Awareness campaigns
This practice involves raising the awareness of local communities, customers, and the operating staff of the water utilities about the complexity of the operation of the water and wastewater systems and the need for community support. Awareness-raising material (audio, visual and readable) are prepared and distributed. Consultative meetings can also be planed and conducted together with customers, beneficiaries, and different stakeholders. This practice is effective in increasing the utility revenues, preserving the network components, creating a good image about the utility, enhancing the communication with customers, preventing the blockage of sewers, and reducing the illegal uses in the network. In addition, awareness campaigns assist in meeting the ultimate goal of the utility which is making the local community aware of key public health issues and the importance of the safe drinking water source. Many water utilities in Yemen have implemented awareness campaigns for customers and local communities, including utilities of NWSA, Hodeidah, Sana’a, Hajjah, Ibb, Al-Baydha, Thamar, and Saada.
Description of the problem
Low awareness of the importance of water utility services causes many technical and financial problems, and may have serious repercussions on public health. Some customers delay paying their water bills; some use water illegally by removing water meters or sucking water from the network with booster pumps. Utilities also witnessed that people open sewerage manholes during heavy rains.
In Sana’a several farmers irrigate their farms with raw wastewater before it reaches the waste water treatment plant. This caused the death of some farmers as a result of methane gas poisoning but also has a very negative health impact due to the high level of faecal coliform contamination of the irrigated crops (including vegetables).
Description of the good practice
This practice was initiated with the creation of an awareness unit and the preparation of an emergency and rapid intervention plan with this team. Then the team started to prepare awareness messages using different educational approaches and communication mechanisms (including cars with loudspeakers and pamphlets) targeting different audiences including:
- Employees and front-line operators to increase awareness skills and teamwork
- Local communities indicating the importance of paying bills for service continuation. Providing information about the utility regulations and procedures towards violations, theft or meter removal, as well as educational sermons for participants in mosques, schools (Figures 7 and 8) and gathering places. They also raised awareness on risks of irrigation with raw wastewater. One special message concerns the water supply schedule which is shared with customers through social media and official means.
The communication process includes consultative meetings with those responsible for the targeted neighbourhoods (Figure 9), to ensure their participation in motivating the public to work together for more sustainable water service.
Impact and sustainability of the good practice
The practice enhances the awareness of customers about the services of the water utility, its independence and impartiality, and strengthens the ties between utility and customers. The involvement of the customers and local leaders helps to solve problems encountered by the utility and enhances service continuity. It also contributes to:
- Increase in revenues and bill collection and reduction of unpaid debts and thefts.
- Improve understanding about the need to use safe drinking water from the system
- Enhance awareness among operators and workers about adopting safety measures
- Increase in the readiness of the utility to rapidly intervene during emergencies and pandemics
The practice is sustainable as it requires limited resources particularly when the promotional materials have been prepared (Figure 10), but does require attention and repeated implementation of activities
Required resources
- A team that is in charge of developing and implementation of the awareness raising activities with sufficient financial resources for their implementation
- Preparation and distribution of brochures and posters
- Holding awareness-raising meetings, workshops, and consultations with local councils, major consumers, mosque preachers, and district notables.
- Cars with loudspeakers for various educational purposes.
- Preparation of awareness flashes for national, private and governmental radios and TV channels.
Figure 7 School awareness lectures
Figure 8 Public awareness lectures
Figure 9 Meeting with local officials
Figure 10 Brochure distributed with water bill
