3.5  Sustainability and WASH

If we want WASH projects to be sustainable, we need to consider the environmental and social aspects as well as the economic aspects. For example, WASH activities should not cause negative impacts to the environment; they should be economically feasible and financially sustainable, and they should be socially acceptable (i.e. consider the culture and value of the community).

Sustainability of WASH services such as hand pumps or communal latrines also relates to the very simple definition of sustainability that we started with, the ability of something to sustain itself or be sustained over time. WaterAid (2011) uses this definition:

• Sustainability is about whether or not WASH services and good hygiene practices continue to work and deliver benefits over time. No time limit is set on those continued services, behaviour changes and outcomes. In other words, sustainability is about lasting benefits achieved through the continued enjoyment of water supply and sanitation services and hygiene practices.

The emphasis is clearly that the service must last a long time. There are a number of factors that contribute to the sustainability of WASH services. A WASH service is sustainable when (adapted from ACF International, 2007):

• it functions and is being used
• it is able to deliver an appropriate level of benefits (quality, quantity, convenience, comfort, continuity, affordability, efficiency, equity, reliability, health)
• it continues over a prolonged period of time and can be maintained and repaired to continue its life
• its management is institutionalised (community management, gender perspective, partnership with local authorities, involvement of formal/informal private sector)
• its operation and maintenance, administrative and replacement costs are covered at local level (through user fees, or alternative financial mechanisms)
• it can be operated and maintained at local level with limited but feasible, external support (technical assistance, training, monitoring)
• it does not affect the environment negatively.

Among the most important of these factors is the need for the service users to be fully involved in its planning, development and continuing maintenance, as the following case study demonstrates.