View source for 19 Operationalisation of the PWM concept

== Trend 3: From O&M to Local Economic Development; from task to mandate ==
The third amplification of the role of WMOs is the interpretation of the core responsibility of the WMO. The original view, loosely based on the PWMR and explicitly expressed in the TA  Inception Report, is that the scope of responsibility of the WMO is operation and routine maintenance of infrastructure (with BWDB remaining responsible for periodic and emergency maintenance). This scoping of the responsibility of the WMG and/or WMA reflects concerns on the sustainable functioning of the infrastructure that is constructed or restored by BWDB. Briefly put: WMOs are formed to keep the infrastructure running. This scope is strongly task-based (operate and maintain) and output-centred (infrastructure in working condition).

Gradually, however, the scope for which the WMOs are established and supported became more comprehensive: 

* In addition to mere operation and maintenance, the WMGs and WMAs widened their activities in the field of water management: 
** From 2015 onwards, WMGs were assisted through the Community-led Agricultural Water Management instrument to move beyond operation and maintenance of the infrastructure as is to include actions to '''modify''' the water system and its associate infrastructure. New canals were dug and small-scale infrastructure made or rehabilitated.
** During 2018 and 2019, matching grants were provided for development of small-scale infrastructure by the WMGs. In effect, this provided an added possibility to modify the polder system.

* Both CAWM and the matching grants for small-infrastructure enabled a substantial portion of the WMGs, or sections thereof, to control the water system around them. This was further pursued when, from late 2017 onwards, Catchment O&M plans were developed. Through the O&M catchment sub-committee of the WMA, WMGs in a sluice catchment jointly develop an activity plan for the management of the whole catchment. The focus on keeping infrastructure running changed to a scope on running the water system. The output of WMOs was redefined to ‘in-polder water management’.
* As remarked already above, participatory water management has in the course of BGP increasingly been placed in a context of economic development. WMOs are not merely there to keep infrastructure in working condition or to pursue in-polder water management; they are there to enable local economic development through water management. This provides a strong justification for their close relation to local governments, line agencies, other community-based organisations and the private sector; but always from the realisation that they are primarily an in-polder water management agent. The scope of responsibility was augmented with an objective at outcome-level (local economic development).
[[File:Figure 19.1.png|thumb|600x600px|'''Figure 19.1: WMG and WMA emerging organisational mandate''']]
The above argues that the scope of the WMGs has widened to include more activities; and that the initial task-centred scope transformed into a full organisational mandate, covering activities, purpose and long-term objectives. 

Some of the WMGs supported by BGP have indeed progressed to take up a broader responsibility for in-polder water management, thereby striving to create conditions for improved production and subsequent local economic development. Other WMGs still remain focused on basic O&M tasks only, without heeding a wider mandate. 

In 2019, twenty-seven of 36 WMAs are assessed to be functional<ref>{{Cite book|last=|first=|title=Participatory Monitoring at WMA Level October 2018, Working Paper 08E|publisher=Euroconsult Mott MacDonald & Associates|year=January 2019|isbn=|location=|pages=|url=https://www.bluegoldwiki.com/index.php?title=File:WP08E_Report_on_Participatory_Monitoring_Oct_2018_iss_26jan_19.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=|first=|title=Participatory Monitoring at WMA Level Ocotber 2019, Working Paper 10B|publisher=Euroconsult Mott MacDonald & Associates|year=December 2019|isbn=|location=|pages=|url=https://www.bluegoldwiki.com/index.php?title=File:WP10B_WMA_Participatory_Monitoring_Oct_2019_23dec_19_opt.pdf}}</ref>. In a self-assessment by WMAs in late 2020, 21 WMAs came out as good, and 14 as medium, while one did not participate in the exercise<ref>{{Cite book|last=Euroconsult Mott MacDonald & Associates|first=|title=Self-monitoring of WMOs Using Mobile App: A monitoring system for future|publisher=|year=January 2021|isbn=|location=|pages=}}</ref>. So while the trend for now appears to be positive, it is not guaranteed that the WMAs will be able to hold on to this level of performance. Nor is there much certainty that those WMGs that presently still have a restricted scope will develop into purpose- or objective-driven organisations by their own volition after project completion.  

One area of concern for the future sustainability of WMOs is that the regulatory framework, while allowing them to enter into the area of in-polder water management, does little to enable their involvement in planning of major infrastructure. As Bangladesh is emerging on a long-term investment strategy for better water resource infrastructure, this is a remarkable omission.