Village-level Operation and Maintenance (pumps) - Implementation

Implementation

The concept of Village Level Operation and Maintenance Management in relation to communal handpumps has gained wide acceptance in the rural water sector. Project and pump designs based on VLOM principles are now commonplace. However, implementation of handpump programs in accordance with VLOM criteria have been only partially successful and the VLOM approach to maintenance has been very difficult to realize in the field, especially in Africa. As a result, VLOM technology is increasingly seen as only one amongst many components needed for the sustainable provision of village water supplies. Difficulties with the introduction of VLOM have called into question a number of inherent assumptions in the concept relating to the user community, the supporting environment and technology choice. Of particular importance is the assumption that introducing and supporting VLOM is an easier task for government than running a centralized maintenance service. VLOM has undoubtedly brought the answer to sustainability a little closer; however, the goal of easy maintenance remains elusive. Perhaps the greatest lesson is that there is currently no ‘off-the-shelf’solutions which can bypass the need for effective government institutions for community water point support. Wherever this problem is unresolved, and where there are no NGOs or other agencies to fill the gap, sustainability will always be in doubt. Unfortunately there are no simple solutions on the horizon for sub-Saharan Africa, which experiences these problems most acutely.