Morocco: Innovative Expansion of Water and Sanitation Services
Overview
Peri-urban illegal settlements, which often constitute a substantial portion of major cities, face a shortage of safe drinking water and sanitation. The Government of Morocco requested a grant from the Global Partnership on Output-Based Aid (GPOBA) to pilot the introduction of performance-based subsidies to encourage service expansion. Between 2007–2011, the pilot has provided subsidized access to water and sanitation, benefitting more than 52,500 people to date.
MULTIMEDIA
5,593households acquired access to water supply services in Casablanca
2,909households acquired access to water supply services in Tangiers
2,002households acquired access to water supply services in Meknes
MORE INFO
- Morocco Website
- Improved Access to Water and Sanitation Services Project
- Study: Extending Water Services to the Poor in Urban Areas in Morocco
- Story: Residents of Informal Settlements Access Water and Sanitation Services in Morocco
Challenge
Morocco is a middle-income country with good water infrastructure that provides access to safe drinking water and sanitation to most of the urban population. However, infrastructure was lagging in peri-urban illegal settlements, which often constituted a substantial portion of major cities; amounting to 1.2 million people in Casablanca, or 30 percent of the population. Inhabitants of urban and peri-urban areas relied on contaminated water from shallow wells, water providers who charge high unit prices, or standpipes which required mostly women or children to queue for hours. Most households used cesspits or poorly designed septic tanks, risking further groundwater contamination, while the poorest people often had no form of sanitation at all. These deficiencies had serious and direct impacts on people’s health, their ability to engage in economic activities, and children’s school attendance. These problems also harmed the finances of water utilities, which generally attain very low cost recovery from public standpipes.
ApproachIn 2005, the Government of Morocco and water utility operators in three cities requested a grant from the GPOBA to pilot the introduction of performance-based subsidies to encourage service expansion using an innovative output-based aid (OBA) approach. The outputs for which subsidies were disbursed were simultaneous network connections to water supply and sewerage services for individual households, or in the case of Meknes, connection to either service. The subsidy was operator- and service-specific (see Table 1 below) and paid in local currency in two steps: 60 percent upon certification by an Independent Technical Reviewer (ITR) of a working water and sewerage connection to an eligible household; and 40 percent upon verification by the ITR of at least six months of sustained service. The OBA approach helped refocus attention on household demand, which led to increased accountability, strengthened partnerships between local authorities and operators, and made monitoring of service delivery a priority. ResultsThe pilot provided subsidized access to water supply to 10,504 households and sanitation services to 9,036 households, hence benefitting more than 52,500 people. The program contributed to improve women and children’s living conditions as they were/are the major water provider/manager in the family. Households that were simultaneously connected to water supply and sanitation services through the pilot totaled:
Table 1: Subsidy Levels per Connection (Click to Enlarge) VoicesI moved to Lamkensa. There was no water, no sanitation. I had to take my jerrycans and wait in line to get water from the well. For three years we lived like that.— Fatima Louada lives in Lamkensa, an informal area at the edge of Casablanca with more than 7,300 homes. Before, without water, it was difficult to plan or do things. I felt doors were closed, but they are now finally open. Everything became possible. — Hassana Jaatouti lives in the outskirts of Meknes. Before the project was implemented, she relied on scarce and contaminated well water.
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For more information, please visit the Projects website. |
Contact information | n/a |
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News type | Inbrief |
File link |
http://go.worldbank.org/NTHYUDQHY0 |
Source of information | World Bank |
Keyword(s) | Water and Sanitation Services |
Subject(s) | ANALYSIS AND TESTS , CHARACTERISTICAL PARAMETERS OF WATERS AND SLUDGES , DRINKING WATER , DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION : COMMON PROCESSES OF PURIFICATION AND TREATMENT , HYDRAULICS - HYDROLOGY , INFRASTRUCTURES , PREVENTION AND NUISANCES POLLUTION , SANITATION -STRICT PURIFICATION PROCESSES , SLUDGES , WATER QUALITY |
Relation | http://web.worldbank.org/external/projects/main?Projectid=P102527&theSitePK=40941&piPK=73230&pagePK=64283627&menuPK=228424 |
Geographical coverage | Morocco |
News date | 25/04/2012 |
Working language(s) | ENGLISH |