Water Management Cooperative Associations (WMCAs) and Labour Contracting Societies (LCSs), proposed in current project, offer an organizational framework for such public participation to ensure direct involvement of people and the stakeholders in project planning, implementation, management, operation and maintenance. One of the few successful water resources development stories in Bangladesh is the Small Scale Water Resources Development Sector Project implemented by the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED).

In general, the scope of services include, but is not necessarily limited to, forming, developing, and nurturing functional WMCAs in about 300 subprojects and ensuring stakeholder participation in all stages of the subproject development cycle. The scope also includes targeting employment benefits to local landless poor by providing training to, and assisting LCSs in the subprojects.

Thus, the general objectives of the project will be to:

• Form, develop and nurture WMCAs;
• Identify the perceptions of local interest groups on water related constraints and ensure stakeholder participation in all stages of the project cycle; and
• Train and assist LCSs.

The fundamental idea in organising the WMCAs and LCSs for the SSWRDSP-2 is to set up the required organisational framework so that the subproject beneficiaries may actively participate in the entire project cycle: concept, design, implementation, operation and management. To achieve this purpose, the WMCAs and LCSs will be formed, developed and nurtured in each of the proposed subproject areas. Through the process of accomplishing these activities, the perceptions of local interest groups on water related constraints will be identified and stakeholder participation in all stages of the subproject cycle will be ensured.

Three essential activities need to be undertaken to form effectively functioning WMCAs in each of the proposed subproject areas. The activities can be categorized as:

• Formation
• Development.
• Nurturing.

To achieve the objective, the following activities will be done-

• Mobilize Project Team
• Recruit and Place Field Supervisors and Facilitators.
• Undertake Information, Awareness, and Motivational Campaign at Field Level.
• Form First Management Committee of WMCA.
• Prepare Draft By-Laws of WMCA.
• Enrol Members of WMCA.
• Hold General Election.
• Schedule Meetings (Weekly, Monthly, Annual).
• Collect Beneficiary Contribution.
• Publish Beneficiary List.
• Formally Register WMCA under Cooperative Act 2001.
• Sign Implementation Agreement with LGED.
• Undertake LCS Training and Assistance.
• Utilize WMCA to Ensure Quality Control and Monitoring of Construction.
• Establish Organizational and Financial Audit.
• Fulfil Membership Criteria.
• Elect Full Management Committee.
• Hold AGM.
• Plan and Implement Socio-Economic Development and Poverty Alleviation Programmes.
• Implement O&M System for Post-Project Sustainability.