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One billion people lack access to clean water and two billion to adequate sanitation. Lack of clean water and sanitation is the main reason diseases transmitted by human waste are common in developing countries (World Development Indicators 1998). Social capital contributes to the sharing of information about sanitation as well as the building of community infrastructure. Synergy between the state and civil society can improve infrastructure design and maintenance by securing financial resources and ensuring that projects respond to community needs. - In Recifé, Brazil, good-faith contracts backed up by the legitimacy of the state insured that communities contributed adequate resources and input into sanitation projects and that the state respected their decisions about the type of sanitation systems best for them (Ostrom 1996).
"A systematic quantitative and qualitative analysis of 121 rural water supply projects in many regions of the world showed that beneficiary participation was more significant than any other factor in achieving functioning water systems and in building local capacity" (Narayan 1995). Recognizing the potential benefits of local participation and social capital in water projects, Narayan identifies four phases of rural infrastructure as opportunities for local participation: - Design and Plan
- Construct
- Operate/Manage
- Maintain
Narayan underscores however that "the impact of participation throughout the project cycle was significantly greater than it was during any single stage…Local social capital can help to improve effectiveness, efficiency, empowerment, and equity." Design and Plan For projects to be sustainable, consumer demand must drive key investment decisions. This means that consumers must be involved in the project and with each other to determine what shared goals they want to achieve through a project in the short and long run. "To understand community demand, the project preparation team for the National Water Supply and Environmental Health Program of the Government of Lao PDR drove, walked, climbed and rowed to more than 30 villages to consult women and men at length about their water and sanitation preferences, beliefs and practices. Following a process of information sharing, needs assessment and consensus building, communities were able to decide on the most logical water supply and sanitation system for them." (Mukherjee 1998) Before community members convene to debate common goals and how much they are willing to pay to meet them, it is important that communities’ choices and priorities are well-informed. This often means that some information–sharing and education on health and sanitation needs to take place. Social capital both within and beyond the community can facilitate the knowledge-sharing process. "A demand-responsive approach should include procedures for an adequate flow of information to households" (Katz and Sara 1998). Construct - Social capital is a mediator for collective action and can help people build common property resources, such as fresh water wells (Ostrom, 1990).
Operate and Manage Ownership and management of water supply projects are very important. Water should be managed at the lowest possible level. "Employing a demand-responsive approach at the community level significantly increases the likelihood of water system sustainability… Community mobilization is important to facilitate the aggregation of demand" (Katz and Sara 1998). Maintenance/Rules One of the key findings from Katz and Sara’s study (1998) of water supply projects in six countries was that "rules matter" in water system sustainability. Consumers in a community must come together repeatedly to debate and work towards consensus on shared goals and rules. If goals and rules are not universally accepted then support for the project will wither and problems will arise. Through shared values, norms of behavior, and repeated transactions, social capital can help in the design and enforcement of such rules.
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