Institutional capacity as a determinant of sustainability in community-managed drinking water systems beyond infrastructure

Abstract

The sustainability of community drinking water supply systems is a central challenge for water management in rural areas, where the continuity, quality, and reliability of service depend not only on the available infrastructure but also on the institutional capacity of the organizations responsible for their administration. The objective of this study was to evaluate the institutional sustainability of two Drinking Water Management Boards in southern Ecuador by combining the PROPILAS methodology with the Institutional Capacity Assessment Framework (ICAF). The PROPILAS indicators were adapted and reorganized into three interdependent dimensions of institutional capacity: technical, operational, and organizational. A mixed-methods approach was applied, featuring a cross-sectional design and a comparative case study, integrating technical inspections, document reviews, interviews, and the evaluation of indicators related to infrastructure, operations, maintenance, monitoring, administrative management, and community participation. The results showed that both organizations achieved sustainability levels ranging from moderate to high, although with significant differences in the consolidation of their institutional capacities. The Baños Drinking Water Administrative Board demonstrated better technical and operational performance, with a higher proportion of sustainable indicators, while Proyecto Nero showed gaps primarily in preventive maintenance, process systematization, planning, and institutional management. In both cases, service continuity and favorable user perception were strengths, while community participation, institutional communication, and coordination with public entities represented areas for improvement. The findings confirm that infrastructure is a necessary but insufficient condition for ensuring sustainable services. The integration of PROPILAS and ICAF made it possible to interpret the capacity to support water-quality assurance, supply continuity, and sustainability as outcomes of institutional performance, providing a useful tool for identifying gaps, guiding organizational strengthening processes, and supporting decision-making in community water governance and the achievement of SDG 6.