Using a systems approach in managing and evaluating water and sanitation development projects

Access to safe water and sanitation services is a chronic problem for 40% of people around the world and has remained intractable for decades. Inappropriate technology, systemic corruption in the allocation of funding, population growth, migration patterns, and the availability of water are some of the factors that contribute to the global problem. Any hope for sustainable development and improvements in human health and welfare in these developing communities is contingent on the resolution of these and other contributing factors. Holistic systems thinking is needed in these situations. This project examines the application of so-called ldquohardrdquo systems approaches to a community-based water and sanitation project in the Limpopo province of South Africa. In its first year of involvement, a student team of systems engineers developed a systems framework for managing this community-based project which brings together an international multidisciplinary team of engineers, environmental scientists, planners, physicians, and nurses. They have all worked and continue to work closely with two selected villages, municipal government officials, and traditional leaders from the region, to develop a comprehensive model for community-based delivery of sustained access to safe water, sanitation services, and improved outcomes in community health in the region. However, it is found that hard systems approaches prove to be inadequate in managing the plurality of rationalities, disciplines, and stakeholders typically involved in these types of development situations and that alternative systems approaches should be explored.