH sector experts and ICT innovators. done in previous components, guidelines and policy Prior to the commencement of the study, a workshop was notes were prepared in order to propose strategies held13 and attended by approximately 50 participants to: and policy recommendations to guide the design • Enable different stakeholders to develop a common and implementation of appropriate and sustainable platform for stock-taking; ICT components for WASH sector projects and to • Promote exchange on the proposed methodology, evaluate the impact of these interventions. Guidelines analytical framework and work plan in order to and Policy Notes included recommendations on achieve maximum results of the case studies in data integration and mainstreaming ICT evaluation, the seven target countries (Benin, Kenya, Liberia, recommendations for policymakers and regulators Niger, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda); and and policy and operation recommendations for • Provide early exposure of the WASH ICT tools service providers. developed in East and West Africa. 13 The workshop took place in Nairobi from 7 to 8 July 2014. Nearly 50 participants from Benin, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Liberia, Niger, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda attended. The key stakeholder groups were representatives of regulators, water minis- tries, municipalities, partners and ICT4D actors present in Kenya (GIZ, SUWASA, IRC, IBM, GSMA, WAG, iHub, University of Nairobi, Kenya CSO Network) as well as the Consortium of Consultants: Cowater (Canada) and iComms - University of Cape Town (South Africa). 4 C. Landscape Analysis and Findings of the Study C1: Lessons Learnt from Other Sectors objective of the study was to take stock of emerging uses of ICT has experienced phenomenal growth over the last ICT across other sectors in order to translate lessons learnt decade. Applications in the sectors of agriculture, health, into recommendations applicable to the WASH sector. education and governance have illustrated the benefits that This objective was accomplished through a desk review ICT can provide in collecting information, streamlining entitled Lessons Learnt from Other Sectors. The table below information flow and improving work processes. The first summarizes the findings from the first desk review. Agriculture The agriculture sector is rife with innovations and ICTs for varying tasks and purposes, including FM radio stations, mobile phones, Radio Frequency Identification Technology (RFID), Global Positioning System (GPS), Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and other web-based applications. Potential for Success Key Barriers Lessons Learnt • Reduced transaction costs • Lack of infrastructure • Have local stakeholders facilitate the delivery of • Increased access to (connectivity, access to ICT-enabled services information and markets technology) • Use the lowest cost and simplest technology • Improved productivity and • Lack of sector-specific ICT • Assess performance and impact of the ICT supply chain management policies intervention • Increased negotiating power • Gender barriers to participation • Develop a comprehensive sector strategy and revenue of farmers • Highlight the positive link between women’s livelihoods and ICTs Health The prevalence of ICT use in the health sector is substantial. There are currently 1,125 and counting m-health deployments globally. Potential for Success Key Barriers Lessons Learnt • Improved quality and safety of • Limited or short-term funding • Invest in sector and ICT infrastructure with a treatment through the provision • Low mobile and Internet focus on alternative energy sources of timely information penetration • Development of national policies, standards and • Decreased prevalence of • Lack of sector-specific policies regulatory frameworks counterfeit drugs and regulatory frameworks • Alignment of ICT interventions with the • Expanded reach of health • Shortage of skilled workers community setting and the local resource care to underserved and rural • Lack of standard mechanisms environment communities and indicators to evaluate ICT • Enable user feedback loops to periodically • Increased productivity and interventions monitor and evaluate and to continually refine reduced costs the ICT intervention over time • Use of simple technologies that require less technical support and work well in resource- constrained environments have a higher potential of being successfully scaled up • ICT platforms that are cost-effective, particularly in resource-constrained settings, allow a bigger share of the budget to be channeled directly to the service consumers • Ensure technological and procedural flexibility www.wsp.org 5 Unlocking the Potential of Information Communications Technology to Improve Water and Sanitation Services | Landscape Analysis and Findings of the Study Education Key priority areas for ICTs in the education sector include professional development for teachers, digital learning resources, affordable technologies, Education Management Information Systems (EMIS) and National Research Education Networks (NRENs). Potential for Success Key Barriers Lessons Learnt • Reach underserved and under- • Lack of financing, specifically for • Need to incorporate ICTs into national policies resourced communities human resources and strategies • Contribute to universal access • Poor infrastructure and • Need to develop assessment/evaluation tools to and quality learning and connectivity regularly monitor the impact of ICT in the sector teaching • Lack of gender equity • Need to prioritize the development, review and • Lack of policies that support updating of local content to incentivize users the integration of ICTs into pedagogical practice Governance Advances in ICTs have created opportunities for improved participation and are being exploited to improve governance. ICTs have strengthened partnerships between institutions such as parliaments, media and civil society organizations through interactive platforms or fora that support information sharing and collaboration. Systems that allow citizens to report graft or misuse of public funds have contributed to the fight against corruption and have created better mechanisms for ensuring government accountability of public resources and transparency in the delivery of services. Potential for Success Key Barriers Lessons Learnt • Poverty reduction with more • Poor infrastructure • Need to improve communication infrastructure reliable services to the poor • Limited access to technology to allow all citizens to benefit and participate • Empowerment of individuals • Low literacy • Use of universally available technology can • Capacity building (skills and • Rigid regulatory frameworks that accelerate uptake networks through education) limit the ability of governance • Setting up of community resource centers can • Improving the quality of service structures to respond to the improve individual access to ICTs delivery continuous and dynamic changes • Extending ICT services to local governments • Inspiring new governance prompted by the introduction of can improve service delivery and support local mechanisms new technologies economic development • Reinforcing participation • Involving citizens in the design and use of the tool is critical for successful implementation • ICTs must be understood as merely tools • Need to support the development of human and institutional capacities in terms of policy implementation, provision of regulatory frameworks and managing policies C2: Aligning the Role of ICT with Water and Identify binding constraints impacting ICT adoption Sanitation Goals and Priorities and scale-up, a second desk review was conducted to With increasing support and infrastructure development, document experience of ICT use in the WASH Sector, the global WASH sector is witnessing more ICT Desk Review: Experience of ICT use in the WASH Sector, interventions. In order to address two of the key objectives and an Experience of ICT use in the WASH Sector: Case of the study: 1) Document relevant experiences of key ICT Studies report was drafted based on field visits and case applications in the water and sanitation sector, highlighting studies in seven African countries. the strengths and weaknesses of current initiatives, and 2) 6 Unlocking the Potential of Information Communications Technology to Improve Water and Sanitation Services | Landscape Analysis and Findings of the Study As part of the Desk Review: Experience of ICT use in the WASH (Benin, Liberia,14 Niger, Senegal, Kenya, Tanzania and Sector, a survey of ICT applications was conducted (see Uganda), including implementers and project participants, Annex 1 for a detailed list and summary of the applications along with supporting documentation where available. The in the desk review) which detailed the experiences of ICT table in Annex 2 lists the main tools assessed as part of the in the WASH sector to date, highlighting the strengths and Experience of ICT use in the WASH Sector: Case Studies. The weaknesses of different pilot operations in Africa and other table is based on the ICT Impact Chain further discussed in regions. As part of Experience of ICT use in the WASH Sector: the Analytical Report and summarizes various aspects of the Case Studies, studies were prepared based on consultations, development, implementation and application of the ICT interviews and focus group discussions with key water tools in use in the WASH Sector. sector stakeholders in each of the seven case study countries Figure 2: ICTs in the WASH sector Information and Communications Technologies in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Sector Worldwide: Including Bolivia, Mali, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Togo, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, Haiti: NFC RFID Safe Somalia, Zimbabwe, South Water Tracking Africa, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Senegal: mSchool, Butan: Global Handwashing Day, mSludge, Senegalaise SMS, M-Pesa, Text to Change des Eau (SDE), Supervision Cockpit India: NextDrop Kenya, Zambia: Smart Indonesia: Global Scaling Up Water Systems, Smart Rural Sanitation Handpumps South Africa, Mozambique, Kenya, Nairobi: Cambodia, Vietnam: Water M-Maji, Jisomee Mita, Quality Reporter Maji Voice, Maji SMS, MajiData South Africa: DropDrop Tanzania: MajiMatone (Raising the Worldwide: including Dominican Republic, Kenya, Chad, Sudan: WATEX Senegal, Benin, Mali, Niger: mWater, Water Pressure), Human Senor Web El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Kenya, Uganda: Field Level Uganda: Mobiles 4 Water (M4W), NWSC: E-Water (H2.O), mWater Nicaragua, Ecuador, Peru, Liberia, Burkina Operations (FLOW) Payment and Call Centre Faso, Malawi Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana: Taarifa Field Level Operations Watch (FLOW), Water Point Mapper (Source: Revised from original source of Hutchings & Dev, 2012) 14 Liberia was not physically visited by the team as a result of the Ebola outbreak that occurred over the study period. Instead interviews with key sector stakeholders were done via phone and Skype. www.wsp.org 7 Unlocking the Potential of Information Communications Technology to Improve Water and Sanitation Services | Landscape Analysis and Findings of the Study Initial applications are showing how ICTs can further C2 (b): Promoting Improved Service Delivery WASH goals and priorities. While the ICT WASH Even more vital than increasing access to WASH services applications presented in the reports are diverse, they can is ensuring that access is sustained. Monitoring of service be summarized according to three main WASH priority provision, in terms of functionality, timely and adequate areas: increasing access, improving service delivery and water supply, water quality and water use management is improving governance. crucial in ensuring that coverage indicators are giving a true picture of improved access. C2 (a): Increasing Access to Water and Sanitation Services ICTs can offer timely and improved access to information. Increasing access to improved water sources and sanitation On the consumption side, ICTs can empower under- is a key global priority recognized as MDG Target served communities with better information about water 7.C: Halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population availability, price and quality (M-Maji). Accurate water without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic timing information can reduce long waits, lost workdays sanitation. and allow individuals to effectively plan their water usage, as is the case with Next Drop. On the supply side, improved The first key challenge in increasing access to water and access to information can improve water management, allow sanitation services is the possession of accurate data on for real time monitoring of functionality and supply (Smart coverage and functionality. Inventorying the current levels Handpumps), reduce repair response time (Maji Matone), of infrastructure, creating baselines, identifying areas where improve water quality through monitoring, tracking, interventions/resources are required and demonstrating identifying patterns in contamination and communication progress are all dependent on data collection, monitoring, to consumers (USAID’s mWater). presentation and analysis. Although multiple manual and automated options exist to verify data, ICT projects, At the utility level, ICTs can improve daily operations and especially mobile phone applications, have the potential to result in efficiencies: time and financial savings, decreased improve the quality and quantity of data that is collected in transportation, payment transactions and administrative the long term. They can make data transfer more efficient, costs, improved financial management, increased revenue reduce manual data errors, and increase the frequency of collection and improved customer management. ICTs monitoring due to their relative cost-effectiveness. also offer the possibility of more flexible payment models contingent on service delivery. Using ICTs to support mapping and monitoring of infrastructure, such as Water Point Mapping, can facilitate C2 (c): Improved Governance in the WASH Sector mobilization, planning and allocation of resources in the The water sector is facing a number of governance WASH sector. Depending on the interface, ICTs can challenges where mobile services can make a difference, also present the data visually to highlight equity issues, especially when it comes to increasing transparency, support allocation of resources to deliver services where accountability and participation.15 Rogers & Hall16 define they are most needed, measure performance and progress, water and sanitation governance as the range of political, indicate the distance to the nearest improved water source social, economic and administrative systems that are in and promote increased investment in the sector. ICTs can place to develop and manage water resources, and the also be used to identify new sources of water, as is the case delivery of these services, at different levels of society. with WATEX, a groundwater exploration system that uses remote sensing technologies to locate renewable ground water reserves in arid and semi-arid environments. 15 Hellstrom J., Jaboson M., 2014: ‘You can’t cheat the community anymore’ using mobiles to improve water governance. In I. Niang & C. SHafff, eds. Proceedings of the 4th International conference on M4D Mobile Communication for Development Dakar, Senegal pp 48- 59 16 Rogers P, Hall A.W., 2003: “Effective Water Governance, available at http://dlc. dlib.indiana.edu/dlc/bitstream/handle/10535/4995/TEC%25207.pdf?sequence=1 8 Unlocking the Potential of Information Communications Technology to Improve Water and Sanitation Services | Landscape Analysis and Findings of the Study ICTs are becoming a dominant force in the way utility the long-term, and also that the data collected are accessed providers and customers communicate. ICTs can also be and used by the audiences for which it was intended. Key used to encourage citizens to voice their concerns and put principles under the first themes are: build the user base pressure on the local government to address problems with with well-planned outreach, ensure the system is easy to use, their water and sanitation services, increasing government fulfil a key need (monetary incentives are not necessary) and accountability and empowering citizens. ICTs can be used effectively manage data and demand for data by verifying to create a system of transparency and accountability, to quality, implementing and promoting user access to the promote public participation and collaboration amongst data, shifting focus from data collection and monitoring stakeholders in the WASH sector, to improve monitoring to reporting and analysis and ensuring service providers/ and management of WASH projects, and reduce the cost government agencies respond to generated reports. of access to information and service delivery. Improving ICT usage at the local level enhances and supports socio- C3 (b): Choice of Technology economic development by empowering community Technical design, which refers to the appropriateness leaders to provide timely, efficient, transparent and of the technology platform to meet information needs, accountable services.17 is the second key aspect to be taken into consideration. The technological appropriateness and flexibility of the C3: Lessons Learnt from ICT use within the ICT application should be informed by the surroundings WASH Sector (technological as well as socio-cultural, political, legal, The global WASH sector is experiencing heightened ICT economic, and environmental) in which it is to be utilized interventions, but the low sustainability rate combined along with the specific purpose of its application. with the high frequency of failure in scaling applications beyond the pilot phase is a matter a great concern. All ICT Key findings to be kept in mind regarding the choice applications are driven by the desire to bring about change of technology include: the fact that SMS-based mobile to their areas of implementation. However, with reliability systems offer the potential for universal use as opposed and cost-effectiveness of the WASH sector still hampered to applications specifically tailored to feature phones or by poverty, weak institutions and poor infrastructure, it smartphones with limited penetration rates. Submission must be understood that incorporating ICT solutions in of data through SMS is shown to be the preferred the water and sanitation sector is not a ‘magic pill’, but method, especially when workers and customers act as rather ICTs should be viewed as strategic research and the data reporters; yet structured and unstructured SMS development tools that must be used in tandem with applications have limitations in comparison to form- traditional sector approaches. based applications, which improve data accuracy. Web- based dashboards are the preferred method for end-user The Desk Review: Experience of ICT use in the WASH Sector, reporting and interfaces; web-based mapping allows for involved conducting a survey of ICT applications in the visualization of reports, but maps may prove more useful WASH sector.18 The key principles for sustainability that to utilities and organizations than to individual users. came out of the desk review are summarized below. Data formats will be dependent on user needs; and finally dissemination of data back through the mobile phone C3 (a): User-Centered Design, Participation and was noted as the most accessible method for users, but it Experience restricts the way and the amount of information that can Social design involves deciding how to recruit and engage be sent and displayed depending on the type of receiving users to ensure the system is scalable and sustainable in phone. Beyond understanding the benefits and limitations of the various data collection methods, local capacity, 17 Misuraca, G., 2007. E-Governance in Africa, from theory to action: a handbook on both human and infrastructure, must also be taken into ICTs for local governance, Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press consideration in the design of the application. 18 See Annex 2 for a detailed list and summary of the applications included in the desk review. www.wsp.org 9 Unlocking the Potential of Information Communications Technology to Improve Water and Sanitation Services | Landscape Analysis and Findings of the Study C3 (c): Finance and Program Design C4: Identification of Key Thematic Areas for The final aspect - program design - necessitates an effective the Sustainable Use of ICT in WASH support structure for longevity and sustainability of The aim of both the Desk Review and Case Studies report was to the application. There is a need for effective design of assess the successes achieved and the challenges faced by ICTs the supporting program that ensures the system can be currently in play in the global WASH sector and highlight key sustained and updated in response to the changing needs of principles upon which successful sustainability and scalability its users as technology evolves and improves. models can be constructed. Key findings are presented below, grouped under the following eight major themes: Financial sustainability is key. Various methods of funding 1. Using ICTs to strengthen monitoring and emerged in the survey applications. Heavy reliance on inventory of infrastructure. external donor agencies was the most common, while other 2. Sustaining ICT-based planning and programming less common methods included government support, co- initiatives. funding by stakeholder agencies and internal funds from 3. ICT and operational efficiency improvements. parent organizations. Initial funding and investments for 4. ICT and service delivery improvements. applications are often time-bound and long-term funding (particularly to the poor). needs to be sought to determine how the system will 5. ICT to strengthen the consumer voice. continuously survive and evolve beyond the initial pilot 6. ICT and governance. stage. Financial sustainability can also be supported with 7. Financing of ICTs. strategies such as ensuring key user stakeholders invest in 8. Public-Private Partnerships. maintaining the project (NGOs, local governments, civil society) or leveraging technical partners to relieve some of the Theme 1: Using ICT to Strengthen Monitoring and burden of developing, acquiring, and maintaining software Inventory of Infrastructure or hardware. For most applications to succeed, structured The first key challenge in increasing access to water and collaboration from different stakeholders is required. sanitation services is the possession of accurate data on Stakeholders can include the government, community and coverage and functionality. Inventorying current levels of private institutions, such as service providers and telecoms infrastructure, creating baselines, identifying areas where to provide affordable rates for running of the applications intervention/resources are required and demonstrating or even cost sharing of the project for it to remain progress all rely on data collection, monitoring, presentation sustainable for the users. Finally, short and long-term and analysis. While multiple manual and automated indicators of success need to be identified and measured. options exist to verify data, ICT initiatives, especially The data collected should then be used to refine system mobile phone applications, have the potential to improve design. The surveyed projects used a variety of metrics to the quality and quantity of data collected in the long- measure the effectiveness of their applications, but few were term. They can help to make data transfer more efficient, comprehensive enough to understand how their design and reduce manual data errors, and increase the frequency of implementation choices impacted success. monitoring due to relative cost effectiveness. Accurate data and information management systems are a precursor for sound management and decision-support systems. 10 Unlocking the Potential of Information Communications Technology to Improve Water and Sanitation Services | Landscape Analysis and Findings of the Study Akvo FLOW – Africa, Asia, Latin America FLOW is an open source mapping software used for data collection and monitoring of the functionality of water access points.19 It was developed by Water for People (WfP) and in 2012 Akvo Foundation took over and continued development of FLOW. The software runs on Android platforms (smartphone), and allows users to take GPS coordinates, fill out text, take pictures and videos, and fill out questionnaires. This information is then translated to Google Earth data and plotted on online maps. FLOW can be used in areas where there is no Internet connectivity. However, when there is internet connectivity, the software automatically transmits the data to the central database and uploads it to Google Earth.20 WfP implemented FLOW in a number of countries and thousands of water points were included in the database.21 The countries include Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda, Congo, India, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, Liberia, Nepal, Burkina Faso and Mozambique.22 In Liberia, the use of FLOW achieved the following results: • Over 10,000 water points mapped in less than 6 months in 2011. • A national WASH sector investment plan (USD400 million from 2012 to 2017) identified. Lessons learnt from the data collection phase included:23 • Absence of good road infrastructure led to extra costs for transportation of mapping teams. • The lack of electricity made it necessary to purchase external battery adapters for the FLOW devices. • Absence of mobile phone network coverage and high costs of mobile data transfer made it necessary to use physical data collection. Source: http://flow.readthedocs.org/en/latest/docs/dashboard/6-maps. html#navigating-the-map Using ICTs to support mapping and monitoring of percent less than the paper-based survey average, and the infrastructure can facilitate mobilization, planning and average time per interview question for the tablet-based allocation of resources in the WASH sector. A recent paper24 survey was 46 percent less than the paper-based survey compared a tablet- and paper-based survey in Africa and average”. found that costs per completed tablet interview were “74 19 https://www.engineeringforchange.org/news/2011/01/22/how_flow_can_change_ 21 http://www.waterforpeople.org/what-we-do/#flow development_work.html 22 http://www.waterforpeople.org/what-we-do/#flow 20 Hellström, J., & Jacobson, M. (2014). “You Can’t Cheat the Community 23 http://akvo.org/blog/using-akvo-flow-in-liberia/ Anymore’–Using Mobiles to Improve Water Governance. In of 4th International Conference on M4D Mobile Communication for Development (pp. 48–59). Dakar, 24 http://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/3/2/264 Senegal. Retrieved fromhttp://www.divaportal.org/smash/get/diva2:709233/FULL- TEXT02.pdf#page=51 www.wsp.org 11 Unlocking the Potential of Information Communications Technology to Improve Water and Sanitation Services | Landscape Analysis and Findings of the Study Another recent 2013 study25 analysed the use of mobile- experienced paper based data recorders”. In their mobile-to- to-web surveying for a survey of 12,000 households and web data collection in Liberia and Sierra Leone, WSP found confirmed that it “saved time, was less costly, was at least that eliminating post-survey transcription alone saved up to as accurate as standard paper-based questionnaires [more 5.7 percent of project costs and over 600 workdays, which accurate for GPS coordinates], and was preferred by was more than offsetting hardware and software costs. NFC Phones for Water Purification Tracking – Haiti Near-Field Communication (NFC) phones with Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) is an application that supports the monitoring of water purification in Haiti. Programmed NFC phones are used by Haitian water technicians to support the tracking of chlorine levels in thousands of households through RFID tags on the drinking water buckets in homes. The NFC tags augment an existing socio-technical system for providing clean water to households throughout Haiti. Community Health Workers (CHWs) visit households approximately once per month and conduct a test for residual chlorine in stored water. Prior to the NFC and SMS-based questionnaires, paper-based forms were used and it was difficult to establish a regular electronic data entry program. As the CHWs were often in the field for long periods of time, the data entry was delayed to the point of rendering the data irrelevant. Use of NFC phones facilitated the real-time submission of data. Haiti had difficulty supplying clean drinking water to more than 9.7 million inhabitants, a situation was compounded by devastating earthquakes and a cholera outbreak in 2010, which claimed thousands of lives.26,27 The mountainous terrain coupled with poor transportation and communications networks made it challenging to supply clean drinking water. Without regular household visits, the population reverted to drinking unclean water, which resulted in cholera outbreaks and other diarrhoeal infections.28 The project was a collaboration between an industrial research lab (Nokia Research Center, Palo Alto), the Public Health School of University of Carolina Berkeley, and Deep Springs International (DSI), a non-profit organization in Haiti.29 Through NFC and SMS-based questionnaires, technicians spend less time collecting data and more time visiting houses, ensuring that more households have clean water.30 Over 35,000 families in Haiti were reached and incidences of diarrhoea among users were reduced by about 50 percent.31 In post-disaster environments left with a fragile or non-existent infrastructure, NFC technology was a fast and cost-effective way of improving water supply and maintenance.32 However, the project faced challenges linked to sustainability and scaling up, including: • High costs of battery charging. • Inability to find additional low-end NFC phones. • Resource constraints. • Lack of a centralized accounting scheme. 25 http://goo.gl/AspdvR 26 Brown, C. (2011). NFC phones help provide clean water to Haiti earthquake victims. Retrieved September 20, 2014, from http://www.nfcworld.com/2011/03/11/36414/nfc- phones-help-provide-clean-water-to-haiti-earthquake-victims/ 27 Greenemeier, L. (2011). Aqua Plan: Could Cell Phones Help Aid Workers Ensure Haiti’s Supply of Clean Drinking Water? Retrieved September 20, 2014, from http://www. scientificamerican.com/article/haiti-cholera-clean-water-chlorine/ 28 http://www.upm.com/EN/MEDIA/All-news/Pages/Battling-cholera-with-NFC-RFID-tracked-drinking-water-in-Haiti.aspx 29 Kaye, J., Holstius, D., & Seto, E. (2012). Using NFC phones to track water purification in Haiti. CHI’12, 677–689. Retrieved from http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=2212839 30 Harris, J. (2010). Mobile phones are a valuable tool all over the world. Retrieved September 21, 2014, from http://conversations.nokia.com/2011/08/10/innovative-mobile- applications-for-healthcare/ 31 http://thesmartsense.com/22574 32 http://www.nfctags.com/nfc-templates/story-detail.php?id=9 12 Unlocking the Potential of Information Communications Technology to Improve Water and Sanitation Services | Landscape Analysis and Findings of the Study Specifically ICTs can: • Indicate the distance required to the nearest • Measure performance and progress. improved water source. • Identify marginalized areas and present data • Identify advocacy themes. visually to highlight equity issues. • Prioritize intervention areas and better target • Improved governance achieved through availability available and limited resources. of reliable data and knowledge of actual customer • Improve the quality and evaluation of funding base. proposals. • Allow improved access to information by • Promote increased investment in the sector. All of stakeholders for improved planning and decision which can translate into more people served. making. • Quantify actual levels of service needs. • Design improvement strategies. • Monitor water quality. mWater - Senegal, Mali, Niger and Benin mWater is a mobile-to-web based application for consumers and water service providers (WSPs) developed as a response to monitoring challenges for the growing number of small-scale water schemes in rural areas and small towns. The application aims to provide water service providers with the ability to remotely control water service delivery and also improve the management of water usage, daily operations as well as the maintenance of the network. As of June 2013, mWater was active in 252 water systems in Senegal, Mali, Niger and Benin.33,34 • 246,900 people served in Niger and 415,900 people served in Mali under the mWater platform, which provides an ICT design structure in which mobile phone applications and web services are developed to support the life cycle of water supply systems, from construction (inventory and cartography) to operation (data collection, technical and financial management) and performance benchmarking. • In Benin, the use of mWater resulted in new drawings of assets and water networks for 51 rural water point schemes. • In Senegal, mWater has supported the mapping of 70 percent of existing water schemes (over 28,000 water points). 33 http://programme2013.worldwaterweek.org/sites/default/files/fadel_stockholm_2013_ict_and_water_governance_fadel_ndaw_september_4.pdf 34 https://www.wsp.org/sites/wsp.org/files/publications/Presentation-Presenter-Daniel-Annerose.pdf Unlocking the Potential of Information Communications Technology to Improve Water and Sanitation Services | Landscape Analysis and Findings of the Study Theme 2: Sustaining ICT-Based Planning and Programming Initiatives Rural Sanitation Monitoring System– Indonesia35 In 2009, with the support of the World Bank’s Water and Sanitation Program (WSP), the Ministry of Health conducted a pilot study to monitor rural sanitation in two districts in East Java using a mobile phone short message service (SMS) text-monitoring (mobile monitoring) system. Information on the community’s progress towards becoming open defecation free (ODF) and changes in households’ access to improved sanitation was collected and sent via SMS and stored in a district-level database. Based on the success of the pilot, in 2012 the mobile monitoring system was rolled out to all 119 districts and cities in five of the country’s provinces, covering approximately 36 million households and 123 million individuals. The current rollout plan aims to reach all 500 districts in 34 provinces in the country by December 2015. As of August 2014: • 3,787 of the 10,559 health center sanitarians in the country had sent village sanitation data via SMS. • 800 to 1,000 messages per month were received by the central server. • 50,850 messages with data were collected. • Data for 20 provinces, including 40,470 villages and 42.9 million households, had been uploaded into the mobile monitoring system Summary of Progress for the Province of Central Java by Type of Access Key lessons learnt: • A structured approached, which allows for adjustments and improvements, is needed in order for real-time village data mobile monitoring to scale up. • A national harmonized approached to rural sanitation, with sector-wide objectives and monitoring framework, is necessary for scaling up data collection. • It is possible to increase the use of the monitoring tool as a programming tool by establishing feedback loops, additional data management tools and communication channels to reach target users. • To increase the use of the monitoring system as a management tool for programming, feedback loop, a larger set of customized data information tools, and channels to reach specific target users could be explored. 35 Scaling Up Indonesia’s Rural Sanitation Mobile Monitoring System Nationally. Water and Sanitation Program: Learning Note, 2014. 14 Unlocking the Potential of Information Communications Technology to Improve Water and Sanitation Services | Landscape Analysis and Findings of the Study In order to ensure reliable planning data is obtained Using Mobile-to-Web Monitoring System in Rural and used, a few key elements should be taken into Sanitation – India36 consideration: • Even with ICTs offering relative cost-effectiveness, The Government of India has invested heavily in programs to achieve universal sanitation coverage. To the costs associated with data collection remain ensure investments in sanitation lead to commensurate substantial. All information management initiatives outcomes, the sector needs a reliable and timely need to therefore be adequately planned for and monitoring system. well resourced. • A participatory design stage and/or involving key To test the viability of using mobile technology to sector players early in the development of the strengthen monitoring in the rural sanitation sector, initiative can contribute to early adoption because of a proof of concept was piloted by WSP, through a company involved in technology for development the perceived relevance of the data to be provided. If (Oneworld Foundation), in two blocks (sub-districts) key stakeholders are able to define their requirements, of varying socio-economic characteristics. The pilot this will facilitate meaningful use of the data and project covered 23,000 households in a span of two confidence in planning and resource allocation. to three months. • Agreeing upon selected indicators and standard national definitions with sector players is important This proof of concept demonstrated that: in ensuring the use of the data, inter-operability, • Using smartphones can provide quick, credible long-term funding and sustainability. For example, information on sector outcomes in near real time, a project-funded initiative collecting data using a unlike that provided by conventional surveys. different definition of coverage than the government • Features such as geo-tagging and photographs would be of little use in terms of national planning. of respondents ensure that results are more • Less inter-operability, ease of use and ease of data credible and relevant. extraction and analysis will translate into less use of • Presentation of data is user-friendly and maps the data. Furthermore, data extraction will be time- enable a viewer to grasp the status of rural consuming and the quality and ownership of the sanitation in a geographical unit at a glance. data can be compromised. • The process can be replicated on a large scale • In contrast, facilitating the use of the database and at periodic intervals, to address the gaps in or platform by external actors, improving user the monitoring of usage of sanitation facilities in rights and allowing analysis within the database rural areas. or application will encourage the use of the data. Increasing linkages increases the value of the data, which in turn will encourage resource allocation in the future. • Project-based initiatives can also limit the integration • Project-based funding can result in data collection process, due to the choice of the hosting institution, largely being driven by the availability of funding the limited scope of indicators, differing indicator from the stakeholders who require the data. definitions or limited data collection, both spatially Working with short-term funding can result in data and time-wise. quickly becoming outdated. Ideally, planning and • Data and consequently management information programming data collection initiatives should be systems (MIS) are decision support tools, as such, integrated into the government’s annual budget the quality of data will have a direct correlation with or if donor funding is required, a basket funding any decision made. Data verification mechanisms approach is appropriate. need to be put in place to ensure reliability and confidence in the data. 36 Kumar, C. Ajith and Singh, Upneet. You Manage what you Measure: Using Mobile Phones to Strengthen Outcome Monitoring in rural Sanitation, New Delhi, India: Water and Sanitation Program, 2012. www.wsp.org 15 Unlocking the Potential of Information Communications Technology to Improve Water and Sanitation Services | Landscape Analysis and Findings of the Study Theme 3: ICT and Operational Efficiency Monitoring of Service Provision: Efficiency gains as a Improvements result of improved monitoring and service provision include Urban utilities have been recording significant successes in a shorter response time, reduction in travel distance, the implementation of ICTs. The relatively rapid acceptance reduction in maintenance costs, operations optimization and adoption of these tools at the urban utility level can, in (reduction of production costs, improved energy efficiency) part, be attributed to the efficiency gains and cost savings and improved quality of service. being achieved. ICTs have recorded efficiency gains in the following key operational areas. The remote control of water service delivery can improve the management of water usage, daily operations and the maintenance of the network. Next Drop’s Live Valve Map SDE (Senegalaise Des Eaux) Supervision Cockpit - system displays the status of water delivery in every part of Senegal37 the city. The customized dashboard helps the local utility to manage staff and infrastructure. Engineers monitor progress SDE (Senegalaise Des Eaux) is a private water on an internal dashboard, which provides information on company that manages the production and distribution valve activity and potential diversions due to power and of drinking water for Senegal’s 56 large urban centers. SDE’s major focus is on quality and quantity of water, infrastructure issues. Next Drop has helped utility companies maintenance of the supply network, efficient billing and valve agents to manage the over- and under-supply of and recovery, and customer relations management. In water through analysis of the collected data.38 a bid to improve customer relations and satisfaction using new technologies, SDE developed the Smart Water Meters (SWM)- District of Columbia, USA Supervision Cockpit for network interventions. SWM is experiencing strong growth throughout The cockpit was set up with the following objectives: the industrialized world mainly in Europe and North • To respond to customer complaints on time. America, with annual growth projections varying • To restore services quickly in case of between 8 percent and 13 percent until 2016. interruptions. The fixed-network AMR system implemented by • To increase productivity and reduce water District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority in losses. 2002 is a good example of the possible dividends • To monitor quality of service rendered to the that a smart water metering intervention can yield. customers. Reported benefits included reductions in non-revenue The Supervision Cockpit includes a modern water (36 percent to 22 percent), increase in revenue call center, a computer platform that supports by 7 percent (through debt reduction), reduction in geolocations using GPS/GSM, a direct consultation meter reading costs (USD4.15 per meter to