Link Infrastructure Development to Poverty Alleviation

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Link Infrastructure Development to Poverty
Alleviation

• By
• Gourisankar Ghosh
• Executive Director, Water Supply and Sanitation
  Collaborative Council, Geneva

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Infrastructure

• Natural resources management
• physical infrastructure development
• financial infrastructure
• institutional and governance
• legal infrastructure
• infrastructure for basic needs

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Structure of the presentation

• Goals and Targets?
• Linkages
• The problem and the analysis WATSAN, Drought
• Issues for the future

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Goals and targets for 2015

• Resolved to halve the proportion of people in
  poverty in each country who are unable to reach
  or afford safe drinking water
• Halving percentage lacking safe water
• But NO millennium goals for .
• Halving percentage lacking adequate sanitation
• Universal public awareness of hygiene
• 80 primary children educated about hygiene
• All schools equipped with facilities for
  sanitation and hand washing

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This conference aims to contribute to the
fulfilment of the water related International
Development Target We resolve () to halve, by
the year 2015, () the proportion of people who
are unable to reach or to afford safe drinking
water the Millennium Assembly further
declared...
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..to stop the unsustainable exploitation of
water resources by developing water management
strategies at the regional , national and local
levels, which promote both equitable access and
adequate supplies.
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The links with poverty reduction

• Less disease, improved nutrition, better
  education
• Gender issues girl education
• Reallocation of time to income generation
  activities
• Dignity and privacy issues first step in
  improvement of quality of life
• better awareness, rights and responsibilities
• improved economy
• employment opportunity

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GIRL CHILDREN CARRYING WATER FOR MILES - Stunting
mental and physical growth missing school !
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WOMENS EMPOWERMENT
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However ..

• Water is not in the centre of the agenda
• Sanitation and environmental health is ever
  remote
• not politically attractive
• talk of the poor but they are never in the centre
• Not linked with other activities like education,
  nutrition, settlement issues etc.
• Urban poor are most vulnerable but do not have
  legal status or political power

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And to reach 2015 targets...

• We have to serve an additional 300,000 people per
  day for water supply facilities
• an additional 400,000 people per day with
  sanitation facilities
• every day for the next 15 years!

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Investment Requirement in Developing Countries
US 23 billion required annually until 2015 if
same paradigm are kept

• US 11 billion spent annually in Europe on ice
  cream
• US 17 billion spent annually in USA on pet food
• US 105 billion spent annually in Europe on
  alcoholic drinks
• Expenditures on armaments (US billions daily?)

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The problem of implementation

• Sectoral approach agriculture, domestic,
  industrial, bio-diversity , urban ...
• poverty alleviation is approached as a separate
  problem from the overall development strategy and
  mostly as a mere strategy for job creation
• infrastructures and solutions are designed
  primarily based on models from developed
  countries without looking at local needs and
  governance issues
• poor are not involved and so no ownership
  developed
• no rights brings no responsibilities
• weak regulatory frameworks

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THE COMPLEX VILLAGE ECOSYSTEM
WATER
ENERGY
GROUND WATER
SURFACE WATER
LAND
CROPLANDS
GRAZ-ING LANDS
LIVESTOCK
FOREST TREE LANDS
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Arid zonerepeated drought Floodtop soil ,
vegetation and forest removal

• Environmental poverty and unsustainability

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Basis for a new approach

• People and their quality of life should be at the
  centre of any sustainable development strategy
• Any system must be designed in such a way to
  balance economic with environmental resources
• Solutions of problems should take place as close
  as possible to where they occur
• Not only water but also Wastes, whether solid
  or liquid, should be regarded as a resource
• Systems should be closed circle designed in
  such a way as to minimise inputs and reduce
  outputs

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Drought Man or Nature made?

• Value of water as the most crucial economic
  resources not recognized
• poor supply-demand management
• long term damage on health and loss in economy
  not fully realised
• solutions for urban and rural areas are sought
  separately
• crop patterns not conducive to area
• no control on groundwater withdrawal
• always emphasis on big projects

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In drought hit areas...

• No control or incentive for water consumption in
  urban areas
• no recycling of waste water!
• urban consumers do NOT pay for water!
• Water diverted at the cost of economic loss of
  agriculture
• year after year investment on short term measures
• no emphasis on urban planning and design

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Resulting in an ...

• Uncertain economic development
• no food or household water security
• increase in poverty and ...
• resulting in a conflict situation between
• government vs people
• rural vs. urban
• industry vs. domestic
• rich vs. poor

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NEEDED

• Open dialogue among all stakeholders even before
  planning stage
• appropriate and affordable designs based on local
  need
• access to micro finance and credit
• participatory operation and maintenance
• A total development approach

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Some examples of design
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EMPLOYMENT
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ISSUES

• WATER AS ECONOMIC RESOURCE
• WATER AS PUBLIC PROPERTY
• RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
• PRIVATE SECTOR INVOLVEMENT
• CAPACITY BUILDING
• PEOPLES PARTICIPATION
• COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT WITH CLEAR ROLE FOR WOMEN
• LEADERSHIP BY GOVERNMENT

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Issues (contd.)

• Within the same nation uniform solution is not
  possible
• agro-climatic zone and river basin approach need
  to be taken
• slow but steady steps need to taken engaging in a
  dialogue with people
• strong political will needed

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Identify poorest areas and ...

• Design infrastructure to their basic needs
• allow their capacity building and participation
• link with their employment opportunity
• allow them to make their choices
• emphasis on holistic development

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Paradigm shift...

• Old
• Supply-driven
• Hardware-focused
• Government as provider
• External specialist knowledge of primary
  importance

• Current
• Demand-driven
• mix of soft and hardware
• Government as leader, motivator, facilitator also
  provider
• people in the centre

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Decision Making in
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