Participatory water monitoring has an especially important role to play in reducing or avoiding water-related conflict in large-scale, intensive development projects. Conflict tends to arise in situations where expectations are not being met, information is not available, stakeholder engagement is not equitable, or where there is an actual adverse impact.
Participatory water monitoring can help address these causes of conflict by actively engaging stakeholders, by addressing their concerns in the design and implementation of the monitoring program, by generating credible information, and by informing solutions that can mitigate or remedy any adverse impacts. Both the process (by being participatory and inclusive) and the product (by generating trustworthy, high quality information) contribute to better development on the ground. Indeed, in important ways, the process
is the product.
The cooperation, sense of ownership, and mutual responsibility necessary to make the program succeed can strengthen communitycompany ties and thus strengthen sustainability-gains that can extend beyond the life of a monitoring program But monitoring programs need to be done right. In many instances, companies have spent large amounts of money on monitoring programs that may have a high degree of
credibility, yet generate little trust in the community. One reason for this is that most monitoring programs are top-down, with the public receiving information that has been collected, analyzed, and reported by experts chosen by the project sponsor or company, and presented in a way that the public may not understand.
In many instances, the information may not even address the real concerns of the community; rather, it may be strictly oriented toward a company's interests in compliance with regulations and legal commitments (also an important function of monitoring. Sometimes, communities become aware of monitoring results so late in the project cycle that they may have lost trust in the company before they receive the results. In such cases, there is no mechanism to generate public trust in the resulting data, and one of the principal purposes of monitoring-providing credible information to the public and authorities-is lost. There is a better way, and this guide is offered to help provide it.
Much of the discussion is structured as a series of questions that readers can tailor to their own particular circumstances, challenges, and needs. The guide opens in chapter 1 with a discussion of the need for participatory monitoring. Chapters 2-5 describe the four components of an effective participatory monitoring program:
- Component 1. Initiating the monitoring program
- Component 2. Creating meaningful participation, effective governance, and transparent financing
- Component 3. Creating credible information
- Component 4. Evaluating the process and results
Three appendixes supplement this general discussion with specific information. Appendix A presents brief summaries of eight participatory monitoring programs surveyed to provide background for this guide. Appendix B presents sampling methods 2 and procedures. Appendix C presents a list of additional resources, drawing on the many tools and resources available to address the social and technical details of the planning and implementation process. The glossary at the end of the document contains useful terms and definitions.
