* for post‎-graduate students‎,‎ and implementers and managers of water supply systems * based on more than 20 years practical experience * 22 communities in 6 countries studied Community management has become the leading concept for implementing water supply systems in rural areas in developing countries‎.‎ In the early days it was seen as the answer to large‎-scale breakdown of water supply systems and the failure of government either to provide clean water itself or to devise a system whereby other agencies would supply it reliably and consistently‎.‎ Now‎,‎ after more than two decades of applying the concept‎,‎ it is time to look back and consider the opportunities and constraints of community management in bringing water to the millions of people who need it‎.‎ Is community management the right way to increase both the sustainability of water supply systems and the coverage of safe and reliable water supply in rural areas‎?‎ This book is based on the experience gained over twenty years of working to strengthen the capacities o‎.‎‎.‎‎.‎