Water co-operatives There are several ways of arranging rural water supply and sanitation. One of these is through water co-operatives that have been established to provide water supply and / or sewerage services. Water co-operatives found in developed countries such as Finland, Denmark, Austria, Canada and USA, and in developing countries, for example in South America, such as Bolivia and Chile. In addition, the municipalities are supporting local water co-operatives financially and in some cases by technical support and loan guarantees Water co-operative is good alternative for water services if there are several people with common interest of needs for water services and they want to solve the problem together Water co-operatives Cleaner water
in your village and aroundWater co-operatives
There are several ways of arranging rural water supply and sanitation. One of these is through water co-operatives that have been established to provide water supply and / or sewerage services.
Water co-operatives found in developed countries such as Finland, Denmark, Austria, Canada and USA, and in developing countries, for example in South America, such as Bolivia and Chile.
In Finland there are more than 1300 Water co-operatives. These water co-operatives serve about 10% of the Finnish population and provide water supply and sanitation services especially for people on rural areas. In Finland, the water delivered by the water co-operatives can be from their own water source or it is often bought from municipal water utility. Some of the water co-operatives also take care of the wastewaters of the area. They might have their own wastewater treatment plants or they transfer their wastewaters to the municipal wastewater treatment plant on contracts. The water co-operatives can also be combinations of the above-mentioned.
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After the changes in the legislation of the waste water treatment in sparsely populated area in 2004, the number of water co-operatives has grown. After the year 2000 there have been established more than 600 new water co-operatives and most of these collects waste water and transfer it to municipal waste water treatment plant.
Water co-operatives are established and owned by the people who need the water services. Usually the people who have the greatest need for the water services are the founders of the co-operative and they are in active role in the management of the water co-operative. In many cases the active people have accelerated the development of the water and sanitation services on their neighborhood by establishing the water co-operative instead of waiting the actions of the municipalities.
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In Finland water co-operatives are supported mainly financially by government and local municipalities. According to the national drainage program, during 2007-2011 Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has supported water supply and sanitation on rural areas by 40 million euro. The support has usually been 20%. In addition, the municipalities are supporting local water co-operatives financially and in some cases by technical support and loan guarantees
Water co-operative is good alternative for water services if there are several people with common interest of needs for water services and they want to solve the problem together. | ||
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