Meeting the Sustainable Development Goal for universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water by 2030 requires utilities serving the poorest households to play critical roles. Yet these utilities are frequently unable to cover their current operational costs, much less expand access, through existing tariffs and transfers. New models and approaches are needed to identify new sources of sustainable subsidies for these utilities.

Financial viability of water service providers starts at the governance level. A well-governed and regulated water sector is the base for financially sustainable water utilities. When the right foundations are in place and when utilities are incentivized properly, they are encouraged to run their operations in a technical and financially sustainable manner. Therefore, technical, financial and regulatory aspects are interlinked.

The Cagayan de Oro City Water District (COWD) was formed on 1 August 1973 and is recognized as the first water district in the country. It is responsible for providing water supply to Cagayan De Oro City and the Municipality of Opol, and has about 85,000 customers. Like many water utilities in developing Asia, COWD is confronted by issues related to water losses and inadequate supply largely due to system inefficiencies and an ever increasing population. Staff capacity is also limited further adding to the challenge of operating a complex water network.

This impact assessment is the result of a qualitative review of the impact of the Tanzania Integrated Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (iWASH) Program based on a selection of case studies collected in two of the recipient villages. It forms part of the documentation initiative of the iWASH Program.

The objective of the Resilience in the Limpopo Basin Program (RESILIM) of USAID Southern Africa is to enhance the resilience of people and ecosystems in the Limpopo Basin Program (LRB) by strengthening the capacity of the Limpopo Watercourse Commission (LIMCOM), and its key stakeholders, to address issues of climate change adaptation and biodiversity conservation within the context of trans-boundary integrated water resources management (IWRM).