. ASSESSING THE SUSTAINABILITY OF COMMUNITY MANAGED WATER SUPPLY SERVICES AND ITS FACTORS AMONG RURAL COMMUNITIES OF HARARI REGION, EASTERN ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Background: It is estimated that 35% of water supply systems in sub-Saharan Africa being out of operation at any given time. The majority of water facilities in the rural areas have either broken down or dried up. The sustainability of water supply services is influenced by various factors that have been explored in numerous studies on community-managed water supply systems. Nonetheless, many sustainability studies tend to focus on the number and proportion of non-functional water sources while failing to identify the underlying factors influencing sustainability. Consequently, the root causes of failures in maintaining the sustainability of rural water supply schemes remain unclear. Thus, it is evident that there is a need to undertake studies to address issues related to the sustainability of rural water supply projects. Objective: To assess the Sustainability of community managed water supply services and its factors among rural communities of Harari Region, Eastern Ethiopia. from August 7 to 28, 2023. Methods: Institution and community based cross-sectional mixed study design was conducted. nine kebeles in rural woredas were randomly selected and 105 water sources in these kebeles were included in the study. For each water point/source, 3-10 individuals were selected proportional to the number of water sources in each kebele. Sample households were selected using systematic random sampling technique. Overall sustainability of a water supply system was measured based on performance scoring approach that asked several questions to water source users or respondents. Ordinal multivariable regression was done to identify independent variables associated with sustainability. Result: The majority, 72(68.6%) of the water sources were under potentially sustainable class. The rest 19(18.1%) of water sources were unsustainable. Location wise, Erer Woreda had higher percentage of sustainable water sources 7(19.4%) compared to Sofi which had 4(11.7%) and Dire Teyara with only 3(8.6%) sustainable water sources. Community participation, technical factor, and location of water sources (woreda) were significantly associated with sustainability of water sources. Conclusion The findings stress the necessity for multifaceted strategies, including improved community participation, technical capacity, and infrastructure maintenance, to ensure the longevity of water sources. Addressing these challenges will be crucial in securing a reliable and sustainable water supply for rural communities in the region.