The Ghazni Water Supply Department (GWSD) is one of four provincial water supply departments in Afghanistan that ICMA is assisting through the Commercialization of Afghanistan Water and Sanitation Activity (CAWSA) program, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The goal of the program is to transform each department into a self-sustaining commercial enterprise that will eventually be able to earn sufficient revenues to expand services and provide safe drinking water to all residents in their service areas. Steps toward accomplishing that goal include improving the productivity and financial performance of the departments through training personnel, investing in infrastructure, and modernizing systems.

The water supply department in Ghazni has been understaffed, underequipped, and underfunded for many years. Until recently, the department had only one meter reader, who was responsible for 819 meters serving 1,500 customers. Revenue collection was also lagging, and the department was operating at a loss.

In Ghazni’s cultural context, the job of reading meters was hampered by the fact that a male meter reader cannot gain access to household meters when only women are in the home—a common situation during daytime hours. The GWSD director suggested that hiring a female meter reader would facilitate access to these homes and avoid the need for frequent return trips to obtain the readings.

His suggestion was implemented by hiring and training a brother-and-sister team to undertake the meter-reading assignment. Their responsibilities include

• Enhancing revenue collection
• Identifying and reporting illegal connections
• Motivating customers to pay on time
• Encouraging non-customers to apply for new connections.

In the first month of their assignment, the new meter reading team collected record revenues equivalent to $9,640, which represented a 75 percent increase over revenues in the prior month and covered 52 percent of operating costs. They also identified five illegal connections that had existed for several years. These connections were legalized, and the new customers paid the equivalent of $1,310 to the department to compensate for past service.

This innovation is a step on the road to sustainable commercial operations for the 18-member department. If it continues to yield such positive results, GWSD will have sufficient resources to create permanent staff positions for this new team.

For additional information about ICMA’s work in the country, see the Afghanistan page on the ICMA Web site, or contact international@icma.org.