Unlocking the Potential of ICTs Field Review of Case Study –Tanzania i UNLOCKING THE POTENTIAL OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE WATER AND SANITATION SERVICES TANZANIA CASE STUDY By Mouhamed Fadel Ndaw and Kristoffer Welsien November 2015 PREFACE This report has been prepared for the Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) Study on “Unlocking the Potential of ICT Services in the Water and Sanitation Sector”. The study builds on and complements the World Banks’ Africa Regional Strategy (2011) and the World Bank Group’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) strategy (2012). It further complements the E- Transform Africa series, a collaboration between the African Development Bank, the World Bank and the African Union, which captures the existing use of ICT in six sectors (agriculture, climate change, education, health, financial services, government) and two cross-cutting themes (regional trade and integration, ICT competitiveness). WSP has spearheaded the use of ICT in many countries in particular with its contribution in financing the use of the mWater pilot platform in countries such as Senegal, Mali, Niger and Benin, Akvo Flow and Fulcrum in Liberia and Sierra Leone and Maji Voice in Kenya. As many sector stakeholders are interested to learn from these pilot interventions, it is necessary to improve the documentation on these experiences and propose practical modalities for scale-up. There is also a very strong drive around the use of ICT in the WASH sector and a growing interest among external partners. As such, there is a need to develop clearer partnership platforms with both short- (i.e. project specific) and medium-term objectives, to understand the potential information that can be generated through ICT, increase accessibility to and use of that information, and ensure that ICT generated information is implemented more sustainably in support of WASH objectives. The study was carried out by the Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) of the World Bank to fill a gap in understanding how the potential of ICT can improve water and sanitation services globally with a particular emphasis in Africa. It covers a global desk review and case studies in 7 African countries (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Senegal, Benin, Niger and Liberia), complemented by cases from other regions (Latin America, North America, South Asia and East Asia) and analyses strengths and weaknesses of existing ICT tools. It also provides evidence on how ICT can be used to leapfrog the water and sanitation sector towards more sustainable service delivery. As such, this study sought to not only document experiences of ICT use in the WASH sector but also analyze them within a framework of enabling factors and barriers in terms of Vision, Process, Customer/User, Service Delivery, Human Capacity, Governance and Finance. Unlocking the Potential of ICTs Field Review of Case Study –Tanzania iii TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 1 2. LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS ...................................................................................................... 2 2.1 Regulatory and Operating Environment .................................................................... 2 2.1.1 ICT policy........................................................................................... 3 2.1.2 ICT use in the WASH sector ............................................................. 3 2.2 Selected ICT4WASH Applications in Tanzania ........................................................ 3 2.2.1 ICT in DAWASCO ............................................................................. 3 2.2.2 Management Information System for the Ministry of Water and Irrigation .......................................................................................................... 5 3. Case Study: MWATER ......................................................................................................... 8 3.1 Description Of The mWater Platform ........................................................................ 8 3.1.1 Vision ................................................................................................. 8 3.1.2 Process............................................................................................ 10 3.1.3 Customers/Users ............................................................................. 12 3.1.4 Human Capacity .............................................................................. 12 3.1.5 Finance ............................................................................................ 12 3.2 Data Analysis and Findings..................................................................................... 14 3.3 Discussion ............................................................................................................... 16 3.3.1 Trends in the WASH indicators captured by the ICT tool ............... 16 3.3.2 Trends in the use and operation of the ICT application itself .......... 16 3.3.3 Gaps in data coverage .................................................................... 16 3.4 Opportunities and Challenges ................................................................................. 17 4. CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................... 19 ANNEX A: LIST OF STAKEHOLDERS CONSULTED .................................................................... 20 ANNEX B: PICTORIAL OF FIELD MISSION ................................................................................... 21 References .................................................................................................................................. Ref-1 List of Tables: Table 1: Impact assessment of the Majidata tool using the Impact chain analysis .......................... 14 List of Figures: Figure 1: Institutional Framework of the Water Sector in Tanzania ................................................... 2 Figure 2: On-spot billing and printing hardware .................................................................................. 5 Figure 3: Sample data collection on the mWater mobile phone application ....................................... 9 ACRONYMS DAWASCO Dar es Salaam Water and Sewerage Corporation EWURA Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority GoT Government of Tanzania ICT Information and Communication Technology LGA Local Government Authority LVBWO Lake Victoria Basin Water Office MOW Ministry of Water (formerly Ministry of Water and Irrigation) MWAUWASA Mwanza Urban Water and Sewerage Authority MCC Mwanza City Council MIS Management Information System O&M Operation and Maintenance TBS Tanzania Bureau of Standards WASH Water, Sanitation and Hygiene WPM Water Point Mapping WQ Water Quality WSDP Water Sector Development Program USAID United States Agency for International Development Unlocking the Potential of ICT Field Review of Case Studies – Tanzania 1 1. INTRODUCTION The WASH sector in Tanzania faces various challenges including but not limited to inadequate governance and management of water resources, inadequate regulatory structures to manage and monitor ground water development, degradation of water sources and catchments and low levels of public participation in water sector plans and developments. The National Water Policy of 2002 proposed the use of technical, economic, administrative, legal, regulatory and participatory instruments to implement its policy objectives. This provided an opportunity for the use of ICT tools that support operation of systems, integration of data and dissemination of information. The National Water Policy has however not been fully operationalised, and therefore has not created the necessary environment to stimulate the use of ICT in the sector. The development and implementation of ICT tools and applications in the WASH sector has consequently been left in the hands of the individual stakeholders, with no strategic direction or coordinated effort. For example, in Dar es Salaam, the urban water subsector through DAWASCO has developed various tools to support its business processes and the rural water subsector through the Ministry of Water has developed ICT applications to collect data in quality and quantity of water points. There is potential to improve the process of data collection and the use and dissemination of information through mobile technologies that are affordable and user-friendly. This has been evidenced by the growth of ICT mobile applications in other sectors, including the finance sector. In the WASH sector, various ICT applications have been developed to support different functions such as data collection, monitoring of water points, and improvement of communication between service providers and communities. Furthermore the promotion of ICT is high on the agenda of the Government of Tanzania, as evidenced by the focus on their planned e-government project, an initiative that intends to use ICT to integrate data and promote inter-governmental coordination and data sharing. In addition to providing the ICT tools needed to store and manage data, the e- government initiative plans to provide a central direction for the application of ICT within the different Ministries, Departments and Agencies. This report presents findings of a field study in Tanzania that took place in September 2014. The first section offers a landscape analysis, looking at the regulatory and operating environment, existing ICT use in the WASH sector, the current state of ICT policy and then a more detailed look at ICT applications currently in use in the Tanzanian WASH sector. The second section then looks specifically at the case of the mWater application. As part of each country case study one to two ICT initiatives were examined in detail using the dual framework analysis introduced and described in the Analytical Report1.This allowed for an increased in-depth assessment of the barriers and enabling factors of success faced by ICTs currently in play in the African WASH sector and supported the highlighting of key principles upon which successful sustainability and scalability models can be constructed. This case study report was prepared based on mWater reports and on interviews and focus group discussions carried out among implementers and project participants in Mwanza. The stakeholders that were consulted during the preparation of this report are presented in Annex A. 1 All referenced study reports can be found on the Unlocking ICT Potential site in the Resources Folder. Submitted Reports - Study on Unlocking ICT Potential 2. LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS 2.1 Regulatory and Operating Environment The responsibility for provision of water and sanitation in Tanzania lies with the Ministry of Water (formerly Ministry of Water and Irrigation). There are however several ministries and government departments that share the mandate for the provision of safe water and sanitation. Rural water services in the country are provided by the Local Government Authorities while urban water services are provided by regional water supply service authorities. The Ministry of Water exercises its mandate through a 20-year Water Sector Development Program (WSDP) that focuses on Water Resources Management; Rural Water Supply and Sanitation; Urban Water Supply and Sanitation and Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building. The different stakeholders in the provision of water and sanitation services implement their mandates through the WSDP. For example the Ministry of Health is responsible for the protection of public health through provision of adequate sanitation and hygiene education, while the Local Government Authorities (LGAs) are the accounting authorities, responsible for provision of licences for operation and maintenance of water, sanitation and stormwater drainage. Figure 1: Institutional Framework of the Water Sector in Tanzania (Source: MOWI, 2006) Minister Energy and Water Ministry responsible for Prime Minister’s Office- regional Utilities Regulatory health Administration and Local Government Ministry responsible for Authority Water Regional Secretariats Water Supply and Municipal Councils District Councils Sewerage Authorities (inc. Dawasa) Village Councils Legend Legend Service Providers (public, private, NGOs CBOs Decentralised Decentralised Responsibility Responsibility WCAs) Community Representation Representation Owned Water Service Service Responsibility Responsibility Supply Organisations Regulation and Regulation and Monitoring Monitoring Technical Guidance Technical and Co-ordination Guidance and Co-ordination Support, Supervision Support, and Monitoring Supervision and Monitoring Performance Performance Contracts Contracts Service Providers (private, NGO’s CONSUMERS Statutory/ Autonomous Statutory/ Autonomous Bodies Bodies CBOs, WCAs) Regulation of the water sector is implemented by the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (EWURA), an autonomous regulatory authority created by the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority Act (2001) and responsible for regulation of the electricity, petroleum, natural gas and water sectors in the country. The regulatory functions of EWURA include, licensing, tariff review, monitoring Unlocking the Potential of ICT Field Review of Case Studies – Tanzania 3 performance and standards, and consumer protection including small towns and low income, and disadvantaged consumers (EWURA, 2014). In addition to the EWURA Act (2001), the sector is governed by the Water Resources Management Act (2009), the National Water Policy of 2002 the Water Supply and Sanitation Act (2001), and the Dar es Salaam Water and Sewerage Act (2001). 2.1.1 ICT policy ICT development and implementation in Tanzania is driven by the National ICT policy of 2003. This policy provides a national framework intended to create an enabling environment for ICT to contribute to the economic development of the country (GoT, 2003). According to the Head of ICT in the Ministry of Water, this policy, which was never fully operationalized, is considered outdated. The policy was not accompanied by an implementation strategy and resulted in a lack of ownership and accountability for its implementation (Panos, 2010). Furthermore, the policy was too general, resulting in most institutions relying on circulars from the president’s office which are more specific and provide better direction. As a result, planning and implementation of ICT interventions are carried out by the different government departments or agencies according to their mandates and needs e.g. the Dar es Salaam Water and Sewerage Corporation (DAWASCO) has recently drafted an IT policy that aims to apply e-solutions to support the major business processes of the Corporation. The GoT is also implementing an e-government strategy which intends to promote the coordinated development and use of ICT in the government institutions. 2.1.2 ICT use in the WASH sector The water sector in Tanzania faces several challenges including a lack of coordination among stakeholders in service delivery, poor data and information management and low capacity to implement the national policy (Eberhard & Kapika, 2013). In order to facilitate the operationalization of the WSDP, the GoT through the Ministry of Water is instituting a Management Information System, aimed at addressing financial and data management challenges of the implementing institutions. In line with this, the following ICT applications are under development:  An e-government system that aims at creating a database for management of the key business processes of financial management and procurement.  A Water Point Mapping System to collect and monitor rural water points. This system is a web- based system that uses GIS technologies to collect and map the data on coverage, functionality, extraction type, quality, quantity, source type etc. This information is intended for investment planning and operational monitoring. 2.2 Selected ICT4WASH Applications in Tanzania The water sector in East Africa has moved towards more advanced ICT facilitated data collection due to technology advancement and reduced infrastructure costs. Several applications are now in use in the sector to aid performance measurement, and improve business processes and governance through availability of reliable information. This section discusses some of the applications in use in Tanzania, focussing on Dar es Salaam Water and Sewerage Corporation (DAWASCO) and the Ministry of Water. 2.2.1 ICT in DAWASCO Dar es Salaam Water and Sewerage Corporation, the public utility company responsible for provision of water and sewerage services in Dar es Salaam faces a number of challenges: low revenue collection efficiency (only about 50,000 customers out of 130,000 pay their monthly water bills), water theft and high non-revenue water (estimated at >50%) and water scarcity among others. a) Vision The IT Department of DAWASCO is responsible for design and implementation of ICT solutions aimed at increasing efficiency of the four main departments in the company i.e. Human Resources, Operations, Commercial and Finance Departments. This includes customer services software, e- payment, GIS and mapping and communication. There are a number of ICT applications currently in use in DAWASCO, including those listed below. The IDAMS Customer and Water Utility Systems is software that is used by the Commercial Department for customer service, customer validation, network asset management and Candidate Daily Volumes (for meter validation). The software also provides customer details, bill processing and printing. e-payment: DAWASCO developed an e-payment system in collaboration with telecommunications companies (MPesa, TiGo pesa) and banks to expand the DAWASCO points of sale and facilitate easy and convenient payment of water bills. DAWASCO also sells scratch cards (small cards loaded with a pre-paid volume of water) to vendors to pay at convenient locations. The objective of the e-payment system was to increase revenue collection. This objective was achieved and continues to improve: the number of paying customers increased from 27,000 to 50,000 per month, and 60% of the collections are made through the e-payment system. MIS: DAWASCO is also developing an MIS that involves data collection of the water treatment plants (water levels, maintenance levels). Where the key operational information is to be collected by plant operators using Android phones and sent to a web application software. Unlocking the Potential of ICT Field Review of Case Studies – Tanzania 5 Figure 2: On-spot billing and printing hardware b) Uptake and Lessons Learnt DAWASCO has been actively implementing ICT systems into its business processes. Targeted projects include meter reading, dataloggers, on-spot billing. Currently projects are being implemented separately with no data integration. Potential areas for enhancing ICT implementation and use in DAWASCO include:  DAWASCO outsources various IT systems, usually at high commission costs e.g. the e- payment gateway system is outsourced at a high commission cost of 6%, the billing system and the call centre are also outsourced. Developing/procurement of in-house systems would reduce the commissions to between 2-3%, but would require training and capacity building in design and operation of the system.  Convenient and easy to operate technologies are required to combat water theft, meter vandalism and improve billing efficiency. DAWASCO is planning a self-service meter reading project which will involve meter readings done by customers and communicated to DAWASCO. This project shall be implemented in partnership with the telecommunications companies to have points of sale where customers go to send the meter reading to DAWASCO. However, financing limitations may hinder innovation. Limited budgets, and low budget utilization could potentially retard the development of in-house IT solutions, a key enabler for sustainability. To address these challenges would require advocacy for government policies to target and support use of ICT in utilities. In addition, raising public awareness and obtaining management buy-in is needed to improve the readiness of clients to use the technologies and of management to support further development and investment in the technologies. 2.2.2 Management Information System for the Ministry of Water and Irrigation The Ministry of Water and Irrigation is responsible for the development and monitoring of water resources, and for coordinating activities in the water sector countrywide. The provision of rural water supply, infrastructure, O&M, urban water supply (with specific Key Performance Indicators) is guided by the Water Sector Development Plan (WSDP). Some of the challenges faced by the MOW in executing its mandate are a lack of adequate data to guide the decisions on abstraction and infrastructure development. This has resulted in over exploitation of both ground and surface water resources, and in the over-design and under-design of infrastructure among others. The strategies that have been adopted to address these challenges include establishment of baselines and databases to strengthen the assessment and monitoring of water resources, and the promotion of water users in data collection (MOWI, 2006). a) Vision The ICT component of the WSDP aims to strengthen Management Information Systems to support program management, financial management and physical reporting in the sector. b) Process The Management Information System (MIS) includes collection of data on water systems, stored on a Geographical Information System. At the time of the field visit, in September 2014, the mapping component was not fully operational due to challenges associated with resistance to new technology, acquiring new shapefiles2, changing boundaries and inputs to the system. In addition, the system had not been updated since the initial data collection that was carried out as part of an infrastructure project. This had been attributed to lack of funds to acquire GPS equipment, unavailability of software systems and disaggregated data collection (e.g. water point mapping data is held by the various stakeholders operating in the respective areas and is not incorporated into a central database). The solution to these challenges is a well-integrated system that is functional, avoids duplication and ensures targeted and prioritized data collection efforts. There were plans to update the Water Point Mapping (WPM) system, starting with Manyara region and then roll out the system to the rest of the country. Requirements for upgrade include creation of an interface that links the different components of the WSDP e.g. the WQ monitoring, the locations of the water point etc. c) Impact and Lessons Learnt In DAWASCO, the GIS component has been used to capture customer data and this has resulted in an increase in revenue from Tshs 600M to Tshs 1.9 Bill in 6 months. This is attributed to the efficiencies gained through the availability of customer information for purposes of revenue and arrears collection and the ability to locate customers and thus reduce meter reading time. Lessons from the MIS that can be applied to the e-government strategy include the need for standards and a change management process that requires that ICT applications are used, and that generation of government reports through an ICT application becomes the norm. There is also a need to ensure that the human resource and technical capacity is available for implementation of the e-government strategy. The MOW implements regular capacity building programs that target MOW staff and staff from the Local Governments. The training programs however need to be holistic and include all stakeholders in the decision tree of water resource planning and development e.g. training of councillors and highlighting the benefits of ICT could potentially create an appreciation of ICT and facilitate budget approvals. Potential also exists for the forming of partnerships in software development and in data collection for the WPM or any other water sector GIS and mapping; with the potential to incorporate the information held by the various actors in the sector e.g. CSOs, GIS information companies to provide shapefiles, aerial photos, create a think tank for innovation etc. 2 A geospatial vector format for storing data for Geographical Information Systems. Unlocking the Potential of ICT Field Review of Case Studies – Tanzania 7 3. CASE STUDY: MWATER mWater is an ICT application intended to empower communities in Mwanza – Tanzania to make safe water choices through provision of information on the quality of water sources. The mandate for provision of water and sewerage services in Mwanza Town (Tanzania) lies with the Mwanza Urban Water and Sewerage Authority (MWAUWASA), an autonomous public authority that operates water and sewerage services for over 770,000 people in Mwanza City and other designated areas including Kisesa Township. Water is supplied by a combination of service levels including house connections, public standpipes and kiosks. Within the service area, point water sources also exist to cater for the unmet demand by MWAUWASA. According to MWAUWASA (2011) some of the challenges faced by the water authority are:  Low level of access to direct (piped) water supply, reported at 59%.  Environmental pollution due to unplanned human settlements and increasing economic activities along the lakeshores and water catchments.  Inadequate customer and public awareness of water and sewerage services.  Unfavourable Quality Management Systems and Management Information system. 3.1 Description Of The mWater Platform 3.1.1 Vision mWater is a smartphone application that was developed to serve a dual function: to update the functionality status of water points and to monitor the water quality of the water point. The application was piloted in Mwanza town in Tanzania. The choice for an ICT solution arose from the need to complement the laboratory services offered by the MWAUWASA with a field testing solution to monitor water points in areas beyond the coverage of the piped water network. The lack of adequate sanitation in squatter areas on the hillsides of Mwanza city had been identified as a challenge faced by the Mwanza City Council (MCC). The initial objective of the mWater project was to support Mwanza City in improving sanitation through construction of a sewerage system that would improve household sanitation and contribute to environmental protection of the Lake Victoria. To supplement this objective, the mWater project then introduced the component of water quality monitoring to measure the pollution of public wells in areas that were outside the piped water network. The mWater project also aimed to create water quality awareness and behaviour change among the communities through data collection and information sharing. Water quality test kits were procured and distributed among the project participants who were then charged with testing the quality of their community water point. The mWater test kit performs microbiological tests for both E.coli and Total Coliform, tests for the presence of Chlorine (primarily for tap water), and tests for Nitrate and Nitrite compounds (for surface water sources such as springs and dug wells). The water quality laboratory of MWAUWASA performs additional tests on standard parameters such as conductivity, pH and Mg levels. The project approach was to use a mobile application to record and send the information from the field to the mWater project office. A mobile technology (to be used on smartphones) was chosen because of the already high uptake of mobile phones in Mwanza. Unlocking the Potential of ICT Field Review of Case Studies – Tanzania 9 Figure 3: Sample data collection on the mWater mobile phone application The project has had a wide range of impacts: i. The project has triggered behavioural change among the communities. The project activities included explanation of the water quality tests and sample results and this has facilitated interest in water quality and the changes that are required to either improve the results or to safeguard against disease. The Mwanza City Council reported that communities that have monitored the quality of their water points (mainly the springs, boreholes and dug wells that are used as alternative sources) have triggered the implementation of health education programs. ii. The project has also served as a stakeholder coordination unit. During the process of project implementation, other stakeholders and users of alternative sources (outside of MWAUWASA operational area) were incorporated and encouraged to monitor their water sources. iii. The mWater project has been a catalyst to getting MCC to carry out inspections. Previous practice of MCC was limited to inspection of the sources, with no quantifiable outputs. The mWater project has enabled data collection and production of information and quantified water quality test. iv. The use of a mobile technology solution has facilitated faster and real time testing of water quality. v. The project has also produced information that has influenced decision-making within the MCC. For example information taken from mWater was used to influence the decision to provide disinfection (in the form of Waterguard®) to a community whose water source was found to be contaminated with e-coli. In addition, following this information, the MCC had the basis for an application for funding for the design of an information and education campaign on disinfection of drinking water. 3.1.2 Process The project was initiated by the Development Innovation Ventures Program with funding from USAID, following the recommendations of a baseline study that was carried out by UN Habitat in collaboration with MWAUWASA and MCC in 2012. The baseline study found that due to the limited coverage of the piped water network, most households depended on about three water sources. The project believed that community preferences, affordability constraints and cultural practices were also contributors to the continued use of unsafe sources. mWater thereafter approached MWAUWASA and MCC with a project to stimulate behaviour change (towards safe water) through information on water quality. Other activities covered during the baseline study included the collection of basic information such as distance to water point, safety of water point; identification of the potential stakeholders and beneficiaries; identification of the project participants; and stakeholder consultations on project expectations. The project development process was also expanded to include the operations of MWAUWASA and MCC in a bid to solicit buy-in into the project to try to expand the applicability and use of the data. The key stakeholders and their roles in the project include:  Development Innovation Ventures Program: responsible for developing the application and implementing the mWater project.  Mwanza Urban Water and Sewerage Authority: the water and sewerage services utility, whose interest was in monitoring the water quality along its distribution lines. MWAUWASA was involved as a user, and participated in sampling and testing along the piped network. A mobile phone and the app were provided to the water quality technician in MWAUWASA. The results of the data collection were entered into mWater through the app. The IT Department of MWAUWASA also provided additional support to the project in the form of customization of the survey questions; technical support to the stakeholders; technical advice with respect to storage of equipment, guidelines for storage and transportation of the samples and testing conditions. The authority also saw the potential to leverage the project activities and use mWater to collect GIS and water quality information for their database.  Mwanza City Council: the local authority, responsible for sanitation and environmental health. Participation by the MCC involved a selection of staff that were working in the 2 wards (about 6 staff plus 1 from the head office). These were involved in the mWater project from the inception stage and received training prior to the sampling and roll-out of the project. The institutionalization process which involves incorporating budget requirements is still a work in progress and will depend on design of the next phase of the project.  Lake Victoria Basin Water Office: which monitors the water quality of MWAUWASA and whose purpose was to alert the population to the quality of their water source and make recommendations towards increased access to safe drinking water.  Ministry of Water: mWater received coordination and information from the Ministry of Water (MOW). The MOW through its MIS project intends to create a database that will include information on location and quality of water points. This is important for the long-term applicability of the project outputs. Unlocking the Potential of ICT Field Review of Case Studies – Tanzania 11 The project activities commenced in July 2013 in line with the following design process: i. Software design: the design of the application was done by the mWater project office in the USA. ii. Testing and Upgrades: the beta-testing phase involved various upgrades and customizations as summarised below:  In order to allow for data collection in areas that are outside the service coverage of the telecommunications network, the application was upgraded to include an offline function that allowed for temporary data storage on the mobile phone after collection that would then be uploaded once an internet connection was available.  The survey was translated into Swahili to expand its applicability and ease of use.  The application was upgraded:  to allow for inspection of the condition and functionality of the water sources.  to incorporate provisions for privacy of the data collected  to enhance data sharing among users.  to enable access from various platforms i.e. smartphones, tablets, android etc.  to facilitate addition of new fields to the survey without having to rewrite the application.  to enable online (background) upgrading of the application.  to collect data at the post chlorination tanks. iii. Deployment/Roll-out: The implementation process involved the appointment of a stakeholder committee that was charged with measuring the quality of the water points close to their homes and workplaces. The roll-out has been considered successful, as evidenced by the plans to roll-out the initiative to Rwanda. This success is attributed to the use of a user-friendly technology and to the already high up-take of mobile technologies in the project area. In addition, the mWater test kit is user-friendly, providing instant information with ease in addition to providing tests for major water quality parameters such as e-coli, total coliforms, residual chlorine, nitrate and nitrite, and therefore able to provide significant information on the quality of the drinking water. Despite the successes in implementation there have also been some challenges faced:  The accountability and reporting of the field testing is still weak. Not all parameters that are required by the survey are tested and reported. Moreover, the survey does not cover all the mandatory tests done by MWAUWASA. This poses a potential challenge to the long-term application and institutionalisation of the testing process in MWAUWASA beyond the life of the project.  The equipment, software and data collected belong to mWater project, which is also responsible for the data storage and security. There is no structure for sharing or for integrating the data collected through mWater with MWAUWASA or MCC. There is also no plan yet to incorporate the financial implication of continued use of mWater into the annual budgets of the institutions.  There is also still room for improvement of the application to facilitate multi-sectoral collaboration between the MCC & MWAUWASA, to promote the sharing of information and to simplify interpretation of the results, especially among the local communities. In spite of the challenges, the MCC and MWAUWASA are positive about the potential to scale-up mWater. The institutional structures already exist to increase coverage of the application to unserved areas and to expand its use to other sectors e.g. the MCC is also involved in other primary health care activities like immunization, family planning, and could benefit from an ICT solution in the generation and dissemination of health information. In addition, MWAUWASA have identified the potential to apply the GIS function of the tool to expedite meter reading and to identify pipe leakages and theft. 3.1.3 Customers/Users The original intention of the project was to use the communities to participate in the data collection. This approach was not successful due to mobilisation and capacity challenges among the communities. The project then decided to use the existing institutions to perform the water quality tests and operate the application. The users of the tool are the project committee comprised of technicians from MWAUWASA, officials from the MCC and LVBWO and select members of the local communities. The project provided the users with the water testing toolkit, mobile handsets and the application required to collect the data. The users underwent training in the use of the application. The IT Department of MWAUWASA also provided training and support in customization of the data collection forms. This approach has been successful, as seen by the continued participation of the institutions, and the project committee members that were trained at project inception. According to DIV (2013), the population of the project area is 88,469 (56,350 for Igoma and 32,119 for Mkolani). This includes the customers in the service area of MWAUWASA and those in areas beyond the reach of the piped water network. The total customers of the mWater project are 45,000, of which the mapped customers are 30,000. The mWater application is used in both rural and urban water systems. Feedback on the data collection and analysis process indicate that although the tool has generally been well received by the community, their response to the WQ testing has been to ask "what next?" .The project practice has been to explain the test results to the communities, explaining the colour changes that indicate the presence or absence of microbial contamination and the health implications of the test results. There is need to define roles and responsibilities for remedial action on the findings of the water quality tests. 3.1.4 Human Capacity The project participants (the users) were trained on the use of water test kits, and on use of the application. The ICT Department in MWAUWASA provided technical support to the mWater users. The project has also resulted in an improvement in capacity in the communities. Members of the communities and village leaders were trained to assist in conducting water tests and in updating functionality status of water points. However there is a need for further awareness and behaviour change programs. Although most of the communities have been made aware of the need to regularly test the water point, and to respond according to the test results, some community members report that they prefer the water from traditional water points, especially spring water which some feel tastes better than the piped water, and are reluctant to change their use in response to the test results. 3.1.5 Finance WASH activities in Tanzania are primarily financed through the institutions responsible for the WASH components. Urban water supply and sewerage services, which are the responsibility of MWAUWASA are financed through a combination of public finance and development assistance. Rural water supply and sanitation services are provided by the local authority and are financed through public finance. Public health education and hygiene are the responsibility of the local authority and as such are also financed through public funds. Non-Governmental Organisations also play a significant role in supporting the local authorities in financing and implementing WASH activities. The mWater project was financed by the United States Development Aid Agency through the Development Innovation Ventures Program. The project financed all the stages of the project development and implementation. Sustainability considerations require that either one or all stakeholder institutions continue to operate and expand the project activities after project closure. In Unlocking the Potential of ICT Field Review of Case Studies – Tanzania 13 discussions with the Ag Managing Director of MWAUWASA, it was reported that MWAUWASA does have plans to incorporate the mWater monitoring activities into its annual operating budget. Unlocking the Potential of ICTs 14 Field Review of Case Study – Tanzania 3.2 Data Analysis and Findings The table below assesses various aspects of the development, implementation and application of the mWater tool. The ICT impact chain developed by Gigler (2011) is used to assess the social and human impact of the ICT intervention. This involves an assessment of the information and communication options that have been made available, and the ability of the communities to use these opportunities to improve the quality of their lives. Table 1: Impact assessment of the mWater tool using the Impact chain analysis (Gigler, 2011) Condition Dimension Assessment Information Needs Information needs Information need, as evaluated during the baseline study revealed the need for water (existing information Communication needs quality information to influence the choice of safe water sources among the communities. ecologies) Communication channels The responsibility for provision of water, sanitation and public health services is held by Information gaps different stakeholders (MWAUWASA, MCC). The need to improve coordination and communication between the service providers and the communities was identified. Access to ICTs Access to electricity Access to mobile phones in Mwanza is high, which favoured the development and use of (ICT Infrastructure) Access to ICT the mWater app. The use of the ICT was however hindered by the technical nature of the infrastructure information required. While the communities were able to use mobile phones (and Geographic location therefore the mWater app), they were not able to carry out the water quality tests and to interpret the water quality parameters tested. The geographical location of the project area was also an enabling factor. The project area consisted of a mix of piped water supply and point water sources. In addition, the communities behavioural practice of using multiple water sources, created the need for water quality information on the point sources. The choice of an ICT solution was borne out of the need for real-time, low resource information. Basic Use of ICTs Literacy rates The application has been put to meaningful use, as evidenced by the upgrades to allow (Simple ICT use) Level of education for interpretation to the local language; inspection of the water source; increase privacy of Socio-cultural context the data; enabling access form various platforms such as smartphones, android; allowing Basic ICT training for updating of information that was collected in the absence of an internet connection etc. Poverty rates These upgrades were intended to enhance relevance and uptake of the tool. Connectivity costs Unlocking the Potential of ICT Field Review of Case Studies –Tanzania 15 Condition Dimension Assessment The financial and social sustainability of the ICT intervention is still not clear. Although the institutions (MWAUWASA and MCC) have been involved at all stages of the project design and implementation, there is still no evidence that they are able to continue the project activities without development assistance. Although there has been capacity development (as evidenced by the participation of staff of MWAUWASA and MCC in project activities), the institutions have not yet incorporated the costs of the data collection and analysis into their annual budgets. Meaningful use of the ICT tool ICT Capacity building The capacity of the community members to participate in the data collection was low. The (Level of use of the tool) Local and relevant technical nature of water quality testing (e.g. testing of physio-chemical and biological content parameters) meant that the community members were not equipped to perform the field Technical local tests. The project participants therefore consisted of staff of the mWater project, of appropriation MWAUWASA, MCC, LVBWO who were then charged with explaining the test results to Sustainability the communities. The use of the information was impeded by a lack of remedial action on water sources that were found to be contaminated i.e. the communities expected the project or the government to provide an alternative safe source. Some communities however took remedial steps and applied for connection to the piped water network. Enhanced Information ICT Capabilities There has been a multiplier effect created by the availability of information collected by Capability (multiplier effect) Information literacy mWater: Communication The MCC has increased the level of inspection of water sources. Capabilities The MCC has used the water quality information collected to design hygiene and public health awareness programs and to implement household treatment/ disinfection of Content Capabilities drinking water. Local technical & social Communities that have polluted water sources have requested for connection to the piped appropriation water system. There is potential to increase the functions of the application to enhance operational efficiency of MWAUWASA. The project is considering expansion of the functionality of the application to include meter reading and identification of pipe leakages. Unlocking the Potential of ICTs 16 Field Review of Case Study – Tanzania 3.3 Discussion 3.3.1 Trends in the WASH indicators captured by the ICT tool The mWater tool was developed with the major objective of creating behaviour change in WASH- related activities through data collection and information sharing. This was to be achieved by encouraging the communities in the project area to test and monitor the water quality of their water sources. mWater was intended to provide information on water quality and coverage of water points as key WASH indicators. However, because the application has primarily been in development/ pilot phase, its use has not been fully integrated into performance monitoring data of MWAUWASA. What is apparent from the field consultations is that the information has improved knowledge on quality of water sources but the corresponding practice has not yet been well established. The WPM component has not yet been fully explored and is anticipated to be included in the scaling up phase. There has been a mixed result with respect to change in behaviour within the communities. Although most of the communities are within the range of MWAUWASA's piped network, some are reluctant to change from use of the traditional sources as they believe that water from traditional water points, especially springs, tastes better and holds higher health benefits. On the other hand, some communities e.g. the Kanindo village in Igoma ward have responded to the mWater test results on their water source and are applying for the extension of a water kiosk. At an institutional level, the MCC has responded to the mWater monitoring program and are designing health education programs based on the water quality test results. 3.3.2 Trends in the use and operation of the ICT application itself The inclusion of MWAUWASA and MCC in the project has ensured that the project data is widely used and increased the interoperability of the data collected. MWAUWASA is using the data to monitor the water quality along its pipe network while the MCC is using the data to design health education programs and water safety interventions. There is also potential to expand the use of the application. The mWater project carried out a mid- term evaluation to assess the application and the possibility of incorporating other functions such as meter reading. There are however still some challenges faced: i. The project participants have faced challenges in understanding the features of the application: the interface is limited and has had to undergo a number of upgrades, which creates delays, especially when the project partners do not respond quickly to the changes. On the other hand, the project members have also found the use of technical terms in the application to be limiting. The project is combatting these challenges through constant training. ii. Use of the application requires that the mobile phones are loaded with airtime, which is sometimes not available. This causes delays and gaps in the data collection. iii. Unreliable power supply means that the batteries of the mobile phones sometimes go without charge, thus hindering data collection. The mobile phones have also been found to have a short charge-life which hinders field activities. 3.3.3 Gaps in data coverage The mWater test kits collect data on microbiological parameters ( E.coli and Total Coliform), residual chlorine and Nitrate and Nitrite compounds. Expansion of the parameters tested would be beneficial for planning and management of water resources and for the creation of a complete database on water quality. Unlocking the Potential of ICT Field Review of Case Studies – Tanzania 17 There would also be benefit in improving the testing kits to meet the national standards. The standard microbial test recommended by the Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) is to use the membrane filtration or MPN. mWater could incorporate this standard method. Additional accessories such as a special bag to keep the test kit in and an incubator to protect the samples from changes in temperature could be provided. The project could also incorporate a validation step to the field tests and compare the mWater results with laboratory results. This would increase the credibility and applicability of the data collected. In addition, mWater uses the GIS function of the phone to collect data on location of the water points. A GIS data logging component could be included in the application to improve accuracy of the location data. According to the Project Director of mWater, the Ministry of Water is looking for a mechanism to update functionality and water quality of water points. An accurate GIS data logger would not only improve the quality and accuracy of the data collected for mWater, but would also create potential for the upscaling of mWater’s functions. 3.4 Opportunities and Challenges The city of Mwanza, through such initiatives as mWater, has already embraced ICT as a building block to improving services to its populace. However the following challenges hinder the full realisation of the intended objectives of the development and use of the application: i. There is no policy that prohibits people from use of traditional water points in areas within coverage of the MWAUWASA piped water. This makes it difficult for MWAUWASA to compel communities to abandon use of sources with poor quality water. This is further exacerbated by the fact that coverage is very low and unreliable so residents have to seek alternative water sources. ii. There is limited political support for the initiative especially in supporting behaviour change campaigns, this is partly related to the project design that focused on data collection and to the already mentioned issue of lack of institutionalization of the project activities within MCC programs as the initiative is still considered to be in the development phase; in addition to other challenges such as limited funding faced by MCC. iii. MWAUWASA reported that based on random checks performed against utility generated GPS data, the mWater device geo-referencing system may not be accurate so calibration to ensure X and Y coordinates are synchronized with existing devices is required. This will improve credibility and thus upscaling of the mWater activities. iv. The MCC is charged with the dissemination of the test results. However the community expects either the government or mWater itself to provide all remedial action; for example, they will look to the government to dig another well when one well is found to be contaminated. As part of its mandate, MCC currently provides education including recommendations for improvement measures such as household water treatment and education on safe hygiene practices and environmental pollution. In one case, MCC obtained and supplied water treatment tablets to residents. mWater has also engaged the mass media (radio) in a sensitization campaign to explain the project and the roles of the different stakeholders. v. The project participants must have airtime to relay results from the field. The distribution of airtime is managed centrally by the project and is sometimes delayed. In addition, data collection by participants did not seem to be structured beyond requiring that data be provided on a specific number of water points. vi. mWater provides opportunity for access to data to support decision making on water quality management. What is required is to close the loop in regard to the steps after the testing is done, for example through defining roles and responsibilities for follow on action, and also align parameters with standard WQ testing requirements in the country. The application itself has the Unlocking the Potential of ICTs 18 Field Review of Case Study – Tanzania potential for extended capabilities such as meter reading and water point mapping which would be of added value to MWAUWASA. The following opportunities have been identified for upscaling and for improvement of the use and applicability of the mWater application: i. The institutional arrangements for mWater have not yet been defined and the key stakeholders with WQ mandates are still viewed as project participants. The project design should be rethought to create ownership of mWater; this is best suited to MWAUWASA so that the institutionalisation process and potential of mWater to improve operations can be better leveraged. ii. The potential for mWater as an advocacy tool for Local Government Authorities to solicit funds from the Tanzania social action fund on development of water sources was also identified. iii. The geographical coverage of the application is currently limited to the mWater project area. The inclusion of MCC and MWAUWASA as project partners creates an opportunity to upscale the application to the services areas of MWAUWASA and MCC. iv. The benefits of the application can be expanded beyond stimulation of behaviour change. The data and information generated by mWater can be used by the LGAs to advocate for changes and financing for WASH interventions and development of water sources. Unlocking the Potential of ICT Field Review of Case Studies – Tanzania 19 4. CONCLUSION The need to institutionalize the project activities is important for the long-term sustainability of the project. This would require functional units in MWAUWASA and MCC that are charged with monitoring the water sources, the piped water network and other installations. The functional units would also be part of the reporting system, responsible for continuity and expansion e.g. inclusion of a customer complaints function and expansion of the parameters that can be tested. The roles and responsibilities of the stakeholder institutions should be clarified and communicated to the communities e.g. when a water source is found to be contaminated, what institution is responsible for the remedial solution and who is the custodian of the information. There is a potential to collect more information from mWater by increasing the number of project participants. The responsibility of collecting the data and /or updating the functionality and quality of water could be relegated to the general public. The offline functionality feature of the application could be improved and the public could be trained in use of the features of the application. The discussion of technology and its impact on society goes deeper than just the use of the technology. It should include an assessment of the objective of the technology itself. In this case, the objective was to generate information that would stimulate behavioural change towards use of safe drinking water and create demand for services. Furthermore, the benefits of increased information are dependent on the institution’s ability to respond to the communities’ demand for services. The communities that have monitored the quality of water points (mainly the springs, boreholes and dug wells that are used as alternative sources) have triggered the implementation of health education programs. In addition, communities such as Kaninu and Bukaga have requested for water kiosks, following poor results of WQ tests done by mWater on community wells. The MCC is however dependent on mWater for testing water points, and there are no immediate plans to integrate activities. There is need for a design addition that links the MCC and MWAUWASA. Such a feature would provide information necessary for planning WASH interventions. Use of standardised testing methods is required if the project activities are to be upscaled e.g. use of compact dry EC is not an approved method by the Tanzanian Bureau of Standards. There is also a need to secure the equipment to avoid theft and vandalism. The phones should be password- protected and have the ability to be tracked in case of theft. The mWater pilot was managed independently by the project and although there was significant stakeholder engagement and participation, sustainability considerations would have required that the mandated institutions owned the project at the planning and inception stage. This could be in the form of increased accountability of the participating Departments; incorporation of the mWater project activities into the Departments’ Key Result Areas, and planning and budgetary processes. Promoting ownership of the project at the initial stages of planning and inception would encourage assessment of the financial and socio-economic benefits of the project activities by the participating institutions and enable not only prioritization of the project activities, but also the testing of sustainability and scalability interventions at the pilot stage. According to ref, DIV has invested approximately $100,000 in mWater, including development costs and the cost of the hardware (mobile phones, testing kits etc). In addition, all costs of running the application are met by the project, including the cost of sending the water point readings from the field (this is done by the project participants via sms). In order to scale up the mWater activities or make improvements, the project activities have to be incorporated into the annual budgets of the mandated institutions. The key participating institutions – MWAUWASA and MCC - have however not yet incorporated the cost of running or scaling up mWater into their capital or operational budgets. This has an impact on the ability to sustain and expand the mWater operations. Unlocking the Potential of ICTs 20 Field Review of Case Study – Tanzania ANNEX A: LIST OF STAKEHOLDERS CONSULTED This case study has been prepared based on assessment of reports on mWater and on interviews conducted in Mwanza, Tanzania in September 2014. The officials that were consulted during the preparation of this report are: i. Daniel Chegere – Ag. Managing Director MWAUWASA ii. Robert M. Masunya – Assistant Manager Public Relations MWAUWASA iii. Yusuf – Water Quality Technician MWAUWASA iv. Amandus Mashamba – Project Director mWater v. Danford Kamenya – MCC vi. Environmental Health Officer - MCC vii. Environmental Health Officer - MCC viii. Juvenile -Water Quality Technician LVBWO ix. Kingu Kiula – IT Manager DAWASCO x. IT Administrator DAWASCO xi. Joash Nyitambe – Head ICT Ministry of Water xii. Kristoffer Welsien – WSP Tanzania Unlocking the Potential of ICT Field Review of Case Studies – Tanzania 21 ANNEX B: PICTORIAL OF FIELD MISSION Consultation with the IT Department of DAWASCO Billing hardware Focus Group Discussion with mWater Project Participants Discussion with the Ag. Managing Director in Mwanza MWAUWASA Unlocking the Potential of ICT Field Review of Case Studies – Tanzania Ref-1 REFERENCES DIV (2013) mWater Mobile Technology for Social Water Monitoring in Low-Resource Settings. Development Innovation Ventures Program, USAID. Eberhard R & Kapika J (2013) Peer Review of the Urban Water Sector Regulatory System in Tanzania. ESAWAS Gigler 2011, Informational Capabilities – The Missing Link for the Impact of ICT on development, Working Paper Series No.1; E-Transform Knowledge Platform, Working Paper, The World Bank Government of Tanzania, (2002). National Water Policy. URT Ministry of Water and Irrigation & WSP (2014) Technical Workshop on Water Point Mapping in Tanzania: Report on Workshop Proceedings. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania MWAUWASA (2011) Mwanza Urban Water and Sewerage Authority Business Plan July 2011 – June 2014. Mwanza, Tanzania MOWI (2006) National Water Sector Development Strategy 2006 to 2015 Ministry of Water and Irrigation, Government of Tanzania. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania MOWI (2014) Water Sector Development Program: Roadmap for the Institutionalization and Enhancement of the Water Point Mapping System. United National University, Water Development and Management Institute and Ministry of Water and Irrigation, Government of Tanzania. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania