RiPPLE Blog

With the inclusion of Multiple-use Water Services (MUS) in the latest review of the Ethiopian Universal Access Plan (UAP) as the default option for achieving water services coverage, policymakers in Ethiopia need to start understanding what MUS is, why it is being advocated and what implications are for policy makers.  The following Policy Bulletin offers recommendations on MUS, based on RiPPLE case study findings and outcomes of the 2nd International Symposium on MUS we co-hosted with the MUS group.

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The Government of Ethiopia has recently revised its Universal Access Plan (UAP) for Water and Sanitation, which aims to ensure the entire population has access to these essential services by 2012. Considerable progress has been made since the UAP was adopted in 2005, but this has been slower than hoped and 46% of the population remained without access to improved water supply at the time of the UAP review in July 2008. Aiming to accelerate the expansion of services, the revised UAP now promotes low-cost technologies and self-supply (households or communities investing in and constructing their own services) as priority strategies to expand access.

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Ahead of World Water Day on 22 March, 20,000 people have gathered in Istanbul to discuss the world’s water problems. Not all are government ministers, NGO activists and water professionals. A party of noisy school kids jostle for space with the suits, clutching umbrellas and scooping up the literature on display. Most of it will end in the bin, but those scanning the headlines will see the same two words again and again: climate change.

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The World Water Forum 5 is overwhelmed by a great number of participants from all over the  world discussing about water related issues. It is really exciting to see such a large number of participants coming here and discuss, share knowledge, etc about water. I have had the chance to attend more than one theme, as attendance to sessions is as you prefer. One of the themes is climate change.

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On sector learning platforms where a range of stakeholders are represented, as policy intentions and directions along with practical experiences are presented and debated, one gets a vivid picture of the contrast between theory and reality. This happened, recently, when the Forum for Learning on Water and Sanitation (FLoWS), convening for the third time, provided the platform to reflect on current directions of Water Supply and Sanitation (WSS) financing in Ethiopia.

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The thirds Forum for Learning on Water and Sanitation (FLoWS) meeting was held successfully on November 28th at Dire International Hotel, Adama/Nazareth town, with more than 70 participants from the federal and regional governments, non government organizations and donors.

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Around 70 participants attended the second MUS international symposium organized here in Addis Ababa at ILRI campus. With the objective of providing a platform for sharing and consolidating experiences and lessons learnt on different aspects of providing multiple –use water services and discuss implications for taking the MUS approach forward.

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This is the keremt season in Ethiopia, driver of most of the Nile’s annual flow. In coming decades change will come to regional climate patterns, but how, where and when is only beginning to be understood. That the Nile regime will change is highly likely. But before rainfall reaches the river it replenishes groundwater, provides surface sources for livestock and drives key production systems. How will these be affected? What can be done to mitigate adverse impacts? How can communties begin a process of adaptation that will strengthen their livelihood security? Ethiopia’s National Action Plan on Adaptation helps point the way in some respects. But there is still a gap between the undertstanding of anticipated change and levels at which adaptation (policy and practice) can and should take place. The RiPPLE programme welcomes your views on these and related issues!

A new resource has been released on Learning Alliances, based on the experiences of a project from the International Center of Tropical Agriculture (CIAT).

“Ever since 2003 the Rural Agro-Enterprises Development Project of the International Center of Tropical Agriculture, CIAT, has facilitated the Learning Alliance for Rural Agro-Enterprises in Central America. This initiative promotes collaborative learning processes amongst different social actors of research, development, public and private sectors leading to promote institutional innovations which facilitate the implementation of development activities and more effective policies that may contribute to generating sustainable rural livelihoods in developing countries.”

An executive summary in English and full report in Spanish are available at: PRGA News: Assessment of CIAT’s Experience with the Learning Alliance in Central America

The Addis Ababa office of the ‘RiPPLE’ Program, this year at the Stockholm 2008 World Water Week (August 17^th – 22^nd), is represented by its Policy Officer, Bethel Terefe.

In this International Year of Sanitation a key question is: how can the case be made for sanitation, to draw the attention of national governments, donors and funding institutions?

This issue is being debated at this conference.

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