随着联合国饮用水和卫生十年的展开，捐助组织发现较不发达国家的供水设施在运行和维护方面存在严重缺陷，从而为人民提供的服务低于预期。作者分析了维护不足或不当的原因，并提出了改进建议，以帮助实现十年的目标。除了建议在设计阶段更加重视操作问题外，还强调了管理系统和经过培训的人员的开发。包括17个参考文献，图。

As the United Nations Drinking Water and Sanitation Decade unfolds, donor organizations have found severe shortcomings in the operation and maintenance of water facilities in less developed countries, thus rendering service to the people less than anticipated. The authors analyze the reasons for inadequate or improper maintenance and offer suggestions for improvement to help meet the goals of the decade. In addition to recommending greater emphasis on operational problems during the design stage, the development of management systems and trained personnel is stressed. Includes 17 references, figure.