Involving intermediate level organisations is critical for scaling up multiple use services in the Andes

From 11-13 June, the Latin American partners in the MUS (Multiple Use Systems) project, including Cinara from Colombia, and Centro Agua and Agua Tuya, and IRC met in Cochabamba, Bolivia, to draft the conclusions from three years action-research in the field of multiple use systems. They concluded that all the communities in the areas that were studied are using their water supply systems for small-scale productive uses. These bring about various livelihood benefits to the users, especially in terms of reducing their vulnerability to shocks, when their main sources of income fall away. They manage their water supply systems in such a way that this water can be used, without large incremental costs. However, intermediate level organisations, like Municipalities, often do not respond adequately to this situation. In Colombia, the sectoral minded government programmes, apply rigid guidelines, limiting small-scale productive uses. In Bolivia, to the contrary, the intermediate level is relatively weak. This means that communities can manage their systems as they want, but do not have a support structure to fall back to. The partners concluded that involving intermediate level organisations is critical to scale up the mus approach, especially by strengthening them in the way, in which they provide support to community management. These and other conclusions were presented to a group of stakeholders from Cochabamba (including local government, NGOs, and community based organisations) on 13 June. They confirmed these findings, and illustrated that by an interesting experience in the Municipality of Vinto. There, a programme of PROMIC-BTC (Integrated Catchment Management Programme and the Belgian Technical Cooperation), changed their approach from developing water supply and irrigation facilities separately to a more integrated solution. They involved the Municipality strongly throughout the process, and the Municipality is replicating the approach now in another part of the catchment.

For more information about multiple use services in the Andes, see http://www.musproject.net/page/176