On 16^th November inauguration of newly constructed water supply network took place in Cherepashyntsi village. Due to community’s persistence and responsibility, it successfully implemented 2 projects with DESPRO support. As a result, it is 100% covered with centralized water supply.

 

 

·         Project Contractor – Body of Population Self-organization;

·         Water supply system owner – territorial community (communal property);

·         Services provider – private entrepreneur;

·         Tariff – UAH 5,03 per cubic meter;

·         Water meters – 100% of water consumers;

·         Projects partners during their implementation – Cherepashyntsi village council, Kalynivs’ky Rayon State Administration, Cherepashyntsi village community, “Vinnifrut” LTD.

 

·         Centralized water supply system, which 100% covers the village, is constructed, including:

o   More  than 10 km of water supply networks constructed;

o   4 wells, 3 Rozhnovsky water towers and 1 hydro-accumulating plant commissioned.

 

·         More than 1000 village inhabitants are covered with water supply service.

·         Kindergarten and medical centre are connected to water supply network.

·         Total works’ costs for two projects amounts for UAH 635 000, including:

o        Community contribution – UAH 256 000;

o        DESPRO contribution – UAH 285 000;

o        Local budget contribution – UAH 94 000.

 

 

Cherepashyntsi village is located is a picturesque place of Kalynivsky rayon Vinnytsya Oblast, 18 km from Kalynivka. Such a location serves for adequate conditions for village development. Currently, village has 782 households, 1500 inhabitants, kindergarten, school and club. 2 agricultural enterprises – “Promin” and “Vinnifrut” LTD operate in a village.

 

In 1960s small centralized water supply system, which covered 5 streets, was constructed in a village. After the collapse of USSR, it was owned and maintained by local agricultural enterprise “Promin” LTD. Since 2006, due to the increased number of livestock and lack of water for production, the enterprise could not provide consumers with water any longer; streets were disconnected from centralized water supply system.

 

Individual and group wells could not solve the problem because the water level in them has fallen significantly in the recent years and this trend was amplifying. The situation was worsening by the fact that the aquifer lied among granites, which significantly complicated the process of drilling the new wells and increased the costs.

 

Lack of water badly affected not only the residents of 5 streets, but also public premises and facilities, like medical center and kindergarten.

 

Thus, Project “Construction of water supply system in Cherepashyntsi village” implemented with DESPRO support was aimed at improving social and economic conditions of local population through the construction of water supply network. The first project was launched in 2009 and completed in 2009.  

 

Social mobilization (community’s unification around common goal) was an important project component.

 

By the project launching, Cherepashyntsi village community already had essential experience related self-organization, obtained during provision of gas for the village, construction of boiler for kindergarten, improvement of village cemetery and repair of cultural center. Every year inhabitants arrange by themselves 13 hectares of village park. Community also took part in the construction of football stadium and bus stations.

 

Previous experience of social mobilization has become a basis for further community activities. For example, to reduce the project costs, community members took responsibility for land works, i.e.: digging, cleaning and filling the trench as well as cleaning the territory around water tower.

 

Community proved its responsibility when organized adequate control over project implementation through Inventory commission created by general meeting. Its task was to ensure transparency and accountability of Body of Population Self-organization (BPSO) to the whole community. Having received the mandate of auditing body, commission members obtained the right to be present during construction works, make acceptance certificates and report to BPSO general meeting together with its governing body. It should be mentioned that only those community members who have been most critical of the project, became the commission members; BPSO accountant was the only its representative in the commission. She ensured access to accounting and financial documents. Such a practice is a good example of how taking on some authorities, the community is becoming aware of the importance of responsibility for their implementation, which is fully consistent with the concept of decentralization.

 

Village community paid special attention to maintenance of newly constructed water supply system. For the first time, it involved physical person – private entrepreneur – to exploitation and maintenance of village infrastructure. It resulted in a number of different questions, i.e.: concluding the rental agreement with private entrepreneur, obtaining permissions, identifying the procedures for tariff calculation and degree of responsibility of both the entrepreneur (for services provided) and the consumers (for services obtained).  Due to constant consultations with DESPRO and rayon authorities, all the above issues were successfully solved.

 

As a result of first community project, 3,05 km of water supply network were constructed. Inhabitants of 5 streets were provided qualitative drinking water (88 households, 274 inhabitants) as well as two facilities of social infrastructure (medical center and kindergarten).

We cannot but mention that agricultural enterprise “Vinnifrut” constructed, at its own expense, and transferred to communal property the artesian well. Newly constructed networks were connected to a new well.

 

Besides, project implementation caused some unplanned results, i.e. old worn-out sewer pipes have been replaced with new plastic ones. The spirit of community responsibility for its own development was supported by local media, which has repeatedly described the success story of Cherepashyntsi village. Such "advertisement" inspired other communities to use the model of social mobilization to address important social problems. Other villages still contact BPSO and t village council for advice and consultations.

 

 

For 3 years after the first attempt to improve water supply and trying to meet the numerous demands of other households, BPSO decided to expand the water supply system and cover 1005 of village territory.

 

After preliminary feasibility study (due to geological terms, the village is divided into two parts by the river and is located in the area with large deposits of granite), it was decided to construct 4 autonomous water supply systems, connected to own water sources. New project was implemented in 2010 – 2011. Currently, total length of the entire village network exceeds 14 kilometers, has 4 wells, 3 water towers and 1 pumped storage station.

 

Because of extension of water supply network, increased services, high level of social mobilization, village inhabitants readiness to take part not only in service planning but to be engaged in all issues at the stage of its provision, the community decided to establish service cooperative. Service cooperative, due to its organizational and legal status, is more flexible and reliable water supply operator/provider than private entrepreneur. Moreover, service cooperative creates better conditions for citizens’ participation in service provision, control over it, further planning of its improvements, financing, etc.

 

The most important thing, which still remains unchanged, is the fact that village community expressed its will and readiness to contribute to positive changes, to take the risks and responsibility on the way of adding the real content to the term “decentralization”.