The application of a Strategic Approach presented in Chapters 2 and 3 ultimately leads to decisions concerning actions. This entails identifying problem areas and appropriate responses at every stage of the cooperation process. During the course of developing checklists for this purpose - presented in Part II - a number of priority themes for action were identified and are presented in this chapter. Most themes are cross-cutting through Policy Principles and Focus Areas and almost all include actions in management or institutional strengthening. All themes described in this chapter present activities in the ‘software’ (intended as non-infrastructure related interventions) rather than the ‘hardware’ (infrastructure related interventions) arena.

Actions suggested will usually be carried out by governments often with the support of development partners; many require partnership approaches in which the public and private sectors, civil society actors, research, international and donor organizations will more often play a part together. The building of partnerships is key to the strategic approach.

Institutional development and capacity building

The success of policies, programmes and services depends heavily on the resources, skills and technical expertise of the responsible institutions. These bodies need to be appropriately structured and provided with a legislative and administrative framework which promotes efficiency. Decentralization of administration of service delivery, updating of regulatory frameworks or partial devolution of service delivery are examples of institutional development. The capacity of institutions needs to be enhanced by means of human resources development and training as well as material and/or financial support. The process of capacity building is continuous, and applies to public and private sectors as well as to formal and informal bodies such as Civil Society Organizations.

Typical Actions include:

• updating policy to the circumstances of the country, taking into account lessons learned, and implementing integrated water resources management at  national and international levels;
• review of existing laws, regulatory frameworks and customary practices, with a view to establishing a rational legal regime and control mechanisms for both public and private sector service providers;
• based on a comprehensive demand study, establishment of mechanisms for inter-sector liaison and co-ordination, to ensure equitable allocation of water resources between competing users
• install consultation mechanisms in the decision-making process to include inputs from commercial and agricultural water users, members of the civil society representing consumers, local communities or marginal populations, and parallel interests such as public health and education sectors;
• Foster the establishment of Sector Programmes by the government through the sector wide approach (chapter 11).
• establishment of a performance measurement framework that allows for effective monitoring of the sector including monitoring of equity and poverty indicators, as well as monitoring management approaches and strategies to be equitable, gender-sensitive and pro-poor ;
• promote public-private and public-public partnerships;
• reinforce and mainstream processes such environmental assessment, stakeholder analysis;
• setting up of river basin organisations where appropriate, within countries or trans-nationally;
• introduction of climate change issues such as mitigation and adaptation measures and developing resilience to climate change;
• introduction of capacity building via training and reorientation of managers and administrators at all levels;
• Facilitate the development of civil society organizations such as community-level organisations in order for them to play a role in the planning, installation, management and maintenance of local services and facilities.

Building participatory structures and gender equity

Participation by stakeholders in a given programme or activity is not only desirable as a matter of democratic right, but also to ensure that investments of money and resources correspond to demand for services, and to enable those services to be equitably managed in the interests of all. A participatory process allows stakeholders to take part in decision-making relating to policies and actions undertaken by formal bodies on their behalf, whereby they also accept a degree of responsibility for those decisions. Thus, mechanisms for the expressions of stakeholders’ views, especially those of service users, are needed. Within participatory management structures, the role of women in household food security, domestic hygiene and water management, and child education needs to be better recognised, and special attention paid to involving them at all decision-making levels.

Typical Actions include:

• establishment of user groups, farmers associations, water and sanitation committees, school hygiene clubs and other expressions of civil society to participate in water resources management at the local level; ensure that there is a good gender balance in the membership, and that all members play an active part in decision-making;
• adequate provision for promoting community mobilisation including funds, training and capacity building, gender empowerment, attention to child issues and most-poor community members;
• mainstreaming effective responses to water-related diseases and including HIV/AIDS;
• gender-awareness training for administrative and service provision personnel at all levels; gender-balanced recruitment and promotion (see part 3);
• needs analysis that includes demands of most-poor users, ensuring that they have the opportunity to express their views and have equitable access to service provision;
• information sharing and awareness raising at the lowest stakeholder levels on public health issues  as well as creation of livelihood opportunities-in order to develop demand for water and sanitation services and promote their participation in management;
• identification of, and research on, local indigenous water management techniques and enterprises to develop ways to integrate and legitimise sound local practice into the standard service provision.

Integrated water and other natural resources management

The protection of eco-systems and the natural resources upon which all forms of life on earth depend should be regarded as an obligation. Water, as a key natural resource, is a strategic national asset and all policies related to it should be consistent and comply with environmental protection aims and legislation. The cooperation of institutions and agencies responsible for the management of water is crucial. Proper data collection, analysis and follow up of resource management should also involve the research institutions (e.g. Academic Centres of Excellence for Water, research institutions and agencies, institutions of higher education, international earth science observatories and international water research programmes)

Typical Actions include:

• advocacy at National Policy level on behalf of water as a priority and essential resource with a social and economic value, particularly in areas of water scarcity;
• advocacy of policies, regulations and tariffs that discourage wastage and pollution;
• policy and resource investments in protection of environmentally fragile and vulnerable areas such as wetlands, coastal marine zones, deserts, and areas vulnerable to flooding and/or soil erosion;
• support earth and environmental observatories, research on water resource uses, and promote cooperation between research and policy in order to support decision making systems by the inclusion of scientific knowledge;
• capacity building and support to strengthen environmental agencies and actors – including civil society- to  support their role as ‘environmental watchdogs’ for monitoring to ensure that environmental management and regulations are respected, extraction and usage is controlled, and pollution and contamination does not go unobserved;
• mainstreaming of environmental impacts (see Part 3) at all stages of the development and implementation of water-related projects to measure the potential or actual effects of activities on eco-systems;
• awareness-raising campaigns for government officials, the education sector and the wider public including professionals, communities and NGOs on the importance of natural resource management; ensure the incorporation of water-related environmental issues into education curricula;
• identify, research and incorporate the elements and risks of climate change into the management of water resources (e.g. studies on regional variation in precipitation patterns and potential impacts on water resources such as wetlands and shorelines).
• Climate resilience actions such as mobilizing and managing knowledge for adaptation policy and planning, integrating climate change adaptation and mitigation into national sector policies and strategies
• Management for environmental sustainability ensuring that water resources are not extracted beyond their safe yields

Expansion of the knowledge base

Water resources development and management and delivery of water-related services can only be carried out effectively on the basis of real-time knowledge and information, including: knowledge of water resources availability: surface and groundwater as well as precipitation data; information on water quality and its impact on users and the environment; knowledge of water and water-related demands and needs of households, of different consumers and productive sectors; water requirements of the eco-systems, especially the aquatic eco-system; knowledge of good and bad performance  in water and sanitation services, and the financial and social costs incurred from poor service delivery.

Typical Actions include

• supply of equipment, instruments and training in hydrological, hydrometric and hydro-geological data collection, storage and analysis;
• surveys of water and wastewater service usage and potential demands, including willingness-to-pay and capacity-to-pay,  knowledge, attitude-practice surveys among potential users; capacity building in conducting surveys and analysis ;
• equipment and training for baseline studies into ecological needs and for monitoring ongoing changes in the water-related environment;
• water quality monitoring, including provision of laboratory equipment and training; promoting the adherence to water quality standards;
• mechanisms for data exchange and sharing information between different administrative levels and between sectors, agencies and stakeholders involved in water resources management;
• establishment of monitoring and evaluation systems for water-related programmes, including provision of services for water and sanitation;
• research, data capture and modelling of climate change risks to permit their integration into national policies, plans and programmes;
• Indicators for monitoring and evaluation of occurrence and impacts of water and sanitation-related diseases including HIV AIDS;

Demand management and pricing

Demand management of water resources is the only viable alternative to indefinite expansion of supplies – a policy option not available in countries or regions facing hydrological limits. Demand management implies some form of water pricing which, above a basic subsistence supply, is correlated with high and low water values, creating conditions in which the available supply is more efficiently used. The implication of demand management is that users will have a high level of motivation to maintain services and keep them in repair to maximize service and minimize wastage. Actions under this theme are closely inter-linked with those relating to institutional development and capacity building, as well as with advocacy for a better understanding of water’s importance as an environmental resource.

Actions include:

• advocacy and awareness-building activities to create the necessary political and social climate to accept the principle that water is both a social and an  economic good, and as such should be subject to equitable and adequate pricing for all uses;
• studies and surveys to assess demand, capacity-to-pay and willingness-to pay; support for tariff reform and appropriate pricing regimes where necessary;
• feasibility studies to determine tariff systems needed for achieve financial viability of the level (or expected level) of  services provided;
• the establishment of a regulatory framework to monitor service providers (including autonomous public sector agencies) and protect the poor from exploitation;
• advocacy of appropriate reduction of subsidies, bearing in mind equity considerations regarding services for low-income communities or persons and other social or ‘public good’ considerations;
• promotion of economic analyses, including environmental economic analysis, ensuring that criteria of financial viability reflect true values of the resource and its amenity, environmental and health benefits (see Part 3);
• introduction of water saving technologies, leakage control, water re-use, rehabilitation and repair of existing systems;
• demand projections that take into consideration effects of climate change and other variations of demographic demand and social needs (e.g. impact of HIV/AIDS)

Awareness-building and communication

Building political, public and private sector awareness of the need to value the social, health, economic and environmental values of water is very important. As an aid to successful programme and project implementation, and to ensuring maximum health and other impacts of services, the role of communications and awareness-raising within programmes and projects is now widely recognised. A wide variety of techniques should be used to build awareness and provide for information exchanges between stakeholders. Without good communication, the development of strong participatory structures is likely to remain elusive. (See also Part 3.)

Actions include:

• seminars, events, and dialogue platforms which offer opportunities to promote the concept of water as a valuable resource to political leaders and senior administrators;
• social mobilisation involving all types of sectors and all levels of administration, in order to promote improvement of sanitation and public health;
• introduction of environmental and water-related components into administrative training programs, technical training and education curricula;
• educational and information campaigns directed at the general public on water-related diseases, sanitary behaviour, water storage and use, and the valorisation and promotion of the role of women in household water management; studies into existing knowledge, attitudes and practice (KAP – see Part 3) regarding water collection, use and management including waste-water management;
• local production and distribution of communications aids, and the use of  internet, TV, radio, advertising and other media for communication of public health messages;
• international level of exchange of experiences, project models and best practices among managers and operators in different countries and localities;
• promotion of inter-state and inter-country trans-boundary information sharing mechanisms.