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operating costs falling from64 to 26 per cent; the number of staff
per 1 000 service connections falling from 36 to 11; unaccounted-
for water reducing from 60 to 39 per cent; and revenue collection
efficiency improving from 60 to 95 per cent. The number of
customers connected to the city’s water network grew from 50
000 to 93 000 connections, and annual operating profit rose
from USD 1.5 million to USD 4 million. The significance of the
reforms is that more water became available for residents, and at
the same time more revenue was collected for further investment
into water and sanitation provision, including the delivery of
services to the poor. Also due to the improvement in service
delivery, the poor are increasingly showing willingness to pay for
improved drinking water and sanitation services. For example,
a recent survey by Mushabe (2011) showed that the willingness
to pay for improved water services by the poor communities of
Ndeeba-Kisenyi increased dramatically, and 80 per cent of the
residents indicated that they can afford to pay for the services.
In view of the importance of groundwater, especially as the only
source of water by the poor, the Wetlands Monitoring Unit is
gazetting important wetlands as protected areas. It is expected
that the gazetted wetlands would be revitalised so as to play the
role of water purification, among other ecological functions.
LESSONS LEARNED
• National water and sewerage cooperation should change
their focus from development of infrastructure to better
utilization and management of existing water infrastructure,
than to improving regulation of water use.
• Changing patterns of the informal settlements through
improved living standards, and increased awareness for better
water and sanitation services, require adaptive institutions
for sustainable, equitable, and productive management of
services delivery.
• There is need for pro-poor approaches to urban water and
sanitation delivery.
• Operation and maintenance should be decentralized, and
the private sector involved as a way of improving efficiency,
reducing costs, and ensuring service delivery even to the poor
sectors of society.
• Involvement of community members from the beginning,
in awareness raising, planning, implementation and
monitoring, is a key supporting factor in the success and
sustainability of the project.