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Municipal Water and Sanitation Mapping in Honduras
Author(s) -
Fogelberg Kate,
Betancourt Diana,
Valentine Wende
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal ‐ american water works association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.466
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1551-8833
pISSN - 0003-150X
DOI - 10.1002/j.1551-8833.2008.tb09579.x
Subject(s) - sanitation , baseline (sea) , environmental planning , business , action plan , geography , government (linguistics) , environmental resource management , global positioning system , plan (archaeology) , environmental protection , political science , computer science , environmental science , environmental engineering , economics , linguistics , philosophy , management , archaeology , law , telecommunications
This article begins by introducing Water For People ‐ Honduras, and its five year strategic plan. Its overall goal is to increase water and sanitation coverage and achieve meaningful change in hygiene behavior in three of the poorest Honduran municipalities: Chinda, Santa Barbara; San Antonio, Cortes; and El Negrito, Yoro. The article describes mapping as a tool that is used internationally to physically mark all water points (water sources, treatment locations), along with their operational status, on a global positioning system (GPS). Once all GPS points are plotted on an actual district or municipal map and analyzed, the maps become the basis for planning and monitoring. The maps provide a baseline that allows a host of players, e.g., local government, nongovernmental organizations, and donors, to understand what the current level of coverage is within a geographic boundary, track progress, and allocate funding in a systematic manner that will ensure coverage levels over time. The article discusses a mapping and needs assessment of water systems and sanitation in 141 communities within the three municipalities of Chinda, San Antonio, and El Negrito. The program included water quality analyses as well as plotting of the communities using GPS. The three key drivers for mapping and needs assessment are listed, along with the six components of the process. Accurate coverage and action plans are discussed, along with several other results including: demand for services; leveraged funding; and, entire community participatory planning.