Supporting rural water supply: moving towards a service delivery approach

English
Display title
Supporting rural water supply
Strapline
Moving towards a service delivery approach
Publication DOI
https://dx.doi.org/10.3362/9781780440699
Node read time
4 minutes
Resource type
Book
Listing introduction text
A synthesis of lessons from three decades of rural water supply investment and evolving management approaches in developing countries.
Page introduction
A synthesis of lessons from three decades of rural water supply investment and evolving management approaches in developing countries.
Member
Riva Global
Ghana
Uganda
Location
International
Theme
Professionalisation
Water services
RIVA Authors
Author role
Primary Author
RIVA author profile link

Stef Smits

English
Surname
Smits
Member
Netherlands
RIVA role
CEO
Job description
CEO Riva Netherlands
Featured image
Listing introduction
A global water strategist transforming evidence into practical strategies that governments and investors can deliver

Stef has worked with governments, NGOs, development banks and consultants across all areas of the international water sector: from analysing the lifetime costs of services and how they can be financed, to developing institutional arrangements and monitoring their effectiveness. He brings that analytical rigour to strategic advisory work, based on more than 25 years of experience across more than 25 countries in Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia – turning research findings into practical decisions and investment strategies. In an organisation known for thought leadership, he builds the tools that enable others to put those ideas into action.

Over the past years, he has taken on a more internal management and leadership role, with responsibilities for business development and financial management. In 2026, Stef has become CEO of Riva The Netherlands.


He has an MSc in Irrigation and Water Engineering from Wageningen University, and is based in The Hague.

A few highlights

  • 25 years of generating research, evidence and tools that have helped reshape how governments, INGOs and development banks across Latin America, Asia and Africa approach the life-cycle costing, financing and sustainability of water services and water resources management
  • Director, IRC Netherlands (since 2024) – executive responsibility for a team of 30, leading business development and strategy across the Netherlands and Europe, and spearheading IRC's transition to a nationally-led network model
  • Managing large-scale grant programmes including “Building sustainable WASH systems”(funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs) at 1.5 million Euro/year since 2017, and  WASH Systems for Health Facility (funded by the FCDO of the UK Government), a  £3 million knowledge programme across six countries, linking essential water and sanitation systems strengthening to health impacts
  • Pioneer of the multiple-use water services concept – designing systems that serve domestic and productive water needs simultaneously
  • Advisory work with the Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank, DGIS, Agence Française de Development as well as with international NGOs
  • Served terms as Executive Steering Committee member, Rural Water Supply Network; Secretary, Multiple Use Services Group; Editorial Board, Water Alternatives journal
  • Working languages: Dutch, English, Spanish and Portuguese
Profile quote
Stef Smits, CEO Riva Netherlands
First name
Stef
External authors
Author role
Primary Author
External author

Harold Lockwood

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on
External author/speaker first name
Harold
External author/speaker surname
Lockwood
External organisation name
Aguaconsult
External author/speaker link
https://www.aguaconsult.co.uk/
Job description
Director
Publisher
Practical Action
IRC
Aguaconsult
Place published
Rugby
Page sections
content
Collectively, billions of dollars have been invested in the provision of rural water supply systems in developing countries over the past three decades. This period has also seen an evolution in thinking and practice around the approaches to delivering water supply to rural populations. We have moved from supply-driven centralised government programming to more demand-driven approaches, based on the philosophy of community participation with community-based management emerging as the principal management vehicle from the 1980s onwards in most countries. In more recent years there has been a call to build on community management with more structured systems of post-construction support and the increasing involvement of local private operators. Global monitoring results tell us that progress is being made and that even including population growth, we are increasing the rate of coverage in many, but not all, countries at a pace that will meet the Millennium Development Goals. [authors abstract] Supporting Rural Water Supply brings together findings from 13 country studies which were carried out as part of a global learning initiative - Sustainable Services at Scale (Triple-S) Water services that last-project.
Title
Supporting rural water supply: moving towards a service delivery approach
Downloadable documents
Document
Title
Supporting rural water supply : moving towards a service delivery approach
Description
Access the publication
Tags
water supply
service delivery approach
Metadata Description
This publication compiles findings from 13 country studies under the Sustainable Services at Scale initiative, tracing the shift from supply-driven programming to community-based management and structured post-construction support in rural water, sanitation and hygiene services.
It reviews progress, highlights ongoing challenges, and examines the role of local private operators and post-construction support in delivering sustainable water services.
Year
2011