Asset Management Framework for Water Infrastructure in Kiribati - Linking asset management with health and wellbeing through the benefits of a sustainable water supply

Abstract

Infrastructure management in Small Island Developing State (SIDS) including in Kiribati were deeply mired in unsustainable practices. Kiribati is in the South Pacific and is characterised as a SIDS and one of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). A combination of challenges including poor infrastructure management practices and underinvestment in infrastructure sustainability resulted in the Build-Neglect-Rebuild (BNR) paradigm, a problem common for SIDS and LDCs. The cyclic nature of the BNR had created entrenched practices that required context-based solutions, which in this study were derived from widely accepted practices such as sustainable Asset Management (AM). AM guidelines and frameworks had been developed, but few were focused on the underlying causes of the BNR paradigm in the Pacific SIDS and LDCs nor to understand the role of AM in health and wellbeing outcomes of a sustainable water supply. Based upon investigation of the literature and existing AM models, analysis of data and consultation with relevant stakeholders, an Asset Management Framework (AMF) and a performance monitoring framework (PMF) had been developed. Mixed methods had been applied including qualitative (e.g., desktop study, semi-structured interviews, NVivo analysis) and quantitative approaches (secondary analysis of quantitative data). NVivo analysis was used to draw relevant themes from participants’ opinions and experiences for conceptual framework development while the desktop study and secondary analysis of quantitative data confirm the applicability of the models by cross-checking information and data gathered. The findings included: 1) A Water Infrastructure AMF that is applicable and can be integrated with national processes; 2) Development of a PMF that articulates a sustainability-based level of services and indicators for better health and wellbeing; and 3) A better understanding of the role of AM in the established relationship between a sustainable water supply and health and wellbeing. These contributed to policy improvement and better water infrastructure development in Kiribati. The frameworks adopted for this study should also be relevant to similar contexts particularly in Pacific Island SIDS and LDCs settings because they are replicable and adaptable.