Water for Life

Challenges

The steady population growth and urbanization in developing countries results in a higher demand for water aggravated by spreading low-income areas and informal settlements in urban and peri-urban zones. Governmental water sector institutions and operators are often not prepared to cope with management and investment challenges. Many water utilities are characterized by operational inefficiencies and a lack of commercial orientation.

While access to drinking water in sufficient quantities and quality needs to be secured as a basic right, the management of the water supply system should be based on commercial principles in order to attain sustainability. This challenge requires the development of appropriate legal and regulatory, technical, financial and institutional models for target-oriented urban and rural water sector development.

GFA Approach and Services

GFA’s approach to water sector development is geared towards entrepreneurial thinking in the management of economically feasible water supply. Autonomy, transparency and accountability are prerequisites for any successful cooperation and for improved service provision. Commercialization and privatization have to be initiated and enhanced towards this end. GFA’s concepts are tailor-made and emphasize the situationspecific needs of the local population.

  

  

Management and (Re-)Organization      Institutional and legal structures and organizational procedures of the water sector need to be optimized for public or private investors and water users alike. Successful pro-poor water sector reforms establish legal and institutional frameworks based on equitable and sustainable access to water supply and sanitation (WSS). GFA helps utilities restructure and implement modern management and operational procedures by up-to-date software packages that increase overall performance.

Financial and Commercial Operation      Sustainability relies on affordable services and cost recovery. Successful reforms achieve this goal by establishing systems that generate economies of scale, introducing management systems with rising performance levels and implementing cost-covering, pro-poor tariff models. To this end, GFA draws on its own software solutions for accounting, controlling, billing and revenue management. This software, developed by GFA B.I.S., can be adapted to specific project and private sector needs as it offers a tailored, highly flexible concept.

Human Resource Development      Human resource development is regarded a key element for institutions and utilities to meet the requirements of operating and maintaining rural and urban water supply and sanitation systems. GFA conducts related training needs assessments, develops and implements tailor-made training programs and monitors the impact and success of training measures.

Accompanying Measures      As continuous information, education and communication (IEC) are fundamental for overall program success. Hence, GFA specializes in the design and implementation of KAP (knowledge-attitude-practice) surveys and IEC campaigns related to water, hygiene and population. The collection of socio-economic baseline data about the target population, particularly the urban poor, is one of the core competencies of GFA.

Adapted Urban Water Supply Concepts      GFA develops adapted water supply concepts for low-income and poor urban areas in cooperation with local operators. The concepts are based on a particular toolkit for planning, designing, implementing, managing, and monitoring water kiosk programs.

  

German Water Partnership      GFA Consulting Group is a member of the German Water Partnership, a central coordination and contact office of the German water sector serving foreign partners and clients.