Key issues

1. Waste discharge into water bodies
2. Inadequate hygiene
3. Political will and poor planning
4. Lack of awareness and qualified people
5. Inadequate infrastructure for population growth.

Recommendations

1. Research/assessment/study of problems needed.
2. Policies, regulation and implementation is needed.  There are many policies continuously being developed but implementation usually does not follow.
3. Increase awareness of the importance of planning ahead.
4. Critically important to make decisions with evidence/scientific information.
5. Water quality must be tied to water treatment and re-use.

Discussion Points

1. Women and young girls are most affected by water quality issues.
2. Political will is essential to getting regulation of water quality some countries are getting it right: Botswana, Uganda
3. Water is not a high priority in most government ministries; many women are managers of water but they lack funding.
4. Involvement of women in the design, implementation, infrastructure building etc. is needed.
5. It is critical to have the right people with the right technical background in the ministries / municipalities
6. Management of services is lacking/underfunded; a lot of the management is information management and is not a source of revenue.
7. Water pollution is the major cause of low water quality and hence there is need to address sources of major polluters
8. Implementation is the challenge still; plans are in place but are not implemented
9. African women are important in keeping politicians in office.
10. Waste management drives water quality control (Model of peace-keeping Mission in Darfur which is a water-conflict zone).