Filling the knowledge gap: Monitoring post-construction water and sanitation sustainability

Kate Fogelberg

doi:10.3362/1756-3488.2010.023

Filling the knowledge gap: Monitoring post-construction water and sanitation sustainability

While progress is being made towards MDG 7, emerging research is documenting disturbing failure rates of water and sanitation systems around the world. One step in the right direction to documenting and understanding the challenges of sustainability – defined simply as continuing to function and be used over time – would be post-construction monitoring of functionality and use of systems. Although frequently recommended for the success of sustainable development efforts, post-construction monitoring activities have not been prioritized by international development organizations. This paper describes the post-construction monitoring programme of one international non-governmental organization, Water For People; how it is done, what has been learned, and what programmatic and strategic changes it has produced.

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