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Design and Implementation of an Urban Water Kiosk Project

The Step-by-Step Planning and

Implementation of an Urban Water Supply Project Using

ACTIVITY CARDS

CARD 5: DATA COLLECTION

Table of Contents

CARD 5 (A): Data Collection 2

CARD 5 (B): Data Collection (Cont.) 3

CARD 5 (C): Data Collection and the Water Services Trust Fund (WSTF) 4

CARD 5 (D): Importance of Needs Assessment 5

CARD 5 (E): Importance of Needs Assessment (Cont.) 6

CARD 5 (A): Data Collection

Objectives
The main objectives of the data collection exercise are:
·  To establish a detailed database covering all low incomes areas within the Service Area of the WSP.
·  To assess the willingness and ability of low income residents to pay for treated (kiosk) water.
·  To assess the need for the improvement of water supply in the area (needs assessment, see CARD 4 (D)).
·  To asses the future demand for treated water (total demand and daily per capita demand).
·  To calculate the number of kiosks required (from a commercial, social and public health point of view). This number will be based upon population data; population growth scenarios and the (expected) use of alternative sources of water (open wells, boreholes, hand pumps, open yard wells, illegal connections, etc.)
·  To identify a catchment zone for each kiosk. The kiosk catchment zones should be identified on the basis of population data, alternative sources of water, population growth patterns (densification of habitation and/or extension of the area).
·  To assess the acceptability of the kiosk system (risk of vandalism, theft, protests, etc).
·  To assess the need for additional technical measures, such as the disconnection of illegal house connections, the metering of clients who pay a flat rate, etc.
·  To assess the need for a health and hygiene education programme.
·  To design an adapted community participation approach.
·  To have baseline data that can be used at a later stage to evaluate the impact of the interventions made by the Service Provider.
Responsible / The Task Team is responsible for the collection of data.
Tools (Methods and Techniques) / ·  Tools presented in Module 2 of this Toolkit can be used to collect the various types of data.
·  The Kiosk Planning Tool presented in Module 2, Section 6 can be used to calculate the required number of kiosks.
·  The Database Tools presented in Module 2, Section 5 can be used to store the data which has been collected.
Meetings and Participation / The Project Task Team should organise one or more meetings with residents to collect the data.

CARD 5 (B): Data Collection (Cont.)

Types of data to be collected
The following types of data will have to be collected:
·  Data concerning the legal status of the area.
·  Data concerning current water supply situation (access to treated water, the use of unprotected sources, payment methods, etc.) and current water consumption levels.
·  The need for a water supply intervention. Is improving water supply a priority of residents? Is the planned scheme demand-driven?
·  Demographic data (population size) and (past and expected) patterns of population growth and patterns of migration.
·  Spatial developments (area extension and population densification processes, overspill areas, etc.) and land ownership.
·  Data on the current sanitation situation (do, for example, pit latrines pollute open wells used for drinking purposes).
·  Current public health situation.
·  Expected impact of a water supply and/or sanitation programme.
·  Expected opposition against the project (by owners of boreholes, water resellers, cartels, etc.)
·  Sensitisation and education requirements.
·  Existing constraints (flat rates, un-metered and illegal connections). The Service Provider should carry out a detailed inventory of all the existing connections, legal and illegal.
·  Assessment of required technical works.
·  Other water supply projects and initiatives developed and implemented by local CBOs and other stakeholders.
·  Required measures, programmes and inputs to improve water supply.
·  Existing (relevant) community-based organisations.
·  Expressed needs and the willingness and ability to pay for an improved service and a better product (treated water).
·  Identification of groups that (could) represent the community and existing forms of community participation.
Output / One of the main outcomes of the data collection exercise is the number of kiosks required to meet the social and public health needs of the population and the financial/commercial and technical objectives of the Service Provider.
The collected data could also indicate that there is need to target specific groups within the project area (for example, water resellers).
Data Report / The data collected should be presented in a short Data Report. This report has to be distributed among all Task Team members and given to the WSP and WSB.

CARD 5 (C): Data Collection and the Water Services Trust Fund (WSTF)

Note / ·  Water Service Providers that intend to access funds from the Water Services Trust Fund (WSTF) may need to collect data in order to prepare a good proposal for the WSTF.
·  If detailed data has been collected for the WSTF Proposal, the data collection exercise, being a Task Team activity, can be limited to the updating of key data (for example data on population and existing water supply infrastructure).

CARD 5 (D): Importance of Needs Assessment

A) The Impact of Kiosks upon Customer Behaviour and Water Consumption Patterns
·  In order to be able to plan a successful kiosk project, it is important to be able to assess the future demand for treated kiosk water.
·  Demand for kiosk water can range between 2 litres per person per day (in parts of Solwezi, Zambia) and 25 litres per persons per day (in parts of Athi River).
·  Kiosk consumption levels are mainly determined by the following factors:
o  Distance between dwellings and the nearest kiosks.
o  The time one has to wait at the kiosk.
o  Access to alternative sources of water.
o  The tariff.
o  The business hours of the kiosks.
·  Numerous studies show that distance and access to alternative sources are the most important factors having an impact upon kiosk consumption.
·  Experience shows that residents do not tend to abandon alternative sources of cheap or free water (yard wells, hand pumps, boreholes, springs, illegal connections, etc.)
·  In areas where kiosk consumption levels are low, many residents have access to cheap and nearby sources of water such as yard wells.
·  Residents fetch the water they need for drinking and preparing meals at the kiosk, but the water they use for other purposes (such as bathing, washing, cleaning, construction works, gardening and giving water to domestic animals) from nearby yard wells, hand pumps, etc.
B) Impact of Low Operator Incomes: Unmotivated Operators & Low Collection Efficiencies
·  Water at the kiosk is sold to the customers by a Water Kiosk Operator on behalf of the WSP. In most cases, the Operator has to pay the water bill (based upon the meter readings) and he or she receives a commission (being a percentage of the value of metered consumption).
·  Experience shows that, if Operators only manage to have very low incomes (even if they keep their kiosks open all day) most of them lose their motivation.
·  Un-motivated Operators tend to keep kiosks closed and are less willing to pay their Water Bill.
·  Poor motivation among Operators often results in :
o  Low collection efficiencies.
o  Low customer satisfaction levels resulting from poor service levels (poor access to kiosk water due to closed kiosks, etc.).
o  The need to replace unmotivated Operators.
o  Neglect of the infrastructure by Operators.

CARD 5 (E): Importance of Needs Assessment (Cont.)

C) Response of the Service Provider
·  If the collection efficiency of a kiosk scheme is low, many Service Providers tend to lose interest in properly maintaining the scheme. The kiosk system is regarded as being a loss-maker. The presence in the low income areas, of the Service Provider gradually reduces.
·  Less human and financial resources are assigned to the kiosks. This results in the infrastructure not being maintained and repaired by the Service Provider.
·  The result is often an increase in the number of leakages, act of vandalism and illegal connections.
·  Because the Service Provider considers low income water supply to be a burden, it further reduces its presence in the project area and customer satisfaction levels drop even further.
·  Due to a lack of Service Provider’s presence and interest, the Operators feel they do not have to deposit the money they collect from their customers. It is important to note that customers usually continue paying the tariff they are being asked to pay.
·  Some Operators may even decide to introduce an informal tariff.
D) What are the Causes: Main Weaknesses of Kiosk Systems
The problems described in the previous sections are caused by the following factors:
·  The Service Provider is a centralised organisation; it has no presence in low income areas.
·  The number of kiosks is too high (in most cases because during the planning process, more emphasis was put on the social and public health objectives, whereas the financial and commercial objectives of the WSP and of the Operator were neglected).
E) Solutions: Proper Planning, Presence, and Monitoring of Operators
·  The assessment of the required number of kiosks should be based upon all the objectives of low income water supply: social (making treated water accessible), public health, technical, financial, commercial and environmental objectives.
·  The number of kiosks should, therefore be based upon the estimated demand for kiosk water. In Monze (Zambia), where customers consume between 3 and 6 litres per resident per day, one kiosk with 3 taps can serve up to 2,500 persons (provided the pressure is good and provided customers do not all want to fetch water during the same period of the day). In Naivasha, where daily per capita consumption levels range between 12 and 21 litres, one kiosk serves between 1,000 - 1,400 persons.
·  The quantities sold, the commission and the tariff should allow the Operator to realise an acceptable income from the sale of water.
·  Operators who serve few customers should be allowed to adapt, together with their customers and the Service Provider, the business hours of the kiosk (adapting to demand).
·  Kiosk design (shelves) should offer the Operator the opportunity to sell other goods at the kiosk.
·  The Service Provider should be present in the low income areas. The CSA monitors the Operators, records and responds to customer complaints, carries out small maintenance and repair works, identifies leakages, damage and illegal connections.
Tools
Module 2 of the Toolkit contains the necessary tools to assess future water demand.

Toolkit for Low Income Water Supply Module 3 Card: 5 Data Collection