Fifty seven percent of Indonesians live in rural communities. According to WHO/ UNICEF estimates, approximately thirty percent of these residents currently lack access to a clean water supply. When conditions permit, gravity-fed water supply systems can be good solutions for providing clean water to communities in rural areas. IRD has helped communities and local governments to access better quality sources by constructing four gravity-fed water supply systems serving 3,000 residents of rural communities in Aceh province.

IRD utilizes a community-based approach, with strong community involvement in the identification, planning, and implementation process, including management and maintenance. Our goal is to facilitate cost-effective, sustainable solutions that benefit the maximum number of people and can be easily maintained for years to come.

IRD begins by meeting with local government, village heads, and community leaders to ensure everyone understands the activity and has the opportunity to get involved. Volunteers participate in the initial mapping and data collection exercises and IRD completes further in-depth, independent data collection through home visits and focus group discussions. The resulting community profile is presented at a community meeting comments, including giving residents an opportunity to discuss which facilities can be built, their design and construction, and the community’s involvement in the project.

To determine the feasibility of a gravity-fed system for the area, IRD engineers conduct a technical analysis with members of the community and local government looking for an accessible source with sufficient surface and ground water, and adequate elevation and source capacity for satisfactory system pressure. Also crucial to the decision is whether or not a system can serve the projected population over the following 10 years.

A core group of volunteers including the village leader, religious leaders, women’s leaders, healthcare providers, school principals, and youth representatives is established in each village to organize and oversee the community’s involvement in the program. Thise core group works with IRD to finalize the recommended water supply system solution for presentation to the community. The core group is also responsible for health and hygiene promotion, monitoring project progress, and maintaining village-level water sanitation facilities.

Since the gravity-fed system is a public good serving several communities, they all have a shared responsibility to maintain it. To this end, a water sanitation committee is established with representatives from each village. The committee is deeply involved in the construction process and receives specialized training for maintenance and operations duties.

The community is involved in the construction of the facilities to the maximum extent possible. Each village core group organizes a “Gotong Royong,” through which it recruits fellow villagers to undertake basic tasks such as digging and backfilling trenches. IRD procures the necessary tools, which stay with the village after project completion.

Where more technical expertise is required, IRD will engage local professional contractors. IRD holds a transparent, competitive tendering process to identify and engage these contractors. All stakeholders are represented in the bidding and selection process.

IRD technical staff members closely monitor construction activities in conjunction with trained core group and water sanitation committee members.

IRD provides training to the core groups and water sanitation committees throughout the process. For the core groups, training covers such things as community facilitation, health and hygiene promotion, basic construction, plumbing, and monitoring. The water sanitation committee receives more technical training to equip them with the capacity to operate and maintain the water supply system. IRD also helps the committee become a more formal institution that has a constitution, by-laws, and management policies, and is recognized by the district government. To strengthen this institution, the committee receives management and organizational training including administration and financial management.

A tariff system is adopted to ensure cost recovery for operation and maintenance expenses and is managed by the water sanitation committee. Each household’s tariff is based on its level of consumption and collected on a regular basis. In some cases, the communities may decide to implement a sliding scale where poorer and/or female-headed households may pay less and commercial entities may pay more. However, this is for the communities to decide.

Another important component of sustainability is the communities’ use of proper health and hygiene practices; without proper hygiene, communal and household water points can easily become contaminated. Each village core group has members who are trained by IRD in health and hygiene promotion. These members in turn teach their neighbors and encourage the use of these practices throughout the community.

The core group and the water sanitation committee also receive training in monitoring and evaluation. Once the project is completed, they will conduct their own monitoring to ensure that the water facilities are being used and maintained properly, that the community continues good hygiene practices, and that this knowledge is being passed on to the next generation. IRD staff will also return after project completion to evaluate the quality of the project’s continued operation.