Information on Water Services, Sewerage, Water Sources and Sewage Ponds Available for Public Access and Use by July 2017. (KIG0004)

Issue to be addressed: Water is life. Without water no activity can be done. Access to water fosters growth of economic activity. Presence of clean water supply reduces outbreaks of infectious diseases such as cholera and diarrhoeal disease. Currently, only 40% of Kigoma Ujiji residents have access to equitable safe and clean water. No Sanitation services provided by the government except at individual level. Staff at Water authority is being paid but people do not know why not, when will and how they are getting this important service. Shouts are here and there. The Municipality wants to address this issue by providing them with clear information about the provision of water services. The Municipal intends to links its residents with central government generated water points mapping system so that they can see on their own the status of service provision and make it easy for them to monitor. Primary objective: To provide information on water services, sewerage, water sources and sewage ponds for public access and use. Short description: Citizen demands high quality public service provision, by adopting open data and participatory planning for water point, distribution and monitoring of water supply can be managed. Proactively publishing data help to identify amount of water use, access point location, management, consumption, and quality and investment decision. This can engage wider community in service improvement and planning appropriate reforms. Kigoma Ujiji intend to publish information online so as to allow citizen voices in policy planning to direct infrastructure investments where they are needed most. OGP challenge: To open data to improve access to water by making up to date information on the status and location of available water points to citizens in order to make water services more accessible, efficient and accountable. To achieve this commitment, the Municipality intends to do the following: Provide status reports access to clean water and waste water every month for each street; Publish information network of water supply and sewage networks to the entire Municipality; Disclosure of revenue and expenditure on clean water and sewage projects; Publish information on water sources and wastewater pools.

4. Water Services Transparency

Commitment text

Information on water services, sewerage, water sources and sewage ponds available for public access and use by July 2017.

Citizens demand high quality public service provision, by adopting open data and participatory planning for water point, distribution and monitoring of water supply can be managed. Proactively publishing data will help to identify amount of water use, access point location, management, consumption, and quality and investment decision. This can engage the wider community in service improvement and planning appropriate reforms. Kigoma Ujiji Municipal Council intends to publish information online so as to allow citizen voices in policy planning and to direct infrastructure investments where they are needed most.

Milestones

4.1. Provide status reports on access to clean water and waste water every month for each street

4.2. Publish information network of water supply and sewage networks to the entire Municipality quarterly

4.3. Disclosure of revenue and expenditure on clean water and sewage projects every month

4.4. Publish information on water sources and wastewater pools monthly

Commitment Overview

Commitment aim

Overall Objective & Relevance

According to the action plan, citizens of Kigoma Ujiji face poor access to water services and sanitation facilities, with only 40% of the population connected to the current water supply network, and many are unable to find out when water will become available in their households. ^{Only very recently a major water project has been confirmed that will bring a majority of Kigoma Ujiji residents into the water grid, http://allafrica.com/stories/201611070307.html.} The water authority is the Kigoma Ujiji Water and Sanitation Authority (KUWASA) which reports to the water sector regulator (the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority -EWURA). KUWASA receives central government subsidies by law. However, KUWASA is not obliged by law to disclose information related to their finances, even though the Municipal Council has the mandate to scrutinize them. Ultimately, KUWASA is accountable to the Ministry for Water and Irrigation in accordance with the law. Data related to KUWASA’s finances and operations is not available, making it difficult for citizens to monitor the provision of water services in Kigoma Ujiji. In light of the limited accessibility of water and sewage services amidst growing demand, ^{This is confirmed by the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment conducted for World Bank Tanzania Strategic Cities Project in 2017 available at http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/990601496330989952/pdf/SFG3397-V4-EA-P111153-Box402912B-PUBLIC-Disclosed-6-1-2017.pdf.} this commitment aims to make information on water services, sewerage, water sources, and sewage ponds available to the public by July 2017.

The intended result is to provide the public with reliable access to credible information on water and sanitation services. The commitment is relevant to the OGP value of access to information because the publication of information water resources will provide citizens with access to critical government-held data that was previously unavailable.

Specificity and Potential Impact

The commitment has medium specificity. The commitment provides broad timelines of when it will be achieved as well as the timelines for the attainment of the individual milestones. It also proposes milestones that could be easily verified. However, the process through which such publication will be made lacks detail, especially regarding the format of the data and how it will be presented.

If implemented fully, the commitment could represent a major change for citizens, considering the current lack of accessibility to water resources in the municipality. If the information published is easy to access and understand, citizens could make informed decisions about their use of water, allowing for better planning (for example knowing when water would be available and at which specific water points). This commitment could have additional indirect benefits. For example, it could enhance public accountability of KUWASA towards its service users. As citizens engage in providing feedback on water resources, they could be able to provide the necessary oversight and means for verification for the data being reported. The availability of data on water resources could also allow the Municipal Council to hold the authority (KUWASA) accountable for its delivery (or lack thereof) of water services in the municipal. However, the lack of additional details limits the potential to transform the status quo.

Completion
Not started

Implementation of this commitment has not started. There is no evidence of any progress made with this commitment as a review of the Council website suggests no publication of the relevant information. The commitment was not started because KUWASA (the responsible authority) did not receive funds from the Water Ministry to give to the Council to implement it.

There is also no evidence of any civil society engagement with this commitment. During interviews with civil society representatives, it was noted that civil society has been absent in monitoring progress made in this sector, unlike other sectors like open budgeting.

Early Results: did it open government?
Access to information: No change

Because none of the intended information from this commitment has been published, access to information has not changed.

Recommendations

While access to water continues to be a critical need for residents of Kigoma, neither the Municipal Council nor citizens are able to exert much influence over the authority (KUWASA) responsible for its delivery. KUWASA is accountable by law to the national Water Ministry, making it difficult for the Municipal Council to enforce any accountability. Given this context, it is unlikely that the Council will make meaningful progress with this commitment due to the very limited control the Council has over KUWASA. Therefore, the IRM researcher recommends that the Council not carry this commitment forward in order to focus attention on other equally demanding commitments.