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Information and Communication Technologies

for Development

Topic
p Sheet

The use of ICT in the Water Sector


Management Information Systems to support regulators and resource management

On behalf of the German Government, GTZ contributes


Context to achieving these aims. ICT, if applied in line with local
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) conditions, can be a promising instrument towards impro-
have the potential to make a fundamental difference to ved and more effective management of the scarce water
the lives of people all over the world. By creating access resources. Software solutions for regulatory authorities or
to information, enabling communication and facilita- resource management commissions facilitate their all im-
ting transactions, technical solutions can help reaching portant work.
development objectives in various sectors. As the field
of ICT for development is inherently multidisciplina-
ry, it offers opportunities for e. g. good governance,
health or education. This topic sheet highlights the role
of ICT in supporting GTZ projects on water supply
and sanitation and water resource management.

Water shortages have become a constant challenge in


several regions of the world. Many countries are con-
fronted with problems associated with inadequate sup-
ply of drinking water, wastewater management and ba-
sic sanitation. More than half of the world’s population
will suffer from water shortages by the year 2015 if this
problem is not dealt with. Through the Millennium ICT to support regulators
Development Goals, the international community has
committed itself to halving the proportion of people Water Supply and Sanitation (WSS) services are essential
without access to safe drinking water and basic sani- for human life and well-being. Ensuring that good quali-
tation by 2015. This requires a number of actions at ty water is distributed equitably, reliably and efficiently is
all levels of development cooperation right up to the the objective of the regulator. A task that often proves dif-
international political arena. ficult, because the basis of a sound WSS management is
usually missing: reliable information about the quantities
and qualities and how the system is managed. An Infor-
mation Technology based WSS system can add real value.
It provides regulators, policy makers and service providers
Approach
with the basic data for improving water services and with
On a political level, the task of the international communi- the instruments to measure nationwide coverage. Bench-
ty is to establish an institutional framework for worldwide marking, for example, allows the comparison of WSS
action. On a national level, it is necessary to implement competitors and helps identifying good and bad perfor-
modern water policy principles, to create adequate institu- mers. Software solutions can promote accountability and
tional and legal frameworks as well as efficient organisations transparency in the water sector. The GTZ has successful-
and effective administrative structures. ly supported the implementation of a digital monitoring
Impact
Resource information management leads to a better un-
derstanding of the complex natural environment on which
our lives depend, and how it evolves under the influence of
society. ICT can provide accessable data for rational deci-
sion making with respect to environmental issues both in
politics and corporate management. GTZ projects focus on
a demand-driven implementation of information techno-
logies for IWMR via joint capacity development in order
to encourage a responsible usage of the available water re-
sources.
system for water regulation authorities in Zambia, Tanza-
nia and Kenya. Long-term technical support in combi-
nation with a pronounced focus on the human and or-
ganisational factor has enabled the regulators to own the
Lessons learned
process and accordingly, make it sustainable. In Zambia,
after the software developed with GTZ was installed, the 쐍 ICT can serve as a facilitating medium, it is no
regulator NWASCO revealed that coverage rates for water sufficient condition; ICT can help attain the goal
in urban areas had to be revised downwards from 90% to of sustainable development when implemented
47% compared to MDG monitoring. Accessable know- carefully
ledge about the sector is crucial for effective strategies 쐍 implementation never completely finishes; there is
on how to reach the water and sanitation MDG targets. a continuous training and preventive maintenance
of the software and hardware
쐍 ownership and sustainability of a new techno-
Resource management
logical system can only be achieved when the
Lake Chad and the Congo River Basin are amongst the lar- (predominantly free and open source) software
gest natural water resources in Africa. The Lake Chad provi- solution is demandoriented and complemented
des water for more than 20 million people living in the four by capacity development
countries that surround it. The Congo River, with a length
쐍 although the context may vary from country to
of 4,700 km, is the largest of the continent. Being used for
country, there is potential to learn from positive
drinking water supply, agriculture, fishery and transport,
experiences
both sources are economically, socially and politically very
important for all their riparian countries. Without a func-
tioning transboundary water management concept, these
common goods face a progressive degradation. Due to cli-
matic factors and the uncoordinated diversion of river flows
Lake Chad has lost almost 90 percent of its original surface
area in the past four decades. An integrated water resour-
ce management (IWMR) shall counter exploitation of the
ecosystem, have positive impacts on the social situation of
the population and lead to regional economic growth. Ga-
thering information as a basis to foster cooperation is the
central objective of Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC)
and Commission Internationale du Bassin Congo-Ouban-
gui-Sangha (CICOS). The GTZ provides these authorities
with technical and methodological advice on establishing a
sound knowledge management system that improves coo-
peration in resource management between riparian states.

Contact
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Design
Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH Barbara Reuter
E barbarareuter-grafik@web.de
Sector Project "ICT for Development"
Dag-Hammarskjöld-Weg 1-5
65760 Eschborn/Germany
Eschborn, July 2009
T +49 61 96 79-0
F +49 61 96 79-1115
E ict@gtz.de
I www.gtz.de

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