CBO managed water supply projects in mitigating rural water deficiency in the selected coastal villages of Akkaraipattu region, Sri Lanka

Abstract

The inadequacy of safe drinking water is a serious problem and it has major impacts on rural communities. Thus, this study has been done based on the data collection through surveys, interview, focus group discussion, and consultation of CBO managed water supply report at National Water Supply and Drainages Board, Akkaraipattu region. Using the secondary information, this paper demonstrates the implementation and progress of community water supply scheme in the rural segments of study area with the support of Community-Based Organizations, and it explores community water projects or Rural Water Supply – RWS, which was implemented by the NWSDB in the selected villages in the study community. This study found that the CBO managed water facilities in terms of community water supply scheme was feasible system for reducing water poverty from village segments. Further, it reveals that the participation of local people was very poor in the CBO managed water projects due to the lack of technical knowledge and coordination as well as other social, economic, psychological and cultural factorsthat have contributed on their lower participation in this effort. However, the CBOs need to be motivated and empowered to amalgamate rural people to ensure the sustainability of the community water project in order to eradicate water crisis from rural communities especially from study villages in Akkaraipattu region. Hence, this study is a crucial attempt to find a communal calamity which is nationally and globally challengeable threat for human security. So, this study needs to be extended in a wider academic platform in the future field research.