Country-Led Monitoring

This blog is based on the fact sheet on Actionable Guidance for Local Governments: Harnessing Water Point Data for Improved Water Services

Local governments use water point data to determine the status of water services, make district investment plans, support communities, and advocate for district programs. They are a tool for guiding and coordinating partners working in an area and acquiring the financing required for sustainable water services. Local governments may work with partners to overcome barriers such as inadequate human resources and logistics for data collection and analysis.

Previously, we wrote blogs about universal lessons for improving water point monitoring and guidance for national governments. This blog highlights the most important lessons for local governments. The recommendations for local government apply equally to other service authorities involved in planning, coordination, regulation, and oversight of water services and technical assistance to water service providers and communities.

Recommendation 1: Require the use of national and district standards to monitor results

Require NGOs and the private sector to collect water point data meeting national standards, to monitor results, and to share their data with the district and other stakeholders. They should have to explain the results of their water point monitoring during coordination meetings. Provide feedback to the national government when there are challenges using data.

Recommendation 2: Use water point data to tell the story of water services

Use water point data to tell the story of water services to politicians, financiers, and users to sustain interest in achieving universal access to basic water services. Evidence-based investment plans using water point data can facilitate dialogue between water engineers, planners, and politicians on how to improve services.

This blog is based on the fact sheet on Actionable Guidance for National Governments: Harnessing Water Point Data for Improved Water Services

National governments have a crucial role in providing guidance and support for the collection and use of water point data. Beyond the need for coverage statistics at the national level, districts and partners require water point data to plan and act to improve services. Good quality national water point monitoring data are also a catalyst for faster private and public investments. More investments are needed since the Sustainable Development Goals are not going to be met by 2030 at the current rate of investment.

We wrote previously about three universal lessons for improving water point monitoring, however, there are also recommendations from our research on the use of water point monitoring to improve water services that are specific to national governments.

Recommendation 1: Incorporate service level metrics that are useful to local governments

Help local governments and service authorities achieve results by incorporating service level and sustainability metrics that go beyond functionality into the national indicator framework. Provide monitoring results on paper where connectivity, power, and digital competency are limited.

Service level monitoring in Ghana

The Community Water and Sanitation Agency of Ghana developed the “Framework for Assessing and Monitoring Rural and Small Town Water Supply Services in Ghana” to measure the performance of service providers and the support they receive from districts.