A holistic framework for evaluating and planning sustainable rural drinking water projects in sub-Saharan Africa: Fid-Bau Portal

A holistic framework for evaluating and planning sustainable rural drinking water projects in sub-Saharan Africa

Avidar, Ornit

Abstract Clean water facilities and services are failing the population of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), hindering the goal of “Water for All” owing to unsustainable drinking water projects and infrastructure. A vast body of literature has examined the lack of sustainability in drinking water projects, identifying: economic, technological, planning, social and political factors. However, much of the existing literature reflects fragmented and siloed thinking, often focusing on specific issues without a holistic view, masking root causes, and overlooking multi-level stakeholder involvement, necessitating deeper analysis. In addition, most studies view individual projects as pertaining to a single spatial level—such as the village level—detached from its regional or global ecosystem. This paper introduces the “Holistic Integrated Framework” developed through a study in Siaya County, Kenya, on the sustainability of water projects aimed at bridging these gaps. This tool can enhance our understanding of sustainability, allowing for a comprehensive examination and understanding of the problems. It enables the identification of multiple spatial and governance levels and their cross referencing with sustainability categories. It uncovers essential underlying factors driving project sustainability and assesses stakeholders' interconnectedness as well as the direct impact of their actions, thus assisting in addressing the myriad obstacles to sustainability. Furthermore, it identifies the regional feedback loops that perpetuate these problems. The tool is exemplified through a case study illustrating the complexity and fragility of sustainability's, emphasizing the need for a detailed, comprehensive analysis to mitigate risks.

Highlights • Drinking water projects' sustainability is a complex goal and unsustainable projects hinder the goal of “Water for All”. • The HIF, is a comprehensive approach for evaluating and planning project sustainability with an ecosystem's perspective. • Sustainability can only be evaluated and achieved locally. • The HIF enables to uncover multitude sustainability factors, underlying issues and stakeholders and regional feedback loops. • The HIF, assists to plan for obstacles to sustainability and thus, supports progress toward UN SDG 6.1, in SSA by 2030.