Strengthening drinking water safety and security planning in Vanuatu

Women participate in the Drinking Water Safety and Security Planning Follow-up pilot in Warearu, Pele Island, Vanuatu (IWC/ USP / Heather Molitambe)

Drinking Water Safety and Security Planning (DWSSP) is the Vanuatu government’s preferred approach to building community capacity to ensure safe and secure water, and is implemented by both government and civil society organisations. Water Safety Planning was adopted in Vanuatu in 2013, but there has been limited progress in implementation, monitoring and review of plans.

The International WaterCentre (IWC), supported by the Australian Government through Water for Women, had gained many valuable lessons from its Pacific Community Water Management Plus (PaCWaM+) research program. Drawing on the PaCWaM+ lessons and experience, this Innovation & Impact (I&I) action research project sought to pilot and assess some modifications to Vanuatu’s Drinking Water Safety and Security Planning process.

The project sought to extend the impact of the PaCWaM+ research by sharing lessons and tools on supporting community water management and water security planning, gained from Fiji and Solomon Islands, with stakeholders in Vanuatu. More specifically, the project sought to pilot and evaluate some modifications to Vanuatu’s DWSSP, drawing on the PaCWaM+ lessons and experience, then monitor and share the results to empirically inform the concurrent national and provincial rural community water management activities and approaches currently undergoing reflection and revision in Vanuatu.

In the project, PaCWaM+ Vanuatu – strengthening drinking water safety and security planning in Vanuatu, innovative methods were used such as social marketing, videos, and Pacifica informed pedagogy. Meaningful partnerships were established with enabling actors including the Department of Water Resources, Shefa Provincial Government, and Vanuatu Red Cross. IWC’s relationship and research capacity with the University of the South Pacific was also further strengthened.

The project developed and piloted a structured DWSSP follow-up activity explicitly designed for communities whose plans have stalled and who have not received follow-up. A key finding from the pilot was the relevance and effectiveness of videos and associated activities in supporting the educational focus of current approaches.

Key research findings for community water management and DWSSP included that:

1. Communities needed ongoing support to build and sustain good water management, which is necessary to ensure safe, resilient and inclusive water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) outcomes.
2. Water committees were struggling to meet the prescribed gender quota of 40%, however many community members and all implementors interviewed recognise that women must be engaged in water management.
3. Zones were not used for water management purposes. However, they exist, are frequently used for fundraising for non-WASH objectives and were reportedly used in other provinces.
4. The three most active water committees were strongly connected with the village council and, in some cases, Area Council of Chiefs (Lelepa, Taloa, Mangaliliu).
5. Water management was a low community and individual priority.

"What I noticed after the activities is that the committee have come to realise the importance of having women and young women in the water committee."

- WASH Officer, Vanuatu Red Cross

Based on these findings and analysis of DWSSP in Vanuatu:

1. Targeted research is required to fully understand the capacity and support systems currently in place with regards to Local Government Area Secretaries role as DWSSP Follow-up and monitoring actors.
2. The Department of Water Resources Water Committee Functionality checklist and DWSSP Follow-up form are useful, however, the absence of age-disaggregated data and 'other' responsibilities of water committee members, and the lack of attention paid to low cost / no cost improvements in the DWSSP Follow-up checklist form, is a missed opportunity that should be amended.
3. The duplication of responsibilities between the DWSSP team and the water committee raises the question - are roles and responsibilities being clearly articulated and understood? More attention should be paid to who is responsible during the improvement planning sessions.
4. Given that water is considered a low priority, more regular follow-up, the use of social marketing techniques and improved reporting and communication can help raise the importance of water.

Broader WASH sector contributions

In terms of immediate impacts, material changes were realised through this project, including community water management actions in two of the villages following the pilot, and alterations to the water committee membership structure in two villages to increase gender equality, disability and social inclusion representation in the water committees. A detailed internal technical report for partners continues to support ongoing DWSSP strengthening efforts.

The research findings, analysis of Drinking Water Safety and Security Planning in Vanuatu and recommendations are documented in a research brief and field-tested Implementation Guide, which are both available to inform the work of wider WASH sector actors.

Learning and knowledge from the project:

• Strengthening Community Water Management through a follow-up DWSSP activity – Results of a pilot in Vanuatu

•  Pacific Community Water Management – DWSSP Structured Follow-up Implementation Guide.

Photos:

Above left: A Provincial Water Officer from the Department of Water Resources during a transect walk in Mangaliliu village (USP/IWC / Heather Molitambe)

Above: An Assistant Health Officer with the Vanuatu Red Cross and some participants of the pilot DWSSP Follow-up activity in Mangaliliu village inspect a storage tank installed during a village assembly (USP/IWC / Heather Molitambe)