Water point sustainability and the unintended impacts of community management in Malawi

This paper reports the findings of a mixed methods study of 679 randomly sampled water points in four districts in Malawi. The study a) tested the influence of ten proximate determinants of water point functionality, and b) critically examined the social, economic and political dynamics underlying these factors, especially the community management model. The data shows that the key influences on sustainability are water point type and installation quality (technical factors) and availability of funds, skills, and incidence of theft (management factors). Misuse of funds by water point committees emerges as a particular problem. These results are driven by the way that community management structures interact with socially embedded institutions and power dynamics. The findings challenge the assumptions of efficiency and empowerment that underpin the community management model, and show that in fact it frequently generates conflict and reproduces inequality at community level