The universalization of drinking water in rural communities poses a great challenge to developing countries, where rural areas often receive poor water service coverage and limited attention from authorities. This scenario is the current reality in Brazil. The community management model of rural water services has proven to be a noteworthy approach to ensure the continuity of water supply where private and public entities do not operate. However, its sustainability depends on several aspects. The authors of the current paper performed a thorough review of relevant publications in the rural sanitation field of study using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) methodology, which enabled the creation of a list of essential factors capable to ensure the sustainability of Rural Water Supply Services (RWSS). Using the Nominal Group Technique with a selection of participants from a national conference held in Brazil in 2015, specialists hierarchized the factors, demonstrating their perception of the most important aspects necessary in RWSS throughout Brazil. Consequently, the authors noticed the necessity of a strong enabling environment, which recognizes small communities and their local services. Water quality control, post-construction support and the existence of a financial scheme were also pointed out as important aspects to ensure RWSS’s sustainability.

The community management model of water supply systems has reached a great number of rural settlements worldwide, especially in developing countries. Its functionality, however, has proven to be a major challenge once the stakeholders responsible for maintaining the service fail to provide the technical, financial, and social resources necessary to secure its sustainability. A number of fragilities are associated with a lack of political recognition of community organizations. In some cases, community organizations have been able to maintain strong recognition in decision-making processes through the establishment of associations involving several community organizations, representing a second organizational level. A third organizational level is achieved once these associations reach an extensive area of a territory. This article conducted four case-studies in Latin America. The study revealed that the emblematic examples according to scientific literature presented the second and, in one case, the third organizational level, while the others, where several weaknesses are noticed, only presented the first level. Although difficulties still exist in every scenario analyzed, our study supports that the presence of the second and third organizational levels are factors that positively contribute to better outcomes from the community management model.

Although water is considered a human right, rural communities in many countries face challenges related to the lack of a safe water supply. In rural areas, where there is no access to public or private water supply, populations have no other choice than to rely on other unsafe sources of water. Community-managed water supply (CMWS) has emerged as an alternative to address the lack of access to safe water. Nonetheless, this alternative has several critical characteristics that harm the sustainability of water supplies. Studies on sustainability and the long-term impact of the CMWS were explored through a review of recent literature using Scopus and Web of Science databases, which analyzed 86 papers reporting on research into the sustainability and efficiency of water supply systems managed and operated by local communities, as well as the long-term critical factors that can interfere with the functionality of these systems. Based on the critical factors most cited in the literature, we proposed a framework of strategies that interrelate and integrate the critical factors into levels of responsibility. The most critical factors are related to the community level, such as inadequate capacity and ineffective systems. This demonstrates the relevance of local characteristics in the implementation of water management systems. The most cited sustainability strategies refer to the local level as the one requiring action to promote effective community involvement and post-construction support. The framework helps to conceptualize what we called an enabling environment for decision-making, and thus, the achievement of the long-term sustainability of water supply.

Universal access to water is already recognized as a human right, but your fulfillment is still a challenge in some regions of Brazil. In regions further away from urban centers, access to a water supply system is non-existent or ineffective. The population of these regions is forced to quest for alternative supplies to achieve quality home access. The residential condominium Solar de Maricá I, in the municipality of Maricá, has a water supply from individual wells, but it does not serve all the residents. This work presents a project for sizing the water supply system, in addition to a proposal for the reuse of gray waters as an alternative to preserving water resources. To do that a previous study was carried out to improve knowledge about the local reality in terms of access to water through visits to nearby condominiums with surveys on the technology used for treatment and quality of available water. Furthermore, water collections were carried out in the study condominium to establish the adequacy of the proposed system with the water quality of the place. The water purifying station operates for 16 hours daily, serving a projected population of 30 years, and consists of 2 filters in parallel with zeolite and sand as filter media, disinfection with sodium hydrochloride, two reservoirs of treated water, and a chemical house. The reuse water treatment is composed of a bio-disc reactor, equalization tank, decantation tank, accumulation tank, pressure sand filter, and disinfection system and presents itself as an effective alternative in reducing water consumption, thus preserving the resource local water resources.

A importância da etapa de planejamento da pesquisa de campo. Estudo de caso para avaliação de sistemas de abastecimento de água das comunidades rurais The importance of the field research planning stage. Case study for evaluating water supply systems in rural communities

A garantia do acesso à água segura nas áreas rurais é um objetivo que segue inatingido em diversas partes do mundo. No Brasil, o cenário é semelhante, apresentando um número elevado de instalações rurais sem abastecimento adequado de água. Em algumas comunidades rurais na cidade de Boa Esperança, ES, estabeleceu-se o modelo de gestão comunitária do abastecimento de água, também aplicado em outras partes do Brasil e de outros países. Neste trabalho, verificou-se a satisfação dos usuários destes sistemas em 7 destas comunidades. Com um questionário Likert, verificou-se o quanto os respondentes concordavam com cada uma de três afirmativas, contemplando os tópicos 'Qualidade da água', 'Quantidade de água' e 'Valor da tarifa'. Também foram levantados dados socioeconômicos daqueles que responderam e dados técnicos sobre as instalações do sistema, a comunidade e a associação de moradores. Observou-se que, no geral, os moradores estão satisfeitos com o abastecimento de água que recebem. Houve maior discordância sobre a qualidade da água, porém as respostas ainda foram majoritariamente positivas. Acredita-se que a população destas regiões não tenha informação suficiente sobre os padrões de qualidade da água. Desta maneira, é tão necessário conscientizar a população sobre estes padrões, quanto prover auxílio técnico para que elas os atinjam.

No Brasil, a problemática ligada ao Saneamento tem, historicamente, resistido aos diferentes programas e planos de gestão adotados em diversos governos. Este trabalho reflete sobre a problemática do saneamento em comunidades de pequenos portes. São apresentados e analisados diferentes sistemas alternativos de tratamentos de esgoto em locais isolados e explorada a legislação vigente no estado do Rio de Janeiro e no município de Casimiro de Abreu. O presente trabalho apresenta fundamentação teórica resultante de uma pesquisa exploratória preliminar, reconhecimento da área de estudo e ida a campo para caracterização da área e a aplicação da metodologia do Processo Hierárquico Analítico desenvolvido por Thomas Lorie Saaty que considera as características dos diferentes sistemas de tratamento de esgotos e a adequação à realidade a região de estudo. A decisão pelo sistema a ser adotado para o Condomínio Floresta I, fundamentou-se na hierarquização das características que melhor se adaptaram à problemática do local de estudo. Ao final, foi dimensionado o sistema alternativo de tratamento de esgoto que melhor se adaptou às características do condomínio. Apesar das limitações apresentadas por este estudo, a metodologia se mostrou eficaz no levantamento de dados assim como na escolha do sistema de esgotamento para com a comunidade.

An urban–rural dichotomy currently exists in policy documentation, accessibility to resources, and human rights. In Brazil, there remains a significant deficit in water and sanitation services coverage, particularly in rural areas. To achieve universal access to water, the legal framework addresses the development of decentralization actions and co-participation in management. As a result, a community-managed water supply (CMWS) has emerged as the social tool in which the community effectively participates in decision-making and oversees the operation and maintenance of water systems. The long-term sustainability of these systems is affected by critical factors in implementation, management, and maintenance. However, no strategic plan exists to solve/mitigate the critical factors commonly associated with CMWS. We proposed an action plan with multiscale intersectoral management strategies to guarantee water security for rural populations. The strategies were separated into areas of responsibility discussed in the recent literature and evaluated by experts. The strategies at the national level were related to institutional aspects and policy formulation. At the local level, the strategies were related to supporting CMWS from project implementation to post-construction. Finally, at the community level, the strategies were related to the quality and financial recognition of the services.