Subject Guide

The importance of strengthening participation of local communities to improve water management in different economic development contexts, including sustainable water use and efficiency, and ensuring access to clean, safe and affordable water

What is meant by community?

A community "is not just a place.It is the common ground on which people join to meet needs and satisfy wants through activities with other people. In a community each person feels that he or she belongs and has an important part to play."
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Communities : a geographical study / C. Davey, J.S. Emery, A.K. Milne (1980)

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Discuss: which communities are you a member of? How does membership of a community affect your behaviour? What do you understand by "community solutions" or "community management"?
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Water in LICs

  • Lack of infrastructure
  • Poor quality or lack of drains, sewers and sewage treatment
  • Limited water purification
  • Limited piped water
  • Open defecation

Water in HICs

  • Availability of technological solutions
  • Overuse of water
  • High cost of water
  • Flushing of chemicals/detergents/plastics into the sewage system


Community actions


Community Actions
  • Environmental awareness education projects
  • Community toilet projects
  • Community wells or boreholes
  • Small scale technological solutions
  • Water conservation
  • Water recycling (eg recycling grey water, use of rainwater)
  • Separation of waste products 
  • Water education


Examples of small scale/community water management

Choose three of the videos below. For each:
  • What are the goals of the project?
  • How is it community based?
  • What processes are involved?
  • How successful has it been?

LICs

HICs

Discuss: why do many people argue that community approaches to water management are more likely to be sustainable than larger scale "top down" approaches? What are the strengths and weaknesses of smaller scale, community approaches?


Exam question

Community based approaches to water management are an effective way to achieve water sustainability in areas at different levels of economic development. Discuss with reference to examples you have studied.