STRENGTHENING MUNICIPAL COMMITTEES AND INCREASING CIVIC ENGAGEMENT IN PAKISTAN – A QUANTITATIVE STUDY OF COMMUNITY SATISFACTION AND DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

Effective municipal governance is crucial for service delivery in the domains of water supply, sanitation, and waste management. Strengthening municipal committees and increasing civic engagement were found to be effective ways of improving community satisfaction and local development. This research utilized a secondary quantitative analysis and an interferential approach of the Citizen Score Card (CSC) survey that was initially used to examine the effectiveness of the services provided and the extent of the civic engagement of the members of the community in 2023 as a part of the HANDS and USAID Water Governance 2023 projects' in Jacobabad, Sindh, Pakistan. Results showed that frequent field staff visits and the initiatives of community mobilization had a substantial impact on increasing awareness and civic engagement with the Customer Facilitation Center (p = 0.011). Regular community meetings and participatory decision-making were significantly associated with increased customer satisfaction (p < 0.001). WASH interventions resulted in considerable improvements in handwashing facility access (p = 5.13 × 10⁻⁵⁶) and the availability of water and soap (p = 0.0001) although a significant difference in underserved areas. Access to safe drinking water had improved significantly (p = 7.60 × 10⁻⁸²), and correlated with a decrease in waterborne diseases. This research highlights the need for continued civic engagement, municipal strengthening, and targeted interventions for enhanced service delivery and community well-being. Such efforts must be scaled up for a sustainable development and good governance in Jacobabad and similar rural areas to achieve the SDG Goals 20230.