Community Collaboration Powers Solution for Batoulay Water Pumping Station

With support from USAID, DAI was contracted to execute the Lebanon Water and Wastewater Sector Support Program (LWWSS), a 6-year project which seeks to improve the water management practices of the 4 regional water establishments in Lebanon by providing technical assistance and infrastructure improvement. It included rehabilitating water pump stations and upgrading the systems. 

The collaborating, learning, and adapting (CLA) activity is part of the Batoulay Water Pump Station (BWPS) in the South Lebanon Water Establishment. Towards the final stages of the project, an unexpected hindrance occurred reducing the productivity of the BWPS. Two primary underground electric cables connecting two main wells (250 m from the pump station) were discovered to be severely damaged, which prevented the transmission of electricity to the well; hence, they could no longer supply the BWPS with water. In response, two new donors agreed to collaborate to find a solution to the problem. One donor purchased the underground cables and the other covered the costs of installation. As a result, high-end electric underground cables were purchased, an improved underground cables routing system was implemented, and the project was delivered on time. The case highlights how this problem was resolved owing to the collaborative efforts of the community, other stakeholders, the private sector and USAID.

This case study was submitted as part of USAID's CLA Case Competition, held in August 2015. Taken together, this collection of submissions illustrates the diversity of ways collaborating, learning, and adapting approaches are being operationalized in the field. Stringent judging criteria was used to determine official CLA Case Competition winners, so not all submissions should be considered an official USAID endorsement of best practice. To view all entries, visit the CLA Case Competition page.