Urban water and sanitation systems: Managing infrastructure, institutions and access
While they are hugely expensive public investments, improvements to water and sanitation provide strong value for money. However, every dollar spent on water and sewerage infrastructure reduces the resources available for other high-impact interventions.
This underscores the need for rigorous cost-benefit analysis to guide public spending and ensure that resources are allocated where they generate the greatest social return. This paper sets out how cities can prioritise, finance, and deliver water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) systems that turn urban density into a source of both health and economic growth.
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Urban-water-sanitation-systems.pdf
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This paper focuses on how city leaders can deliver clean water and sanitation efficiently, affordably, and at scale. It explores:
- how to choose the right technologies for different urban contexts, balancing cost, density, and long-term maintenance;
- who should provide these services, from public utilities to public–private partnerships and informal providers, and how governments can structure their involvement;
- how to finance water and sanitation systems, from major trunk infrastructure to household connections and ongoing maintenance;
- how to incentivise household uptake through subsidies, fines, and microfinance;
- how to shape behaviour through information campaigns and social norms; and
- how to strengthen institutions, regulation, and contracting to make these systems work sustainably.