| dc.description.abstract | Globally, community participation and sustainability of rural water supply projects have been
major concerns. This study looked at the assessment of community involvement for sustainable
water supply management in Gairo district council, Tanzania. Specifically, the study aimed to
assess the levels of community involvement in water supply projects in different phases, identify
social-economic, policy, environmental, and management factors that affect sustainable water
supply management, and determine the effect of community involvement on the sustainability of
water supply management. Primary and secondary data were collected from the study area by
considering various project management factors. Primary data was collected through
questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs), and observations. A total of 30
questionnaires were prepared and distributed to targeted community members and project staff in
Gairo District. A total of 13 questions were also prepared for group discussion purpose. In the
district, 50 project staff and 150 beneficiaries from each village were purposefully selected. The
collected data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) to visualize
the result in various expression forms (frequencies, percentages, correlations, and significant
values). Correlation and significant values were performed to assess social, environmental,
economic and management factors that affect sustainable water supply project management. The
results indicate that age, education level, cost of water, quality of water, distance to water sources,
and specialized training had a negative influence on the probability of households participating in
water supply projects. However, the study identified policy, environmental, and management
factors that affect positively sustainable water supply project management. The study indicated
that 40.7% of respondents reported the regulatory framework as a policy problem. The study
indicated 48.7% of respondents reported climate change impact as the main environmental
problem. Adapting water supply projects to climate change considerations is crucial for their long
term viability. Lastly, the study indicated that 50.7% of respondents reported operation and
maintenance as the main management water project-related problems. Overall, based on the
findings of the study, it can be concluded that community involvement in Gairo District water
supply management is crucial for sustainability and long-term benefits. The researcher
recommends that community members have to be actively involved in decision-making at all
stages of water supply project to ensure sustainability | en_US |
