Accountable governance of water services at the local level through Public Expenditure Tracking Systems (PETS)

Tanzania, Norwegian Church Aid (NCA)

Norwegian Church Aid, a member of the Ecumenical Water Network and the ACT Alliance, promotes accountable governance of community water services in Tanzania. It uses Public Expenditure Tracking Systems (PETS) which track whether funds allocated for vital public services, such as water and sanitation, education, and health, are actually spent as planned and on behalf of the intended beneficiaries.

PET is a tool for Civil Society Organizations creating transparency and accountability by enabling local communities to track public resources and challenge their misuse. Essentially, it is the process of tracking public resources from the source to the point of service.

The system is designed to empower right-holders at the grassroots level to demand rights-based services from relevant public bodies. For this purpose, people participating in PETS committees are trained to read and analyse public budgets and accounts, and to monitor how financial plans are implemented. If realities on site differ from the plan (budget) and the reported expenditure (accounts), the committees have been trained on how to file complaints and secure interventions against corruption by higher level government officials.

PETS is not restricted to water service delivery but can also be applied to other public services, e.g. education or health services, according to the priorities determined by each community. In Tanzania, the practice is supported by the national government and a Guideline has been passed to facilitate the work of PETS.

→ For more details, download the "Good Practice Questionnaire" that was submitted to the UN Independent Expert on human rights obligation related to water and sanitation in 2010.