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Role of Municipalities in Water Services in Namibia and Lithuania

Tempere University of Technology

Before gaining independence in 1990, both Namibia and Lithuania were part of a country ruled by a strong central government. Since independence, both countries have decentralized their administrative structure to a large degree, and local authorities have assumed a vital role as providers of services to citizens. Public water services are among the key responsibilities of local authorities. The conditions under which municipalities provide water services are quite different in these two countries. Lithuania was independent between the two world wars, and water supply was the responsibility of municipalities but transferred to state water companies during the Soviet regime. In Namibia, only a few of the largest towns operated their own water services before independence, and the rest of the country was taken care of by the centrally managed Department of Water Affairs. This article examines how well this worthy principle of decentralization has succeeded and how well local authorities have managed in their task to provide water services to the citizens.

Key Words: municipalities • water services • Namibia • Lithuania

Public Works Management & Policy, Vol. 10, No. 1, 53-68 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/1087724X05280756


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