An Examination of the Causal Conditions to Successful Revenue Collection for Preventive Maintenance Services to Sustain Rural Water Systems

This research brief presents findings from a comparative analysis by University of Colorado Boulder of the conditions that influence whether rural water users pay for preventive maintenance of water services. Whave, a partner of the USAID-funded Sustainable WASH Systems Learning Partnership (SWS), uses a preventive maintenance model to support sustainable water services in Uganda’s Kamuli District. Whave technicians receive payments in exchange for providing service quality and operational reliability of water sources, and factors such as access to other nearby water sources and perceived water quality influence the willingness of communities to pay.

This analysis reveals that successful payment compliance cannot be attributed to any one condition, and a comprehensive understanding of how multiple factors influence payment compliance is necessary to increase water system sustainability.