Sanitation and clean water

Abstract

For many people in developing countries water supply, sanitation, and solid wastes are the most important of all environmental problems. More than 2 million deaths from diarrhea alone could be avoided each year if all people had reasonable water and sanitation services. And large economic and environmental costs are incurred in trying to compensate for poor-quality services. This chapterargues that large gainsin environmental quality, health, equity, and direct economic returns can be realized by adopting an approach that comprises four key elements: Managing water resources better, taking account of economic efficiency and environmental sustainability Providing, at full cost, those 'private" services that people want and are willing to pay for (including water supply and the collection of human excreta, wastewater, and solid wastes) Using scarce public funds only for those services (specifically, treatment and disposal of human excreta, wastewater, and solid wastes) that provide wider communal benefits Developing flexible and responsive institutional mechanisms for providing these services, with a larger role for community organizations and the private sector.