Operation and Maintenance of Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Systems - A Training Package for Managers and Planners

The aim of Operation and Maintenance (O&M) programmes, as described in this training package, is to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of water supply and sanitation services. Operation and Maintenance activities, which encompass not only technical issues, but also managerial, social, financial and institutional issues, must be directed towards the elimination or reduction of the major constraints which prevent the achievement of sustainability.

This document and the training activities described in it are intended for managers and planners who are concerned with the challenging problem of how to implement effective operation and maintenance of rural water supply and sanitation services in developing countries. In addition to the traditional man- agement aspects of operation and maintenance, this training package highlights the importance of community participation, with a right gender balance, in order to make more efficient use of local human resources for sustainability.