Water and sanitation services need to last indefinitely, but the duration of aid is limited. Aid must therefore be used to help local institutions not just develop infrastructure but also operate and maintain water and sanitation services well into the future.
That requires a shift in focus from aid effectiveness to development effectiveness: funding becomes the catalyst for change, aid is channelled through the country’s sector budget, and local agencies acquire the resources—both financial and human—to ensure lasting provision of water and sanitation services, throughout the life-cycle of the infrastructure.
Read more on shifting from aid effectiveness to development effectiveness in this briefing note produced by Jean de la Harpe (2012) on making aid effective at the local level:
