Benefits of investing in water and sanitation : an OECD perspective

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development.

Series:

OECD Research Report Series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Sanitation--Economic aspects.

Sanitation.

Sewage disposal--Economic aspects.

Sewage disposal.

Water-supply--Economic aspects.

Water-supply.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (148 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Paris : OECD Publishing, 2011.

Summary:

The provision of water supply, sanitation and wastewater services generates substantial benefits for public health, the economy and the environment. Benefit-to-cost ratios can be as high as 7 to 1 for basic water and sanitation services in developing countries. Wastewater treatment interventions, for example, generate significant benefits for public health, the environment and for certain economic sectors such as fisheries, tourism and property markets. The full magnitude of the benefits of water services is seldom considered for a number of reasons, including the difficulty in quantifying important non-economic benefits such as non-use values, dignity, social status, cleanliness and overall well-being. Also, information about the benefits of water services is usually hidden in the technical literature, where it remains invisible to key decision-makers in ministries. This report draws together and summarises existing information on the benefits of water and sanitation.

Contents:

Cover

Copyright

Foreword

Acknowledgements

Table of contents

Abbreviations and acronyms

Executive Summary

Introduction

Overview

Why is it important to assess benefits from investing in water and sanitation?

Structure of the report

Chapter 1: Setting the stage

1.1. Evaluating the size of the investment challenge

1.2 The value chain of water and sanitation services

1.3 Potential benefits along the WSS value chain: an overview

Chapter 2: Providing access to services

2.1 Types of investment

2.2 Health benefits from improving access to services

2.3 Non-health benefits

Chapter 3: Investing downstream in wastewater treatment and safe disposal

3.1 Investments in wastewater treatment

3.2 Benefits from wastewater treatment

Chapter 4: Managing water supply and demand in a sustainable manner

4.1 Protecting the quality of the resource

4.2 Balancing water supply and demand

Chapter 5: Policy implications

5.1 Benefits from investing in WSS: key findings

5.2 Using benefit information for policy and investment decisions

5.3 Additional research needed to support policy making

Bibliography

Annex A: Evaluating the benefits: methodological issues

A.1. Defining and valuing benefits

A.2. Measuring health benefits

A.3. Estimating environmental benefits

A.4. Accounting for economic benefits

A.5. Including other benefits.

ISBN:

9781780406053

1780406053