USAID/Lesotho"s rural water and sanitation project

Audit report covers the period 8/79-9/83 and is based on document review, site visits, and interviews with USAID/L and contractor officials. The project is well on it way to building a strong institutional base to generate development activities. Construction is slightly ahead of schedule: some 46 rural water supply systems have been completed and 39 others are under construction. In addition, a procurement plan has been implemented, commodities purchased, a 2-year work plan developed and updated, and 4 regional/district maintenance centers and 7 staff houses completed. Project training is well ahead of schedule with 54 masons, 20 foremen, 12 supervisors, and 348 waterminders trained. The project"s health education component has made considerable progress in coordinating water and sanitation activities at the village level and by planning village health worker training. A maintenance support program has been developed and integrated with the newly constructed maintenance centers. Two problem areas, however, threaten long-term institutionalization of project activities. First is the questionable ability of the GOL - due to its austerity program and fiscal crisis - to meet recurrent costs. Little action has been taken to resolve this problem; USAID/L feels that user fees are not feasible, but has agreed to study options to increase user contributions. Second, no system is yet in place to channel village contributions to the Village Water Supply Section of the Ministry of Rural Development so that they can be used to offset water system maintenance costs.