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DEVELOPMENT-MADAGASCAR: Not Enough Money for Basic Water

Fanja Saholiarisoa

ANTANANARIVO, Jul 17 2008 (IPS) - Safe drinking water is a scarce resource in Madagascar. Considerable financial investment is needed to improve sanitation and water treatment and distribution for the population of this large island.

Residents of Tsaramasay-Ankazomanga start their day before 5 in the morning – the time at which the sole water source in the area opens. A long line can be seen every day in this neighborhood, one of the poorest in the capital, Antananarivo.

For traveling salesman Emile Rasojarison and his family, it is a struggle just to get a 10-litre bucket of water. "Its hard to adjust to the neighborhood head's schedules. Getting water becomes a hassle despite paying a monthly fee of 500 Ariary (about 30 cents)," Rasojarison told IPS. He often misses the schedule because of work.

According to Rasojarison, he fills two buckets for his home in the morning. The rest of the day he relies on neighbours, or tries to find water in neighborhoods where he's selling.

In his neighborhood, the water fountain is open from 5 to 8 in the morning; from 12 to 2 in the afternoon and again from 5 to 6:30 in the evening. A schedule ill-fitted to the needs of this marginalized population.

Another pressing issue for Rasojarison and his family is the lack of sanitary facilities in the Tsaramasay-Ankazomanga neighbourhood, with its population of 4,000. "We don't have latrines. We end up paying a fortune to use the public toilet, the only one for the whole neighborhood," says Jeannine Rasoarimalala, Rasojarison's wife.

Residents of Ankorondrano-Andranomahery, on the other hand, have their own complaints regarding how their water supply is managed. "The operating hours don't fit my schedule" says Séraphine Rafenomana, a washerwoman who's daily job is tackling the neighborhood laundry.

At 50 she still has to struggle with daily washloads, the only way to support her family of 6 children. "Our neighborhood needs more laundrettes. We washerwoman pooled together to make it happen, but those in charge say that there are no lots available for any type of construction project. This leaves us in a bit of a bind."

Inhabitants of Manjakandriana, a city west of Antananarivo, also face water shortages, especially between August and October. "Despite a monthly fee of Ar 2,000 (roughly $1.20), it is still difficult to get water because of the dilapidated state of the distribution system," Fanjanirina Ravoarinelina, a local vegetable vendor told IPS.

She has to travel to rivers in the area to do her laundry because there are no local facilities.

Access to water and sanitation services is a major problem across urban Madagascar, where according to official figures, 66 percent of urban residents have access to safe water. But in rural areas, this falls to just 14 percent.

Farmers have a huge cross to bear in Ankadivorobe county, 100 kilometers east of Antananarivo with a population of approximately 60,000. There is no pipe-borne water in Soalandy, a neighborhood whose 6,000 residents have to rely on wells for water.

"Its hard to fill even a bucket of water during the dry season. We have to get water from canals that carry untreated water," complains Félicie Felana Ravaolamina, a farmer from Soalandy. The canals were built for local rice farms.

She notes that politicians are very fond of talking about clean water and sanitation as part of their campaigns, yet fail to deliver on their promises.

According to Patrick Razakamananifidy, Secretary General of the Ministry of Energy and Mines, the current water distribution system doesn't meet Madagascar's needs, especially in the capital. "Water II", a project funded by the European Union to the tune of 47 million dollars, has been launched and will eventually service 500,000 people.

He also added that Madagascar lacked qualified personnel to manage water and sanitation. For those water fountains that are managed by non governmental organizations or counties, they lack experience in proper infrastructure management.

Lack of funding

The Madagascar Action Plan, the government document that sets out a poverty reduction plan for 2007-2012, clearly names sanitation as a priority. But there is little funding available to achieve the goals.

The African Development Bank (ADB) announced a 97 million dollar loan to Madagascar in July, a portion of which will go towards water and sanitation. The funding will cover a 30 month period starting July 2008.

"These funds will allow Madagascar to speed up its national water and sanitation program whose goal is to reach 7.6 million people across both rural and urban areas," explained Raharimanantsoa, Director of Water at the Ministry of Energy and Mines.

The Madagascan population is hoping for improvements in water and sanitation services. "We hope that every household will have access to a decent amount of clean water," declared Rasojarison.

The Madagascan water authority is preparing a schedule of work that will be presented to the ADB prior to the funds' release, Raharimanantsoa pointed out.

Acccording to Herivelo Rakotondrainibe, national coordinator of the Wash Committee, a national program to improve hygiene, water and sanitation, regional development documents should describe the needs of the local population regarding water and sanitation across the country.

"We're encouraging the 22 different regions (of the country) to state clear objectives so as to have measurable results," he said.