Johannesburg symposium statement on poverty and productive uses of water at the household level

Statement

Productive use of water at the household level by poor people reduces poverty

1. Sustainable livelihoods can be built on access to water that goes beyond current approaches to meeting both domestic needs (drinking, cooking, and washing) and irrigation needs. The water needs of the poor always extend beyond the domestic.
2. Productive uses of water at the household level include a range of small-scale activities that enable people to grow food, earn income and save expenditure: fruit and vegetable production, keeping livestock, brick making and building, and a wide range of informal micro-enterprises.
3. Without access to sufficient and reliable water for productive uses in and around the household, people are excluded from a range of options that would allow them to diversify and secure their sources of food and income. At the most basic level, poverty is a lack of opportunity. Access to productive water supplies provides opportunities.
4. We believe that productive uses of water in and around the household are the most socially and economically effective uses of water after 'traditional' domestic uses, and that providing water for these uses offers one of the most effective ways to use water to tackle poverty in its multiple-dimensions.
5. The provision of water services, that include water for productive uses, needs to be planned to ensure that benefits are inclusive or pro-poor. In planning, implementation and research it is important to hear and act upon the voices of the poor, women, and children, recognising that otherwise benefits may be captured by elites.

People require more than their domestic water needs to be productive

1. It is universally accepted that people should have access to a basic domestic water supply (often ranging between 25-50 litres per capita per day (lpcd)). We believe that poor people should also have access to water for productive uses. Total household water requirements for poor people including water for productive uses are likely to be in the range 50-200 lpcd.
2. These quantities can be realised by helping households secure access to water through a range of alternative approaches (such as roofwater and run-off harvesting, family wells, communal water points, piped water systems, municipal and household level wastewater reuse) and by investment in systems that are equitable and reach the maximum number of poor beneficiaries.
3. The better off living in cities around the world typically consume around 200 lpcd. We believe that finding ways to provide and manage the use of similar amounts of water in support of poor people's livelihoods is vital.

Productive use enhances the sustainability of water supply systems and services

1. In most cases the sustainability of domestic water supply systems can be increased by explicitly including productive water uses that provide the means and motivation for people to engage in the management of systems. These uses generate income that can be invested in system improvement and maintenance. Sustainability has been hard to achieve in water and sanitation: we believe that the lack of opportunities for productive water uses is central to this problem.
2. When people have demands for productive water that are not met, problems arise and ownership and participation are reduced. 'Illegal' connections to domestic piped water systems cause serious problems that could be anticipated and avoided by satisfying the demand for productive water, possibly from different sources. We believe the benefits will normally greatly exceed the incremental financial costs.
3. Many irrigation schemes provide multiple benefits. Meeting the needs for other uses of water (including domestic) through an integrated approach enhances the impact as well as performance of irrigation schemes and systems.
4. Productive use of wastewater provides opportunities for many urban and peri-urban farmers, but simultaneously places them, the consumers of their products, and the environment at risk. In accordance with the Hyderabad Declaration on Wastewater Use in Agriculture (2002), we believe that appropriate policies, strategies and interventions can mitigate the human health and environmental risks while contributing to poverty reduction. The safer use of wastewater in agriculture should be encouraged and supported, and addressed within an integrated policy framework.

People need local solutions and multiple sources for multiple uses

1. Peoples' water needs are typically met through multiple sources - from rainwater to wastewater to piped systems. Rarely do people rely on single sources. And single sources tend to be used for multiple purposes. A holistic approach that builds on this reality is required in planning and service delivery to meet peoples' needs for household water supplies.
2. Wherever possible and taking into consideration downstream users, household water needs should be provided from locally available water resources, drawing on local knowledge, and at the lowest possible cost to provide a reasonable level of service.

An integrated approach is essential to achieve significant impacts on poverty

1. Demand for water for multiple purposes at the household level has, until recently, been insufficiently recognised in the planning and allocation of water resources in river basins. We recommend a process in which planners, and in particular local-level and catchment planners, acknowledge and take into account these needs as a priority consideration. This will need to be based upon appropriate assessments of the resource base, possible trade-offs, and environmental sustainability, and within an appropriate framework for demand management.
2. People who use water productively at the household level are numerous, but a diffuse and poorly represented group. Special attention is required to ensure that the voices of household level users, especially women, are heard at the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) table. We believe that the use and management of multiple sources at the community level lies at the heart of IWRM, and that water should be managed from bucket to basin.
3. Improving access to water will not, on its own, eradicate poverty. People need better access to markets and credit, and to overcome many other constraints to make best use of more water. Collaborative partnerships with education, health and enterprise-based programmes can overcome some of these multiple constraints. This calls for better coordination, communication, and cooperation between different government departments, civil society, NGOs and the private sector.

Spreading the message: water for productive uses

As participants of this symposium we undertake to advocate for recognition and support for productive uses of water at the household level, and to work in partnership with others to spread this important message. In this aim, we pledge to change minds; develop tools, methods, and training; build partnerships for effective implementation; and to undertake research to fill key gaps in understanding.