A wish list for national monitoring

Government, donors, and implementers must come together and invest in national and sub-national systems.

This blog was written and published on 21 August 2017 in the IRC WASH Amplify newsletter. It is co-authored by Joseph Pearce and Nicolas Dickinson.

Collecting data in South Ari district, Ethiopia.
Collecting data in South Ari district, Ethiopia. Photo: Tereza Nega/IRC Ethiopia

Imagining a national WASH monitoring and evaluation system

In a recent discussion, a National Rural WASH Coordinator outlined his country’s data requirements. They needed to know about the distribution and quality of services, functionality, water quality, who provides the services and how they are managed. They wanted maps showing individual water points that could be clicked on to reveal all the technical details an engineer could hope for. They also needed information to share with Parliament that showed the progress they have made towards achieving the national targets and the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This was quite a wish list. There was barely any reliable data on WASH services in rural areas, and it was easy to be ambitious about additions. But what would it look like and what will it cost?

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Local water point monitoring: actionable guidance

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.

1. Require the use of national standards, monitoring, and sharing of 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.

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