MCC should use the findings of completed program evaluations to inform its understanding of the logic and potential benefits of similar programs in development. These evaluation findings contribute to a growing body of evidence about how urban water interventions work and should help improve MCC’s design and assessment of similar interventions in the future. For example, the evaluation demonstrates that results can differ based on the customer type, e.g., new customers experienced time savings, while existing customers did not. It highlights the possibility that benefits to new customers could differ depending on whether they connect to an existing network or an entirely new network, and sheds light on other urban dynamics that should be considered, e.g., spillover benefits and the use of multiple water sources. It also demonstrates the need to plan for wastewater treatment, especially for entirely new water systems like that in Semonkong, and in cases where project benefits depend heavily on industrial water use. This planning did not happen during the design of the Lesotho project and the evaluation found that wastewater treatment was both lacking in Semonkong and a persistent constraint to industrial water use. The MCC Economist who authored the agency’s Cost Benefit Analysis Guidance for water sanitation, and hygiene, engaged on the learning coming from this evaluation and can incorporate this learning into that guidance if or when it is updated. The findings will also be available to all MCC staff and external audiences for use going forward.
Lesson Learned