Concepts and terminology: an introduction to multiple uses and functions in water services Stef Smits IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre Multiple-Use Services Group

What do these situations have in common?

Functions and uses UsesFunctions and Roles Domestic water Sanitation and wastewater management Irrigation Transportation Hydropower Environmental flows Flood protection Groundwater recharge Support to fishing Tourism Support to natural ecosystems (biodiversity) Social functions linked to the infrastructure and management Recreation Soil conservation Habitat improvements (raw materials for construction, shade, cooling effect,...)

Defining multiple-use and functions of services Multiple-use of water takes place at different levels: –River basin/catchment –“system” / infrastructure –Community –Homestead Multiple-use and functions in water services, refers to the explicit catering for these in services provision

Defining as an approach Definition by Van Koppen et al. (2006): a participatory, integrated and poverty-reduction focused approach in poor rural and peri-urban areas, which takes people’s multiple water needs as a starting point for providing integrated services, moving beyond the conventional sectoral barriers of the domestic and productive sectors Key elements: –People’s multiple water needs as starting point –Service delivery approach –Integration –Institutional change to move beyond barriers Scale and levels

Objective of mus Services to meet people’s multiple needs: –Domestic (drinking, cooking, etc) –Productive: irrigation, livestock, home-based industries, processing of agricultural products –Functions: flood protection, fisheries, recreation, etc Expectation to contribute to multiple aspects of MDGs

Service delivery approach The provision of access to water of a given quality and quantity with given services characteristics – timeliness, flexibility, reliability - at a given place – water ladder Through combination of technologies (infrastructure) and service arrangements (financing mechanisms, management arrangements, etc), to climb the ladder Not all water needs to come out of one all-encompassing infrastructure: multiple sources for multiple uses

Levels of scale Main focus: from homestead to system; catchment normally considered in IWRM Often different forms of multiple-use and functions at different nested levels E.g. Multiple uses of water at and around homestead provided by different systems, which at the same time fulfil multiple needs and functions at community level

MUS as a NEW service delivery paradigm for rural areas Base philosophy –Effective service provision to reduce rural poverty What is the service? –Providing water services that are fitted to rural peoples lifestyles and livelihoods What are the challenges –Understanding livelihoods –Understanding actual – and potential – role of water within them –Providing appropriate services!

How to achieve paradigm shift Planned vs de facto multiple-uses Domestic-plus, irrigation (productive)-plus, ecosystem approaches and mus-from-onset Current institutional arrangements have resulted in single-use services and sectoral approaches Institutional change: –Expanding institutional mandate of sector organisations, starting from each one’s mandate –Coordination between sectors –Multi-stakeholder approaches Entry points are, for scaling-up

In conclusion Multiple use and functions of water are obvious; how to cater for them in service provision is the big question Requires a service delivery approach from homestead to system level, embedded within IWRM at catchment level Paradigm shift, requiring institutional change to come to more integrated services