Based on national standards, the 7 boreholes and 3 standpipes in the village of Komsilga, Burkina Faso, are sufficient to supply water to 3,600 people. Since only 1,500 people live in the village, you might think that they had water in abundance.
In reality, only half of the villagers receive a basic level of service and half a limited if any service at all. The provision of a basic water service by a small network costs 9 times more in investment and 54 times more in operation and maintenance than a similar level of service provided by a handpump.
These are some of the findings in a new working paper by Dr Christelle Pezon from IRC’s WASHCost project, which describes the analytical framework and the methodological tools developed to cost rural water service levels.
Pezon, C., 2012. Evaluer le coût d’un service pérenne d’eau potable au Burkina Faso: méthodes et outils. (WASHCost document de travail ; n°5). The Hague, The Netherlands, IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre. Available at: www.washcost.info/page/2663
For more on WASHCost Burkina Faso see: www.washcost.info/page/475
Visit the WASHCost campaign page: campaign.washcost.info
