Final evaluation of the USAID/Togo rural water supply and sanitation project

The project was highly successful, having provided potable water to 864 villages (some 600,000 persons). A total of 1,048 boreholes, 3 springs, 256 cisterns, and 473 latrines were constructed. Key to both the construction effort and the long-term operation and maintenance of the systems was the establishment of a Village Development Committee (VDC) in each project village. Coordination was difficult in the beginning because of a complex project structure involving four donors and three Government of Togo (GOT) ministries. Nonetheless, after a mid-term review considerable improvements were made, especially regarding coordination between the drilling and village development components. Training of GOT field agents and of VDC"s (each including a president, secretary, treasurer, pump repairman, woman pump caretaker, woman ORT demonstrator, and committee advisors) was an integral activity and effective participatory methodologies were used. VDC members received specialized training in their fields, and 120 GOT field agents each received about 160 days of training, an amount which was well justified. The project"s community participation strategy included village meetings, workshops for villagers, and follow-up and evaluation of community activities. This process of community organizing and training required careful follow-up by the field agents for several years. In the majority of cases, where the field agents were motivated and persistent, this strategy was very effective. Contracting for borehole drilling with a private firm was effective and efficient; costs were cut by one-third by this means. Siting of boreholes was also effectively accomplished through contracting with a French geologic firm. Due to procurement delays, however, 340 boreholes were without pumps for more than 2 years. Pump maintenance has been generally effective but improvements are still needed. The cost and availability of some pump parts have not been satisfactory, and overworked regional repair teams have not been able to respond quickly to village needs. Springs and cisterns as alternative water supply technologies were found to be effective. Cisterns, in particular, are important alternatives in areas without groundwater resources. (About 33% of the boreholes were dry.) The cisterns are rather expensive, however, and studies on less expensive models are needed. Latrine construction was also effective but covered only a small percentage of project villages. Again, studies are needed to find less expensive designs. More emphasis is needed on latrine construction. Increased emphasis is also needed on protecting the water quality of boreholes. Some 15-20% of boreholes have bacteriological contamination.