Sustainable safe drinking water for the rural poor in Afghanistan

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Even in 2015, 784 million people are forced to drink contaminated water and over two billion people do not have access to improved sanitation in developing countries. Annually two to five million people, in particular children, die because of water-borne disease (Gleick, 2012). Due to drinking contaminated water, acute diarrhea affects nearly 1.7 million people, and acute respiratory infection affects 750,000 children under 5 years old every year in Afghanistan alone (UOCHA, 2014). The Danish Committee for Aid to Afghan Refugees (DACAAR) is an active International Non-Government Organization (INGO) that addresses this problem in Afghanistan. Over two decades, the DACAAR established approximately 42,000 water points across Afghanistan providing millions of Afghans with safe drinking water. However, there is a gap between investing in safe drinking water facilities and maintaining those implemented projects to keep them functional and sustainable. Grameen Veolia Water (GVW) is a social enterprise not-for-profit company in Bangladesh that successfully provides sustainable, low cost, safe, and arsenic-free drinking water for 100,000 poor people in rural communities. The project introduced the ‘No loss, No Dividend’ concept to address social needs. This paper examines whether the Bangladesh GVW business model can be replicated in Afghanistan by DACAAR. The GVW social enterprise model is very promising to sustainable development. It would be worthwhile to replicate it in developing countries such as Afghanistan. The social enterprise model would involve a significant shift for DACAAR. It is a non-government organization registered under the Ministry of Economy to get a working permit in Afghanistan, and changing its approach might create administrative hassles when trying to replicate the social enterprise model in the context of Afghanistan. But this does mean it is not possible, and this study explores how DACAAR might implement the social enterprise model. There are some issues about management, technology, and willingness to pay for safe drinking water that DACAAR as an INGO needs to take into consideration