Community Based Organizations of Water Users and Factors Contributing for Functionality and Sustainability in Sri Lanka

As the sixth goal in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ensuring safe drinking water for all, Community Based Water Projects with Community Based Organizations (CBOs) are functioning in a major role of providing safe drinking water to many parts of the world. Factors including community ownership, organizational structure and management framework, financial factors, technological factors, institutional framework, community participation and engagement, legal entity, and community satisfaction contribute at different levels to the well-functioning of water CBOs while achieving sustainability. These factors are interrelated and interdependent, contributing in different ways to functionality and sustainability across different community contexts. This research takes a step toward forming a new method to assess Community Based Water Societies in Sri Lanka through their functionality and sustainability, using field studies conducted through Key Informant Interviews and Focus Group Discussions with different Community Based Water Societies in Nuwara Eliya, Badulla, Kandy and Matale districts.