South African municipality scores for learning-based approach on water and sanitation
22 March 2011
The eThekwini Municipality in Durban, South
Africa, is one of the two global recipients of the 2011 UN "Water for Life" Best Practices Award.
The local authority was commended for its innovative approach to communication and awareness
raising and its outstanding contribution to addressing key challenges related to water and
sanitation in an urban area.
The annual UN “Water for Life” Best Practices Award aims to encourage the fulfilment of internationally agreed targets by 2015 through recognizing outstanding best practices that can ensure the long-term sustainable management of water resources.
eThekwini Municipality was honoured for its efforts to promote a participatory and
learning-based approach to respond effectively to the challenge of growing rural-urban migration by
providing high quality services to all residents, across the urban, peri-urban and rural areas.
Programmes carried out include the creation of focus groups to obtain feedback from the communities
within different areas as to how service delivery can be improved, and the "Raising the Citizens
Voice" programme which allows for the continuous strategic engagement between local
government and civil society with a particular focus on policy issues relating to water and
sanitation.
The programme has also established links with local research organizations such as
the University of KwaZulu Natal to facilitate regular independent assessments and broader
sharing of the programme's experiences.
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