Roles and responsibilities of water service authorities and

water service providers

Module One

2 WSA and WSP roles and responsibilitiesWASH Governance

Purpose of this presentation

• To explore the role of local government, as a water service authority, in WASH services

• To outline the responsibility and duties of a water service authority (WSA)

• To outline water service provider (WSP) functions

• To distinguish between WSA duties and WSP functions

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Water service authority

Water service authority

4 WSA and WSP roles and responsibilitiesWASH Governance

Decentralised WASH services

• When WASH services have been decentralised, local government becomes the ‘authority’ for water supply and sanitation services.

• In this training programme the term ‘water service authority’ (WSA) is used to indicate a local government with authority for water and sanitation.

• The WSA has the responsibility (and obligation) to ensure that people in their area of jurisdiction have access to water and sanitation services.

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Support to the WSA

• When a function is decentralised to local level, national government should provide support to local government

• Support should be provided to strengthen the capacity of local government to fulfil their water and sanitation obligations

• As a water service authority, local government needs to be able to exercise their responsibilities and perform their functions

• National government also has the responsibility to regulate WSAs to ensure that they are fulfilling their obligations

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Water policy and legislation

• Water policy needs to clarify the role of local government as an authority and the relationships between WSAs and other institutions

• Water legislation needs to legislate the authority function for water and sanitation services

• Water legislation (typically a Water Act) should also provide an overall framework for the provision of water services, including institutional responsibilities

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Water and sanitation institutions

• The type of institutions that legislation will normally provide for include:

• The national department/s responsible for water and sanitation

• Local government as the water service authority • Water service providers (WSPs)• Bulk water service providers such as a utility• A community based WSP• Any other agencies that have responsibility for

supporting the provision of water and sanitation services

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Water services authority responsibility

The overall function of a WSA is governance of water and sanitation services. This will typically include:

•Ensuring that people within the WSA’s area of jurisdiction have access and use of efficient, affordable and sustainable water and sanitation services

•Making bylaws and regulating the provision of services within the local government area

•Planning water and sanitation services for the area of jurisdiction (water and sanitation or WASH development plan)

•Ensuring the most appropriate institutional arrangements for the provision of services (selection of WSP)

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WSA governance functions

Ensuring access

Regulating (bylaws)

WASH development

planning

WSP arrangement

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WSA governance functions

• Governance functions should not be delegated to any other entity

• Governance functions involve decisions about access, equity, service levels and standards, tariffs, projects and institutional arrangements

• These decisions must be taken by the local authority • But a WSA can use consultants or technical support to assist it

in fulfilling its various governance functions

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This responsibility includes •Ensuring access to basic services for everyone (universal coverage)•Accessing financing for new infrastructure and extensions•Ensuring that basic services are affordable (through right mix of tariffs, transfers, taxes)

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This responsibility includes •Complying with national legislation and standards

•Developing bylaws

•Develop a water and sanitation policy which is consistent with other local government service provision policies•Setting tariffs in line with regulations•Monitoring performance and compliance of water services providers•Monitoring access to water services

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This responsibility includes •Preparing a water and sanitation development plan for the WSA area of jurisdiction

•Integrating WASH planning into the local government’s overall development plan

•Data collection, information management

•Project identification and prioritisation

•Stakeholder participation

•Financial planning

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This responsibility includes •Deciding the most appropriate water service provider arrangements for the area of jurisdiction

•Ensuring that the WSP arrangement has the capacity to provide affordable, efficient and sustainable services

•Entering into contractual arrangements with WSPs

•Ensuring transparency and accountability in WSP arrangements

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Service provision

This is the physical provision of water supply and sanitation services

• This is the function fulfilled by the water service provider (WSP)

• A WSP is any entity who provides water and / or sanitation services to consumers

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WSA provides the services itself

WSA contracts another entity to provide the

services

The WSA can either fulfill the WSP function itself or it can contract another entity to provide the services

External provision

arrangement

Internal provision

arrangement

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Service provision partnerships

• A service provision partnership is a contractual arrangement for the provision of municipal services

• The contract (or service provision agreement) is between the WSA and the entity that will provide the water and sanitation services

• Thus the contract is between the WSA and WSP

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Who can be a WSP?

There are many different types of partnerships

•Public - public partnership (another local government, a public utility, or another other public agency/ entity)

•Public - CBO partnership (community based organisation)

•Public - NGO partnership (not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation)

•Public - private partnership (private company, small and medium entrepreneurs, any for-profit legal entity)

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Water service providers• Should have some sort of agreement

or contract with the water service authority

• Must provide water and sanitation services in accordance with the WSA bylaws

• Should provide information about the services being provided

• Should have the necessary capacity to provide the services, or have the potential to develop its capacity

• Must have access to support for any functions that it is not able to fulfill

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Water service provider functions• Daily operations and minor repairs• Customer relations• Customer awareness and hygiene

education • Revenue collection• Management including planning,

financial management, asset management, administration and HR issues

• Maintenance• Monitoring and reporting• Projects (new infrastructure)

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Water service providers

• The contract with the WSA should define the service provision functions that the WSP must fulfill

• These functions will often depend on the skills required and the type of service provider. For example a utility may fulfill all the provider functions, whereas CBOs may only be able to undertake the daily operations.

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WSP sanitation functions

• Promoting and facilitating the construction of at least basic toilet facilities

• health and hygiene promotion

• ensuring that on-site latrines are desludged as necessary

• management of sewered systems

• safe treatment and disposal of waste

• monitoring of sanitation services

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Sum up

• The primary obligation of a WSA is to ensure governance of water and sanitation services through:

Efficient, affordable and sustainable water and sanitation services

Thank you