Report: Locally integrated water management in the Andromba plain Madagascar

The project aims at satisfying basic water and sanitation needs of the rural population living on the Andromba plain within an integrated water management perspective whilst building capacity of local actors to ensure sustainable mngmt of the water

The program during 2010 concentrated on giving access to drinking water to the populations in the municipalities of Antambolo, Alakamisy, Ambatomirahavavy, and Morarano (see figure 1 for the situation in September 2009). Each municipality is composed of several administrative units called Fokontany; which can either be villages, parts of towns and villages, or hamlets ( small settlements of 20 -50 houses).
In our initial project proposal for PWX we estimated that the project would provide 3,500 people water in the municipality of Antambolo and 4,340 people in Alakimisy during 2010. For reasons explained the final report, the project has finally provided a total of 4.050 people with drinking water during 2010 and systems for 10.722 people are under construction during 2011/2012.

1. The project has provided 2,746 people (including 621 schoolchildren) with water in the municipality of Antambolo, and another system for 1,047 people is in the study phase and will be built end 2011.
2. The project has provided 572 people with water in the municipality of Ambatomirahavavy.
3. The project has provided 732 people with water in the municipality of Morarano.
4. The project has spend a lot of time on the feasibility study and design phase for the system in the municipality of Alakamisy, the actual building work has recently started to provide 9,675 people with water (the system is designed for a projected expansion of population up to 15.000). This system will be built in 2011 and 2012, in cooperation with JIRAMA, the Madagascar public drinking water service.

The municipality is the legal owner of the water systems

The water users committees are trained to run the systems.

The 6 muncipalities, assembled in OPCI, hired a technician to do maintenance and repair work. He is financed by the contribution of the water users and by the munipalities.

Feasibility studies and negotations with JIRAMA, the public water company, took a lot of time, but finally, a good solution was found for Alakamisy at an acceptable budget. This large system will be constructed during 2011. A lot of materials were already purchased during 2010.
Although Madagascar politics is in a period of transition this should have no impact on the execution of the project. First stakeholders are the water committees and the local government – they are not directly concerned by the political instability.

Long negotation time to find good collaboration with JIRAMA, the public owned drinking water agency of Madagascar, mainly for urban zones.

Conflict situation with one "rich" family arose in Antambolo.