Resilience of Water Supply in Practice: Experiences from the Frontline
Water Resilience in Practice is co-edited by two experienced water sector professionals and reviews resilience in water supply service delivery in the form of a series of case studies from different economic contexts – ranging from low-income and fragile states to upper-income countries. It documents real experiences and reflects on the initiatives different service providers apply to strengthen resilience in practice. It describes how service providers respond, adapt, innovate and learn on an ongoing basis, and how they endeavour to meet challenges and provide water supply to users equitably and sustainably.
In recent years climate resilience in water supply has been a new emerging paradigm. In response it is helpful to document and record some up-to-date experiences, which can be consolidated in one place. However, it is also necessary to recognise the multiple pressures that water resources face, such as: population growth, increased water demands, existing climatic variability as well as climate change. These pressures are having a profound impact on water supply service delivery. In this context service providers and development professionals must take active measures to respond to these risks.
This book is primarily addressed to organisations and practitioners involved in planning, designing, managing and financing water supply programmes in urban and rural settings.
ISBN: 9781789061611 (paperback)
ISBN: 9781789061628 (eBook)
ISBN: 9781789061635 (ePub)
Chapter 9: Economic resilience in water supply service in rural Tajikistan: A case study from Oxfam
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Published:December 2021
Orkhan Aliyev, 2021. "Economic resilience in water supply service in rural Tajikistan: A case study from Oxfam", Resilience of Water Supply in Practice: Experiences from the Frontline, Leslie Morris-Iveson, St John Day
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Abstract
The water utilities established by the Tajikistan Water Supply and Sanitation (TajWSS) project, which is funded by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and led by Oxfam in Tajikistan in collaboration with Government of Tajikistan focussed mainly on decentralization of drinking water services and ownership of the water supply assets by local governance bodies. However, owing to the increasing demand for water and pressures on water resources as a result of climatic variability, water utilities in rural areas are facing financial, operational and environmental challenges which prevent them from responding adequately. These challenges require highly resilient considerations in the design, construction and management of water supply and sanitation facilities and access to financial resources to overcome unforeseen risks. Oxfam's experience in Tajikistan shows that a community's socio-economic status and water utilities’ business operations were key factors for building the resilience of water and sanitation (WS) systems in rural areas. In this paper, the approach in building WS systems that are highly resilient to disasters or risks in rural areas is investigated along with how different factors such as demand and supply, institutional capacity, access to finance and community ownership affect the sustainability of WS services.