ABSTRACT
Kerala state has implemented decentralised planning very successfully and effectively by transferring powers, functions, and funds to local governments over the last 25 years with appropriate institutional reforms and policy actions. Growing concern over the inadequate coverage of drinking water supply in rural Kerala influenced the state government to persuade local government to take part in resolving drinking water problems. A number of institutional alternatives and arrangements were experimented with in the state. As a part of decentralised governance, the state government transferred rural water supply schemes, which were originally managed by Kerala Water Authority (KWA), to Grama Panchayats (GPs) and community based organisations (CWS) with associated powers. This chapter provides a comparative analysis of the performance of water supply schemes managed by different organisations – KWA, GPs, and CWS – with the help of primary data collected from sample households benefiting from water supply schemes operated by each of these organisations. The chapter reveals that the performance of GP schemes in terms of effectiveness was poor as compared to the KW and community schemes, while the GP and community managed schemes were more sustainable than the KWA water supply schemes. An important reason for this was the lack of technical efficiency.
