A Paradigm of water supply management in urban areas of developing countries

Abstract

The two most critical problems of water supply services in Third World cities are low level of service and inability to improve and maintain the continuity of service. This study develops a paradigm of water supply management for Third World cities, and is intended to explain the reasons for these conditions and to develop strategies for improving service. A comprehensive perspective is needed in the paradigm of water supply management in Third World cities. It is a concept, or frame. of reference about water supply management, that explains a management system with technological, institutional, and financial Subsystems to yield a pattern of results that are measured by level of service and management efficiency, all within an external environment with fixed physical and social characteristics. Lessons from past experience in Third World cities, which are presented in the form of 15 propositions, emphasize the special characteristics of cities in developing countries and the uniqueness of their water supply management. A guideline for developing strategies to improve water supply service in urban areas of developing countries is developed based on these characteristics. The strategies include maintaining the balance .between the economic and social functions of water, strengthening local institutions, reaching financial self-sufficiency and· community management, and establishing integrated water management. The case study of water supply management in Jakarta, Indonesia demonstrates the applicability of the paradigm in formulating the problems and in developing strategies in a typical large city of a developing country. The study concludes that water supply management must be sensitive to the local physical and social environments. To handle complex problems. of water supply management, a holistic management approach must be applied. In this case, the paradigm for water supply management can be used as a tool by the managers and decision makers to manage the dynamics of water supply problems in Third World cities.