Rc. Carter et al., STRATEGIES FOR HANDPUMP WATER-SUPPLY PROGRAMS IN LESS-DEVELOPED-COUNTRIES, Journal of the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management, 10(2), 1996, pp. 130-136
Community water supply programmes in developing countries frequently u
tilize wells or boreholes equipped with handpumps as the technology of
choice. Whilst simple targets concerning numbers of wells to be drill
ed or villages to be served are often prominent, the wider objectives
of such programmes are rarely expressed in quantified terms and, as a
consequence, programme impact is often disappointing as well as diffic
ult to evaluate. Because objectives are not clear, programme strategy
fails to include all the issues and activities which are necessary to
achieve the maximum beneficial impact on participating communities. In
the paper, target objectives, checklists of programme activities, and
staffing requirements are proposed. The subject of programme impact i
s briefly discussed, and a realistic approach to programme evaluation
is outlined. The paper is intended both as an aid to project planners
and as a guide to managers and evaluators of existing well-handpump pr
ogrammes.