This year we are celebrating 30 years since the Rural Water Supply Network was formally founded. From very technical beginnings as a group of (mostly male) experts – the Handpump Technology Network- we have evolved to be a diverse and vibrant network of over 13,000 people and 100 organisations working on a wide range of topics. Along … Continue reading "Charting the evolution of rural water services delivery across continents"

This year we are celebrating 30 years since the Rural Water Supply Network was formally founded. From very technical beginnings as a group of (mostly male) experts – the Handpump Technology Network – we have evolved to be a diverse and vibrant network of over 13,000 people and 100 organisations working on a wide range of topics. … Continue reading "A sit with Euphresia on Water and Diversity in its Leadership"

This year we are celebrating 30 years since the Rural Water Supply Network was formally founded. From very technical beginnings as a group of (mostly male) experts – the Handpump Technology Network – we have evolved to be a diverse and vibrant network of over 13,000 people and 100 organisations working on a wide range of topics. Along the … Continue reading "Sand dam’s contribution to year-round water supply"

Autodesk is best known as a global leader in 3D design, engineering and construction software. Building on Autodesk’s technical expertise, the Autodesk Foundation supports innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing social and environmental challenges. In 2022, the foundation offered a six-month Tech Lead Development Program for architects, engineers, and designers across Autodesk Foundation’s portfolio — people like Nardos.

Splash is thrilled to receive support from the Autodesk Foundation, and we are so proud of our Construction Supervisor Nardos for her hard work throughout the leadership development program! Hear more about her experience below.

How long have you been at Splash and what is your role?

I have been with Splash for almost three years. I started in January 2020. My role is a construction supervisor, which means at any given time we could have up to 10 contractors working at different school sites, and I am in charge of making sure the work is done on time and at the quality Splash expects. This includes everything from our handwashing stations, drinking stations, filtration units, to toilets and more.

Where did this career path journey start for you?

I have three older brothers, and two of them are engineers. When I got to university, I knew that was what I wanted to study. I first got my degree in civil engineering and then my masters in structural engineering. I started work as a civil engineer but made the change in my career path because I wanted to work with kids and communities and make a difference.

I am from a small town: Fitche in Oromia Village, about one hundred ten kilometers from Addis Ababa. When I was growing up, we only had two taps for the entire school. Imagine, for a school of one thousand kids, only one tap for drinking and one for handwashing. I know how hard that is, and it means so much that I can give back to our community through my work at Splash.

How is it being a woman in such a male-dominated industry?

At Splash, everyone is supportive, and I really appreciate that. Of course, I wish I wasn’t the only female in our infrastructure team. I think women have an interesting perspective to bring to the design of our work and it’s important to have more of those voices in the day-to-day work and in the design process.

Tell me about your experience with the Autodesk Foundation?

Splash has has been working for a long time with Autodesk and the Autodesk Foundation, and it’s been a really great experience. I was nominated to the Tech Lead Development Program — it’s prestigious, only 22 people are selected. I was the only one from Ethiopia, so I was really proud to represent my community. It was a six-month training, and the idea is that people who are in very technical fields of work often don’t get the opportunity to focus on leadership.

The culmination of this was the Autodesk University conference I attended in New Orleans a few weeks ago. There were more than ten thousand people there, and it was truly an amazing experience.

What was the most fun part?

This was my first opportunity to travel outside of Ethiopia — my first time in the States. I was amazed by the roads, the parks, the greenery, and just how nice everyone was. The engineering technology I saw at the conference was really inspiring. It was also great to be surrounded by colleagues from other African counties and to meet people from all over Asia.

What did you learn from this experience with Autodesk?

Two things I would take away from this experience:

1. We need to adopt new technologies for Splash so we can have more efficiency in work. As a country, Ethiopia could benefit from more innovation.

2. I learned so much about leadership: teamwork, communication, listening skills. These are skills that I can now take with me to my day-to-day work in a way that I never thought of before.

Would you recommend the program to others?

Absolutely. As technical people, we don’t always focus on our leadership skills. And this is so important for us to be exposed to. For example, every day we have so many stakeholders to communicate with: contractors, school communities, government sector officials, and internal teams. This leadership training gave me the tools to collaborate and communicate better.

Leading by example is something I learned through this experience. We are serving the community at Splash — but we need to also be leaders. Learning to do both and do it well is something that I now think about in ways I didn’t before.

What’s your hope for the future?

I want my own construction company. There are a lot already in Ethiopia, but I think there are gaps I can fill. I want to focus on water-related issues. So many companies are focused on big cities, but I want to help other communities like where I grew up. I want to help children and those in need.

Since 2017, collaboration with the Autodesk Foundation has enabled Splash to design our first mass-manufactured handwashing and drinking water stations in just one year, produce thousands of handwashing and drinking stations for schools in Kolkata and Addis Ababa, and establish a social enterprise model to scale distribution.

In addition to its catalytic funding and in-kind support like Autodesk software and Autodesk pro bono consulting and interns, Autodesk’s design and engineering expertise have been integral to Splash’s successful design and manufacturing process. Splash’s team members around the globe have had access to the same cutting-edge software and training opportunities that Autodesk’s corporate clients receive, allowing them to complete their work more efficiently and build industry-competitive skills, ultimately helping us reach more people around the world with clean water, better toilets, and improved hygiene environments.

Emerging themes from the World Health Organization (WHO) drinking-water and sanitation regulators network have been gathered in an article produced by a number of experts. The text below, authored by Kate Medlicott (WHO), Yvonne Magawa (ESAWAS), Peter Mutale (NAWASCO), Chola Mbilima (NWASCO), Mohammad Said Al Hmaidi (WSRC), Massa Antoine Traore (MoESSD, Mali), Jelena Krstić (MoEP, Serbia), Alyse Schrecongost (BMGF), and WSUP’s Sam Drabble, uses experiences from different countries to offer a roadmap for improving regulation of sanitation service.

Also posted on WHO departmental news

Upon the launch of the State of the World’s Sanitation report in 2020, WHO along with UNICEF, ESAWAS and BMGF shared a blog entitled “Regulating sanitation services as a public good”. That post outlined the service failures inherent in a household-led retail-based approach to urban sanitation. It made the case that, if goals of inclusion and public health were to be achieved, governments needed to craft and apply regulatory and accountability tools to mandated sanitation authorities and associated service providers. In summary:

• First, regulations can help to better link sanitation services to public health protections.
• Second, as with public health regulation, economic and performance regulation must focus on safe, inclusive service outcomes, irrespective of the infrastructure used.
• Finally, when regulators and authorities operate within a well-structured policy and regulatory environment, it can increase business opportunities, attract private finance, and incentivize investment in innovation for public health and inclusivity goals, and related goals including (for example) climate resilience.

However, while the case for sanitation regulation is strong, in practice coherent regulation across the sanitation service chain is often absent or unenforced. In high-, middle- and low-income countries alike, regulators (where they exist) lack autonomy, a clear legal basis for their work, political will, budgets, and data systems required to perform their function effectively. This is particularly universal in non-sewered service contexts.

Changing this norm is complex, but it is necessary, possible, and several countries offer examples. Malaysia, Philippines, Japan, Zambia and Brazil are among the countries that offer a range of examples of nascent, mature and constantly evolving approaches to regulating sanitation services from plot through disposal, in formal and informal communities, encompassing economic, service quality, environmental and public health goals. This always involves coordination across multiple government agencies, public service authorities, and private service providers.

In the intervening years, WHO along with partners including ESAWAS, ADERASA and WSUP, have been learning from and supporting countries to identify risk-based priorities for regulation and appropriate regulatory mechanisms (Fig 1) following the sanitation safety planning approach.

 

Based on this experience, two connected themes have emerged across regions: 1) mandates for the design and implementation of sanitation regulation are unclear and incomplete, and 2) to regulate for public health and inclusivity, clear legal service mandates must be accompanied by revised accountability mechanisms and tools (these issues are explored by ESAWAS in a 2021 series on key functions of Citywide Inclusive Sanitation, available here).

A working paper prepared for the 2022 RegNet meeting affirmed that, while there are exceptions, the mandates of regulated sanitation authorities rarely includes on-site sanitation services or a funded mandate to expand sewered services, particularly in vast informal urban and peri-urban areas.  As a result, households without large bore network connections remain effectively beyond the protection of public regulation or public finance, including in parts of the WHO European and North American Regions. In particular, responsibilities for regulating on-site containment standards, emptying services, and sludge disposal are frequently unclear or not executed. Together with the RegNet paper, these issues were explored in the recent World Water Week session Who’s responsible? Sorting out mandates for regulation of sanitation services and ESAWAS Landscape assessment for Africa.

For countries to achieve urban health, social, and economic development goals, they must clarify these goals in service mandates, and define accountability mechanisms, as fundamental first steps towards functional sanitation service sectors. Best-fit regulatory frameworks will vary by context, and every country needs to chart its own path. However, partners like WHO and ESAWAS are collaborating with public sector innovators to capture and share lessons, guidelines and tools with countries choosing to improve sanitation services for all urban households.

The experience of NWASCO, the water and sanitation regulator in Zambia, is an exemplar in a country that is newly taking on this challenge. NWASCO is an autonomous regulator with clear responsibilities for regulating authorities’ economic and service quality performance across the sewered and on-site sanitation chain, who only started formalizing the non-sewered aspects of that responsibility in the past few years. Drawing on experience shared by Peter Mutale and Chola Mbilima (NWASCO) and wider discussions at IWA World Water Congress, Stockholm  World Water Week, and the RegNet meeting, the following five steps emerge as potentially instructive for other countries looking to structure and regulate their sanitation sectors based on priority service outcomes :

1. Establish the current legal basis for service regulation. A critical first step for countries looking to strengthen sanitation regulation is to conduct a detailed legal review, to clarify what agencies are responsible for regulating which aspects of sanitation services, and any gaps or overlaps in mandates. Only when the current legal status is known can there be a basis to move forward.
2. Review and strengthen the institutional and regulatory framework. Following from the legal review, revisions to the overarching institutional framework may be required, including the design of a regulatory model and potential changes to the regulator’s mission and mandate. One example of a country now engaging with this process is Mali , where a sanitation policy is under development, potentially involving the creation of an autonomous regulatory entity. Such a review may also lead to changes in the framework for sanitation service provision – as in Zambia, where NWASCO changed commercial utilities’ licensing terms to include on-site services, as part of recent steps to implement its own technology-agnostic mandate to advance sanitation service outcomes.
3. Develop effective (funded) accountability mechanisms, including for on-site sanitation. Regulators need both the mandated authority and politically and financially viable tools to hold service authorities and providers accountable for delivering service mandates. Tools can include licensing and performance contracts, public performance benchmarking, and time-bound resources and incentives that can foster a period of learning and improvement among service authorities and service providers. In Zambia, this step was underpinned by the development of an urban sanitation and faecal sludge management service provision and regulatory framework, and resourced with time-bound funds for learning, research, collaboration and iterative adjustments among regulators, utilities, municipalities, communities, and private formal and informal operators.
4. Establish and fund robust public data management systems to inform regulation and service improvements. Regulators, service providers, and citizens need data-backed information to plan, perform, and improve services. In many contexts, public data systems are missing, not digitized or updated, and do not include any aspect of non-sewered hardware or services. The Palestinian regulator, WSRC, is working to change this by proactively incorporating small-scale sanitation service provision into public data systems. The regulator has collected data from over 300 providers across 450 communities, to provide a better understanding of the service sector as a foundation for improving regulation and enforcement in this area.
5. Strengthen regulator, service authority, and service provider capacity and incentives. Staffing levels and skill sets enable or constrain regulators, service authorities and service providers’ performance. Any expansion in responsibilities must be accompanied by expanded staff hours, training, and incentives to learn, grow and actively create and iterate toward improved service outcomes. NWASCO, for example, has funding for its own staff learning and development in this area, and is coordinating training and technical assistance support for utilities and private sector providers newly expanding into formalized non-sewered services.

The above steps, as applied by NWASCO and others, offer a rough roadmap for countries reforming their sanitation sectors. Establishing a functional sanitation regulatory system from one that does not exist, or does not function for large segments of the population, requires a long-term plan for sector transition. Improving the effectiveness of sanitation regulatory systems for public health and inclusivity outcomes requires its own mechanisms and incentives for internal and external regulatory performance assessment and improvement. And the job is never complete. Regulators at the RegNet forum underlined that, as individuals and agencies, regulators are constantly adapting and evolving in the context of ever-changing resource levels, threats, challenges, and directives.

Two critical points remain unaddressed by the steps above. First is the role of the regulator as a leader and as a facilitator of stakeholder learning and coordination for sector reform. This is a role NWASCO has performed notably in Zambia, and which we also see in other countries in Africa and Latin America with autonomous regulatory authorities. The second is the importance of institutionalizing downward accountability mechanisms, through rules around data transparency and citizen review and engagement processes. Such mechanisms are key in keeping regulators informed and accountable to the service consumers and those excluded from public finance and services who they are ultimately working for. Quoting the recent ESAWAS paper: “In the context of clarifying responsibilities, the process of convening stakeholders to develop dialogue, enhance coordination and strengthen information flows is fundamental. Emerging experience suggests that no-one is better positioned to perform this function than a regulator”.

Top image: Pit emptying service in Lusaka, Zambia

This article was originally published on the WHO website.

Learn more about WSUP's work in Zambia

Este año celebramos los 30 años de la fundación formal de la Red de Abastecimiento de Agua en Zonas Rurales. Desde unos inicios muy técnicos como grupo de expertos (en su mayoría hombres) la Red de Tecnología de Bombas de Mano- hemos evolucionado hasta convertirnos en una red diversa y vibrante de más de 13.000 … Continue reading "30 años en la búsqueda de agua potable en Nicaragua"

This year we are celebrating 30 years since the Rural Water Supply Network was formally founded. From very technical beginnings as a group of (mostly male) experts – the Handpump Technology Network – we have evolved to be a diverse and vibrant network of over 13,000 people and 100 organisations working on a wide range of topics. … Continue reading "30 years in the search for clean drinking water in Nicaragua"

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Integrity Talks are interactive discussions with WIN partners about their challenges and lessons for advancing integrity in the water and sanitation sectors. This is an edited summary of our fourth session on tariffs and inflation. Our next Integrity Talk will take place on November 23, 2022, on technology for anti-corruption in water and sanitation.

How do water providers and regulators deal with tariffs in times of high inflation?

Inflation is the rate of increase in prices over a given period of time. When acute, as is the case today in many regions, it has significant impact on the cost of living and of basic services, including water and sanitation. This is often felt most sharply by the poor, who are led to make drastic choices to secure essential services. Water and sanitation service providers must cover costs and deal with rising prices of operations and maintenance, while maintaining affordable service for all. This has its challenges. 

In this Integrity Talk, panellists discussed the impact of inflation in the water and sanitation sectors with a focus on tariff setting, the ways to make water and sanitation services affordable to low-income groups, and the role of integrity in realising the human rights to water and sanitation. 

With:
Dick van Ginhoven (WIN), Virginia Roaf (Sanitation and Water for All, SWA) James Cleto Mumbere (Uganda Water and Sanitation NGO Network, UWASNET), Rajesh K. Advani, (World Bank), Katia Ochoa Trucios (Servicio de Agua Potable y Alcantarillado de Lima, SEDAPAL). 

 

Key messages

• The human rights to water and sanitation obligate States to use the maximum available resources for realising human rights.
• There is pressure to increase water tariffs to cover mounting costs of operations and maintenance.
• Low tariffs drive a vicious cycle: insufficient financing leads to poor services; poor services exacerbate low levels of payment; this further undermines the financial health of the utility and leads to lack of investment in maintenance in particular.
• There are significant integrity risks in the tariff-setting process: from capture to insufficient transparency or participation. High inflation has sharpened the focus on these.
• States and local authorities need to engage with communities to understand their needs and ability to pay. Involving the community in designing and understanding tariff structures can improve transparency and accountability and help reduce petty corruption.

 

How does high inflation affect the provision of water and sanitation services?

Dick van Ginhoven (WIN Supervisory Board):
Some economists attribute the current inflation surge to product shortages resulting from global supply chain problems, largely caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. On top of that, the war in Ukraine has increased energy prices worldwide. There are also other fundamental mechanisms triggering inflation and depreciation of local currencies. Inflation can occur when prices rise due to increases in production costs, such as raw materials and wages, or a surge in demand can cause inflation as consumers have/are willing to pay more for products. This might drive increases in, for example, the cost of energy, chemicals, housing upgrades, investment, and water . 

Rajesh Advani (World Bank):
Inflation in the water and sanitation sectors can be heightened by poorly allocated funding. Governments are spending $320 billion per year on water and sanitation service subsidies. From that, 56% is captured by the wealthiest populations and only 6% reaches the poorest 20%. 

In utility operations, there is a financing gap when costs are higher than funding. In other words, investment, maintenance and operating costs are higher than the available funding which is obtained through tariffs, taxes, and transfers. In periods of high inflation, utilities have to spend more resources to cover the costs of electricity, staff and chemicals, which, in combination with a reduction of public funds, increases the gap.

 

What is the impact of low tariffs on the financing gap?

Rajesh Advani (World Bank):
Low tariffs drive a vicious cycle where the higher the financing gap, the higher the requirement for additional financing. As public funds are usually insufficient, maintenance is neglected, worsening the technical performance of the utility. When water service provision is deficient, customers are not willing to pay, weakening financial performance and requiring more capital to restore the system, increasing again the financing gap. 

Katia Ochoa Trucios (SEDAPAL):
Peru has one of the lowest tariffs in Latin America. It is not high enough to cover maintenance costs and extend infrastructure coverage. 

 

“When maintenance costs are not covered, water is not delivered properly, affecting directly people’s supply.”

– Katia Ochoa Trucios (SEDAPAL)

 

How do the human rights to water and sanitation fit in to the discussion on tariffs and inflation?

Virgina Roaf (SWA):
While tariffs should be sufficient to cover costs for delivering water and sanitation, human rights require that these services be ‘affordable’ for people with low or no incomes. This also means that services must sometimes be available for free, with the costs covered by the State or through cross-subsidisation.

Nevertheless, just having a human right to water doesn’t mean that water is immediately available and that it is available for free. States need to make sure people understand this. Human rights impose obligations on States to carefully consider how they prioritise their available resources and to demonstrate that they are making adequate plans and committing adequate funds to ensure that everyone is able to enjoy all their human rights, including water and sanitation. Local governments need to know what aspects of the human right to water they still need to work on, for example: participation, transparency, and how to address corruption. Also, local authorities need to engage with the local community. 

Inequalities are deepened through poorly managed tariffs and through inflation, as the poorest are least able to withstand the accompanying financial shocks, sending them into deeper poverty. Integrating human rights principles into financial thinking will ultimately improve the lives of the poorest people on this planet. 

 

“The challenge is no longer whether the human rights to water and sanitation exist, but how they are to be implemented.”

– Virginia Roaf (SWA)

 

What key factors should be considered for better tariff setting?

James Cleto Mumbere (UWASNET):
In Uganda, there is a legal framework where the tariff system is guided by the Constitution. Several policies clearly outline the key stakeholders in water tariff determination. For example, water utilities make proposals using statutory instruments. Then the responsible minister approves them. The current tariff structure is still hampered by two critical factors: service fees, and VAT (Valued Added Tax), which increase the tariff by about 2% and 18% respectively. Service fees and VAT should be removed from all water tariffs, especially for the poor. Furthermore, it would be important to include pro-poor performance indicators for the utilities at all levels. 

 

“For any effective tariff guideline, collection, and payment modalities, it is important to involve the poor in tariff settings to clearly understand their challenges in accessing water.”

– James Cleto Mumbere, Uganda Water and Sanitation NGO Network (UWASNET)

 

Katia Ochoa (SEDAPAL):
In the city of Lima, Peru, there is a differentiated tariff according to the types of use (social, domestic, industrial, and state use). The domestic tariff is further differentiated between “beneficiary” and “non-beneficiary”. Lower-income residents are under the beneficiary category and they pay according to their income. This allows for differentiated payment and benefits poor households. 

The tariff is established by the regulator with the intention of providing sustainable services, which means, covering the operations and maintenance costs, service delivery, and investment in projects to expand coverage. The regulator establishes the tariff with the objective of limiting negative impact on the population. Nevertheless, challenges remain in tariff setting, mainly because the price set by the regulator does not cover the full operating costs, increasing the financing gap.

 

How does financing, and especially loans, affect tariffs?

Dick van Ginhoven (WIN Supervisory Board):
There is a need for a clear financial position of utilities and governments. In Kenya, for example, around 50% of the water budget is spent on debt servicing, which is increasing because of depreciation. This is never going to be sustainable. We need to look at local markets to finance investment and link that investment with the regulation of tariff indexing. I suggest that existing debt may have to be restructured into local debt. 

 

How does corruption affect tariffs?

Rajesh Advani (World Bank):
Corruption happens on two levels. The first one is petty corruption causing issues both in society and utilities. Some initiatives implemented to fight corruption include using technologies, for example, payment by phone.

In Nairobi, there are multiple issues with endemic corruption but they have little tolerance for it. Utilities use technologies and engage with people by holding meetings and conferences in local areas. By encouraging communication with local stakeholders they have had success in increasing access to water and sanitation in informal settlements. There is a need to involve the community to build social capital and weaken corruption. 

On the other side, there is grand corruption. When there are corrupt practices in investment planning and contracting, there is a huge impact on both the operational and financial viability of utilities. Even though there are very strict requirements regarding the procurement of all contracts in multilateral agreements, the main question we face is, what are governments doing? What is the track record of investigating and then of prosecution? 

 

What challenges remain in tariff setting? What are the big priorities?

Virginia Roaf (SWA):
Tariffs are still too low for people who can afford to pay more. People who can access the service are paying less than people who don’t have access to the service, for example, residents of informal settlements. 

Katia Ochoa (SEDAPAL):
Lima faces constant population growth caused mainly by migration of poor or extremely poor people to the city. These people generally benefit from a differentiated tariff and this category has seen an increase of 50% in the number of residents. There is still a deficiency in the methodology for identification of beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of the differentiated tariff: it is sometimes inexact and very subjective. We may be supporting people who are not in need, while the provision of water services must be as efficient as possible to be able to provide affordable prices. 

James Cleto Mumbere (UWASNET):
I fully support the idea of more local currency financing. But I think for that to happen, utilities need to improve and build creditworthiness to make them attractive targets for the financial sector. Otherwise, banks will not be interested in lending to companies that will not repay their loans. A legal framework that allows more access to private finances is very important, as is the role of regulation. 

 

Moving forward

Inflation has increased the costs of water and sanitation provision and maintenance. In response, a number of water and sanitation service providers have significantly raised tariffs where possible, but not always in a transparent and accountable manner.

The urban poor are more likely to suffer the effects of inflation than higher-income households as they tend to spend a higher share of their income on water and sanitation. With this in mind, a number of water providers and regulators have undertaken significant efforts to mitigate the impact of inflation and secure affordable tariffs. This Integrity Talk highlighted a number of integrity measures used to mitigate inflation and make tariffs affordable: cross-subsidisation, differentiated tariffs, and mobilisation of the human rights to water and sanitation to oblige States to use the maximum available resources for realising human rights. There is still room for improvement in many regions.

This Integrity Talk also underscored the need to take into account depreciation. Many States have taken foreign loans to improve water and sanitation services. With inflation, the debt burden has increased due to local currency depreciation. Debt relief and restructuring, as well as local currency financing are important instruments to consider better support service improvements and ensure adequate and affordable access to water and sanitation for all.

The post How do we deal with inflation and ensure affordable water and sanitation services? appeared first on WIN - Water Integrity Network.

The WASH4Work initiative, with the participation of Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP), has released a declaration at the climate summit COP27 in Sharm El Sheik, Egypt, supporting actions to increase climate resilience in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).

Having access to WASH builds people’s resilience to climate change. This can and must be achieved by enabling improved water security, limiting exposure to water-related risks, and building the capacity to manage the impacts of climate change.

The declaration, supported by 25+ global businesses and 15 WASH expert organisations, demonstrates the alignment, leadership and commitment of the corporate water stewardship community to create the pathways for systemic change, in partnership with water, sanitation and hygiene experts and stakeholders.

The purpose of the “COP27 Business Declaration on Climate Resilient Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH)” is to contribute to the advancement of sustainable development goals SDG6 (access to water and sanitation) and SDG13 (action against climate change and its impacts) by 2030, with the goal of enabling millions of people to become more water secure and climate resilient.

Read the declaration below.

THE CASE FOR BUSINESS ACTION

Water is the primary medium through which climate change influences the Earth’s ecosystem and thus all economic, social and environmental functions that water supports.

Water-related climate risks arise from too much water, too little water and polluted water. Climate change directly affects the quality and quantity of water supplies, and impacts on the sustainability of sanitation and hygiene behaviors, especially for the most vulnerable.

Unsafe and unreliable drinking water, sanitation and hygiene services at home or at work impacts people’s heath, well-being and livelihoods. Water security and climate resilience helps to enable healthy people and communities, business continuity and growth, across operations, supply chains and in the sourcing of raw materials.

Having access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) helps to build people’s resilience to climate change.

In order to be resilient to the challenges that climate change brings, people along corporate value chains and in the communities where they live, need to be water secure.

Water security includes reliable access to sufficient quantities of good quality water, limited exposure and reduced vulnerability to water-related risks, and the capacity to manage the impacts from climate change at home and at work.

Safely managed sanitation, hygiene and water supply reduce exposure to harmful diseases and underpin public health enabling people to better cope with climate change impacts.

Efficient and effective water supply services increase the amount of clean water people have access to in times of scarcity. For example, during extreme climate events. Increased water storage, in harmony with the environment, provides a critical buffer, delivering water when and where it is needed.

Sources: WASH4Work, UNICEF, WaterAid, Water.org and Pacific Institute

KEY MESSAGES

1. As global businesses, we are committed to taking action towards universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) across our operations, supply chains and in the communities where we operate – as part of our corporate water stewardship strategies.

2. In the face of the growing risks of climate change we recognize that water, sanitation and hygiene access is an important component of climate and water resilience actions:

•  Climate change is already impacting on people”s access to water, sanitation and hygiene; through its significant impacts on the water cycle.
• Climate change disproportionality affects the most vulnerable; often combined with other existing hazards and vulnerabilities that impact people”s level of resilience.
• Having access to WASH helps to build people”s resilience to climate change; enabling improved water security, limiting exposure to water-related risks, and building the capacity to manage climate change impacts.

3. Going forward we join global and local stakeholders in developing and applying a climate-resilient WASH framework to our water, sanitation and hygiene access programs and investments.

The framework for action will include the following considerations:

• Assessment of climate risk: Understanding the local context of climate change, water systems and water resources: Hazards, exposure, and vulnerability.
• Impacts of climate risks on WASH: Understanding the impacts of climate change on water, sanitation and hygiene access, services continuity and reliability.
• Preparedness and adaptation: Planning for the timely response to expected climate impacts and potential adaptation of water supply, sanitation and hygiene services.
• Solutions and implementation: Identifying opportunities to improve water, sanitation and hygiene services with climate-smart low carbon infrastructure, technologies, and capacity building in communities.
• Testing and monitoring: Identifying opportunities to continuously improve the continuity and reliability of services through benchmarking, evaluation, and validation.
• Reporting & disclosure: Contributing to advancements in leading practice by sharing learnings, findings, and impacts in collaboration with our stakeholders.

4. As global businesses we will leverage our broad reach and influence to help advocate for climate resilient WASH actions in partnership with global and local stakeholders.

The purpose of this Declaration is to contribute to the advancement of SDG6 & SDG13 by 2030, with the goal of enabling millions of people to become more water secure and climate resilient.

It demonstrates the leadership and commitment of the corporate water stewardship community to create the pathways for systemic change, in partnership with water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) experts and stakeholders.

We, as the WASH4Work initiative, invite more businesses to join us in this COP27 declaration, to mobilize the leadership and partnership needed to shape a more climate resilient water, sanitation and hygiene secure world.

WASH4Work members and supporters of the Declaration:

AB INBEV
APP SINAR MAS
BAYER
BANKA BIOLOO
BRASKEM
CARGILL
COLGATE-PALMOLIVE
DANONE
DIAGEO
DOW
DUPONT
ECOLAB
GAP INC.
HEINEKEN
H&M GROUP
HOLCIM
LIMNO TECH
NESTLE
PHOSAGRO
SASOL LIMITED
STARBUCKS
TECH MAHINDRA
THE COCA-COLA COMPANY
UNILEVER
WATEREQUITY
XYLEM
ALLIANCE FOR WATER STEWARDSHIP
CEO WATER MANDATE
CHARITY:WATER
CLEAN INTERNATIONAL
GLOBAL WATER CHALLENGE
INTERNATIONAL LABOR ORGANIZATION
PACIFIC INSTITUTE
SANITATION & WATER FOR ALL
TOILET BOARD COALITION
UNICEF
WASH4WORK
WATERAID
WATER.ORG
WATER RESILIENCE COALITION
WSUP
WASH4Work

Top image: climate resilient toilet facility, higher than ground level to protect from flooding, in Chattogram, Bangladesh

A pilot project in the informal settlement of Mukuru has demonstrated a cost-effective way to bring decent sanitation to some communities in Kenya: simplified sewers.

Most residents in Kenya’s densely packed informal communities lack access to decent sanitation, and the practical and financial challenges of addressing this crisis are well documented. However, new evidence shows that simplified sewer networks, which are much shallower and more flexible than traditional sewer systems, can form part of the solution. This opens up new possibilities for better sanitation which could benefit millions of Kenyans.

What is a simplified sewer?

Simplified sewers are widely used in South America. They use smaller and more flexible pipes, laid at a shallower depth, making them quicker, easier, and cheaper to lay. They work best in cities which have an existing sewer network of trunk sewers, as is the case in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, allowing for the waste from the new network to travel into the main sewer system – and from there to treatment facilities.

In addition to trunk sewers, there are some other conditions required for simplified sewers to work, such as adequate water supply to support pour-flush toilets and strong community engagement to support operations and maintenance, including solid waste management and disposal.

Download the simplified sewers report

How it works: the simplified sewers network

These conditions were in place during the pilot project, which was a partnership between Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP), Nairobi City Water & Sewerage Company (NCWSC), Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS), Akiba Mashinani Trust (AMT), and the community in Mukuru.  With the financial support of The One Foundation, WSUP laid over 1000m of pipes, constructed 72 inspection chambers and connected 94 households to the sewer system, benefitting over 4,000 individual residents who now have pour-flush toilets. Prior to the intervention, most Mukuru residents relied either on shared pit latrines or pour-flush toilets which channelled waste through open drains to the nearby river.

Read the summary: the Nairobi simplified sewers pilot

Positive response from customers

Customer satisfaction with the improved facilities was found to be high, and many also benefit from reduced prices: residents of Mukuru pay between KES 5-10 for a single use of public latrines (amounting to KES 900 a month for a family of three), compared to KES 20 per month for simplified sewer services, assuming a plot of ten households.

“There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to the sanitation challenge in urban slums”, explains WSUP’s Country Manager in Kenya, Eng. Eden Mati. “However, we now have strong evidence that simplified sewers are one of the answers. The prevalence of trunk sewer networks around many of our informal settlements in Kenya provides abundant untapped potential for scale-up of this solution. Further challenges lie ahead, not least in securing the finance for extending the connections and developing appropriate infrastructure for sewage treatment, but I am hopeful these can be overcome.”

Top image: the informal settlement of Mukuru, in Nairobi, Kenya

Learn more about WSUP's work in Kenya

Recently we participated in the WASH Debate on 9 November 2022, organised by IRC WASH. The WASH Debate discussed the theme ‘Levering Household investments, Experiences in scaling market-based approached in water and sanitation.

As part of the Debate, Kerstin Danert presented on the outcomes of the recent assessment of the SMART Approach by IRC WASH (click here for the report).

The full recording of the session is available on youtube.

The presentation of the SMART approach starts at 15.02. The presentation is available here.

The panel discussion starts from 55:22

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