Sustainable Water Supply and Sanitation Project Impact Evaluation 2019, Endline Survey (Nicaragua)

Abstract

The objective of the impact evaluation is to assess if quality technical assistance provided by municipalities, as part of Component 1 of the Sustainability Project of the Rural Water and Sanitation Sector (PROSASR, by its acronym in Spanish), translates into better functionality and durability of water supply and sanitation (WSS) systems in rural Nicaragua. A secondary objective is to explore if, over the long run, the provision of quality and sustained service enhancement translates into better health outcomes for beneficiary populations within these communities.

This work was conducted in collaboration with the Fondo de Inversión Social y Emergencias (FISE, by its acronym in Spanish) of the Nicaraguan Government. Funding from the World Bank Strategic Impact Evaluation Fund (SIEF) helped in the design, in the evaluation, in the collection of data, and in helping support research activities.

The results from the baseline study, conducted in 2015/2016 were published (NIC_2015-2016_PROSASRIE-BL_v01_M) under a separate study. A second round of end-line data-collection was conducted in March to November 2019. The data published here includes the end-line survey data. The report (found under the 'documentation' tab) includes impact results from 2015 to 2019. Future analysis, using data from the Rural Water and Sanitation information system (SIASAR), as well as a potential new data collection effort in two years, could elucidate the long-term effects of this intervention.

The end-line survey-data collection was gathered at the following three levels:

First, surveys to the Water and Sanitation Municipality Units (UMAS, by its acronym in Spanish) which examine, among other items, their institutional capacity in terms of: their human resources, their availability of equipment for water quality monitoring, their access to a computer, to vehicles, whether they have informative printed material, whether they have available assigned annual budgets, availability of funds for travel expenses and fuel, and their access to internet services. They also capture overall level of support of UMAS to communities.

Second, surveys to the Water and Sanitation Committees (CAPS, by its acronym in Spanish), which are formal or informal institutions that manage, operate, maintain, and repair water distribution systems at the community-level. The surveys measure progress in terms of formal operation, adequate tariffs for water supplied, financial stability, operation and maintenance, proper protection of the water source, and cover details on the process of legalization. These surveys also measure the capacity and functionality of water systems.

Finally, the household surveys offer a detailed assessment of WASH services, and the level of satisfaction with the service provided by the CAPS, at the household level. They measure, from the household perspective, any improvements in water supply in terms of quality, continuity, access, whether community-level interaction with the CAPS has increased, and any knock-on health implications as a result of possible increases in the quality of water.