The publication of the second issue of Impact marks another step in the entrenchment of regulation in the water services sub-sector. As highlighted in the first edition, the purpose of the report is to introduce a benchmarking mechanism and encourage comparative competition so that we can identify areas of strength to learn from and build on, while pointing out areas that require improvement for the overall growth of the sector.

When the first issue was published last year, regulation was more at infancy stage. The work of the Regulator was interpreted as being only that of developing regulatory guidelines. The introduction of Impact in the sector could be interpreted as the first step of testing the guidelines the Regulator had developed. In a way, it is the first step towards enforcing regulation.

I must say we were rather excited by the reception the production of the first issue received. Indeed we felt humbled by the demand this issue received and the citations in numerous forums, local and even global. This convinced us that Impact was going to be a relevant publication for the sector. This impetus has greatly motivated the production of the current issue. The second issue of Impact comes at a time when the need for sector information cannot be overemphasised. This need was highlighted as one of the key commitments of the water sector consultative meeting held towards the end of last year. Impact is WASREB’s contribution towards bridging this gap.