Examining the contribution of community participation in water resource production and management: perspectives from developing countries

As a result of climate change and rapid urbanization, attention increasingly turns to the management of water resources. Proper management of water resources has become a core concern for development practitioners and national governments, especially in the developing world. Accordingly, Community Participation (CP) has been touted as a viable model for managing water in resource scarce regions. This paper synthesizes literature written both from practice-focused and critical-academic perspectives by (1) examining the historical roots of CP theory and (2) reviewing its contribution in water resource production and management. By focusing on these two areas, the paper engages with the issue of water management in this century of climate change, while tracing the theoretical and historical roots of CP. Furthermore, by providing a comprehensive assessment of community participation and its contribution in water resource production, the paper lays the ground for a more in-depth analysis of CP as a central development strategy. Overall, the findings demonstrate CP as a development theory that was well grounded in the African traditional ethos. Using participatory mechanisms communities have managed to deliver development dividends such as maintenance of watersheds and other environmental preservation activities. On the western front, the role of CP has been well established on the principle of democratic governance. In a similar vein, from the Asian perspective, the concept of participatory development is reflected in the legendary work of Mahatma Gandhi. In the domain of water service, the review demonstrates that CP is the panacea of good governance and development. It leads to promoting and protecting the hygiene quality of potable water, enhances sustainability of water supply systems, and leads to the establishment of well-designed/well-constructed water service facilities. We conclude by suggesting that; (a) managers of community water supplies schemes together with their development partners should support CP as the most viable policy for improving water service delivery in this era of climate change and rapid urbanization and (b) we note that while no doubt remain on the prowess of CP theory as a tool for success in the water service sector, more specific case studies based on comparative evaluation are still needed to synthesize context-specific evidence.