Welcome!

How was this Training Package prepared?

In response to the shortcomings of the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade of the 1980s, a training package was designed in 1991 by a group of sector experts from the Operation and Maintenance Working Group of the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council. A draft version was developed by the IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre in the Netherlands and tested in 1992 in Namibia. The recommendations resulting from this field-test were then incorporated in the English version, which was subsequently translated into French and Portuguese. The revised version has since been implemented in various countries in Africa and Asia. In 1998 the World Health Organization (WHO) and the IRC decided to update the package.

The present version is therefore the result of seven years of work and experience worldwide. It incorporates recent developments and the latest findings and methodologies, which will help to improve the management of operation and maintenance (O&M) of rural water supply and sanitation services in developing countries.

Why "Management of Operation and Maintenance"?

Operation and Maintenance. These two key words appeared in the answers of many sector professionals and community workers when they were asked about what could be done to improve the performance, efficiency and sustainability of the rural water supply and sanitation services in developing countries. It is well known that O&M has been neglected in the past, or been discussed and introduced only after a project was completed. This neglect or delay in applying proper operation and maintenance has adversely affected the credibility of the investments made, the functioning of the services, the well-being of rural populations, and the development of further projects.

However, the importance of O&M has gained considerable visibility over the past few years, and it appears that policy-makers and project designers are now more conscious of the direct links between improved O&M practices and the sustainability of water supply and sanitation services. There is also greater recognition of the need to approach these projects in a comprehensive way, emphasizing not only the design and construction but also post-construction activities.

Professionals in the sector are realizing that the implementation of O&M is not just a technical issue, but has social, community, gender, financial, institutional, political, managerial and environmental aspects as well. This is why the training package focuses on management of operations and maintenance. O&M must be organized and planned at both national and local levels, and should be managed at the community level with appropriate support from the local authorities and the private sector. This package looks into these different issues, with the aim of raising awareness and providing guidelines on O&M to project planners, programme managers and community specialists on how to improve the performance, efficiency, and sustainability of their rural water supply and sanitation services.

What is the structure of the package?

The training package is designed as a guide to facilitators who will conduct courses or workshops on management of operation and maintenance of rural water supply and sanitation services for working-level managers, as well as engineers, social workers and planners, and other specialists involved in this sector. The structure of the guide is flexible, which permits adaptation to local circumstances-e.g. shortening certain sessions, extending others, or adding locally relevant information. The package is divided into two parts: 1) Trainer's guide, 2) Course contents.

The Trainer's guide provides guidelines and hints on how best to facilitate the course sessions. Adult training calls for more than teaching; it should make use of the participants' own experiences in a constructive way in order to effectively transmit basic relevant knowledge and experience. It was therefore considered pertinent to advise trainers and facilitators on how to conduct sessions that would give optimum benefits to the participants. Facilitation is an art, and you are invited to contact the sponsors and authors of this package, or other sector professionals, if your project or organization needs further advice on training-of-trainers sessions.

The Course contents focus on the main issues which are relevant today to improve O&M performance-such as the links between water, health, sanitation, and environmental protection; requirements and choice of technologies for operation and maintenance; institutional set-up; community management, including gender awareness and working and planning with communities; cost recovery; and monitoring for effectiveness. The contents demonstrate the use of various managerial techniques, such as analysing participation and constraints, identifying the objectives, setting up a planning matrix and indicators, planning with communities, and presenting a project. Experience has shown that the quality of the course improves if it includes working towards a concrete outcome, supported by awareness-raising which goes on throughout the course. At the end of the course, the participants are asked to prepare an individual assignment based on their experience and situation, and applying the concepts and approaches learned during the course.

We extend a cordial welcome to all who will use this training package. You may contact WHO or IRC, at the addresses given below, if you have any queries or need further information.