Social inter-mediation : towards gaining access to water for squatter communities in Dhaka

The study describes experiences with social inter-mediation as an enabling strategy in gaining access to water for the low income communities of Dhaka. It documents a process initiated by Dushtha Shasthya Kendra (DSK), an NGO in Bangladesh, for planning and implementation of a water supply programme through inter-mediation between the communities residing in poor squatter settlements and the formal agency for water supply, the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (DWASA). The mediation was necessary because the existing legal and procedural requirements of DWASA would not allow communities without land title to have formal access to water and sanitation services. The institutional denial of services to the urban slum and squatter residents has encouraged a parallel growth of an informal water market where the consumers pay an unregulated price as dictated by the supplier of the services. DWASA is losing revenue and the illegal operators make large profits. As the pilot project developed, through the mediation of DSK, people, who did not have legal access to safe water prior to the intervention, gained access to reliable water supplies. This study assesses the project experience concerning the role and importance of advocacy and inter-mediation between formal service agencies and prospective user communities. It also documents the need for capacity building within the user community for management, operation, and maintenance of a sustainable system of water supply.