Rural Water Clustering.pdf

The Clustering in Tanzanian Act (URT 2019) defines clustering as merging two or more water authorities or community organizations into one to achieve commercial viability, efficiency, and economies of scale for water supply and sanitation services. The goal is economic sustainability of water project management. The Government of Tanzania is shifting from full community ownership to professionalized service delivery, with clustering as one modality to increase economies of scale and improve sustainability. Key takeaways include striking a balance between community ownership and professional inputs, and that there is no one-size-fits-all approach for clustering village water supply. Tanzania has estimated that 72.3% of its rural population has access to drinking water, but project sustainability is a challenge, with up to 20% of water points failing within the first year of operation. The government has shifted away from volunteer user management committees to professionalized water systems management, and clustering is one solution to create economies of scale. A study by DT Global evaluated Community-Based Water Supply Organisations (CBWSOs) in Tanzania, analyzing data and conducting interviews with District Managers and CBWSOs, and found that multi-village CBWSOs performed better than single-village ones.