An assessment of the processes for the preparation and implementation of District water and sanitation plans for the provision of improved water and sanitation facilities in the Brong Ahafo Region.

The study, an assessment of the processes for the preparation and implementation of District Water and Sanitation Plans (DWSPs) for the provision of improved water and sanitation facilities in the Brong Ahafo Region was conducted in six communities in two districts within the Brong Ahafo Region. The study districts were the Sunyani Municipal Assembly and the Jaman South District Assembly whilst the study communities were Sunyani, Abesim, Antwikrom, Drobo, Dwenem and Janjemiraja. The case study approach was used because all the 170 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) are governed by Act 462 which requires that as development authorities, they prepare and implement development plans including the DWSPs for the development of their districts. Thus the case study approach adopted to assess the processes for the preparation and implementation of DWSPs in the two DAs offered the study an opportunity to do an in-depth study of how the DAs fully involved the beneficiary communities and other stakeholders in the preparation and implementation of DWSPs as required under the decentralisation process. Since all the MMDAs are required by the Act to prepare and implement DWSPs, the findings in the two districts could be generalised for the other MMDAs in the region. Since the study assessed one of the institutionalized (planning) functions of the MMDAs, the basic methods used were the purposive sampling technique in the selection of the respondents, the desk study, key informant interview and the focus group discussions. The main instruments used in the collection of data were questionnaires and checklists. The study sought to answer the following questions i. To what extent were the DAs committed to the preparation and review of their DWSPs? ii. To what extent were beneficiary communities involved in the preparation and implementation of these DWSPs? iii. What was the level of implementation of DWSPs? and iv. Challenges that militated against preparation and implementation of the DWSPs for the provision of improved water and sanitation facilities? The study has been organized into five main chapters. Chapter one focuses on the general introduction which comprises background to the study, problem statement, research questions, goal and objectives of the study, the scope, justification for the research and organization of the report. Chapter two deals with the conceptual and analytical framework for the preparation and implementation of DWSPS. Chapter three concentrates on the study design, methodology, data management and analysis aspect of the study as well as profile of the study areas. Chapter Four focuses on the results and key findings of the study. The chapter also deals with the key challenges militating against the preparation and implementation of DWSPs for sustainable provision of potable water and sanitation facilities in the districts. Chapter Five provides the summary of the major findings, recommendations and conclusions of the study. The study revealed that DAs prepare DWSPs for the provision of water and sanitation facilities. However, the DWSPs were often overloaded and that time used for the preparation of the DWSPs at the district level ate so much into the timeframe for their implementation. Consequently, DAs were unable to implement larger portions of their DWSPs. The study also revealed that DAs actively involved beneficiary communities in the preparation and implementation of the DWSPs. The DWSPs could therefore be said to represent the needs of the communities for whom they were prepared. However, the study established that DAs do not show enough commitment in the preparation and implementation of the DWSPs neither do they review or update their DWSPs. Similarly, whilst DAs monitored the implementation of water and sanitation projects, no evaluation was done for projects implemented under the DWSPs. Some of the recommendations made to improve future preparation and implementation of the DWSPs include timely release of guidelines for plan preparations, DCEs made to sign performance contracts for preparation and implementation of development plans including the DWSPs, incorporation and enforcement of plan review as integral part of plan implementation and empowerment of DAs to source funds other than those from Development Partners for the implementation of the DWSPs. Others include expansion of community involvement in projects’ implementation, involvement of the Area Councils in water and sanitation issues, the need to resource the DWSTs for effective monitoring of implementation of the DWSPs and the promotion of evaluation as a key development activity among the DAs.

Source: KNUST