This document outlines the Utility of the Future (UoF) program's methodology, which is divided into two main phases: the UoF Standard and UoF Advanced. The UoF Standard phase focuses on establishing a solid foundation for transformation through initial analysis, action planning, and strategic...

Dhaka, the only megacity of Bangladesh is facing water stress due to unplanned urbanization and lack of sustainable water management practices. The two important components of Integrated Urban Water Management, i.e., rainwater harvesting (RWH) and wastewater reuse are hardly practiced in Dhaka....

Access to essential infrastructure services such as water, sanitation, and garbage collection can considerably affect children's environment and may play a significant role in shaping early childhood developmental and health outcomes. Using data from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS)...

Urban water utilities attempt to achieve financial sustainability by increasing tariffs to cover operational and maintenance costs and raise funds for infrastructural projects. Although the tariffs are relatively low compared to average household incomes in developed countries, concerns remain...

Based on the problems that arise because of climate change, such as floods, fires, glacial decline, and avalanches, a study was proposed to build knowledge and skills in the four civil engineering courses of the Minuto de Dios-UNIMINUTO University Corporation, in Zipaquirá, during one semester....

This note summarizes the findings of the water supply and sanitation subsector review conducted through the lens of a public expenditure and institutional review. The review seeks to support the government in addressing the challenges impeding the sector's performance by highlighting the reforms...

This paper reviews the research process conducted on developing a new system for industry wastewater treatment application to increase efficiency and sustainability by adopting industry 4.0 technology. The challenge of this project was to (a) utilize the design thinking methodology...

This paper investigates the relationship between governance mechanisms, risk management practices and performance of water and sanitation projects in Uganda. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted with a sample of 66 water and sanitation projects in South-western Uganda. Data were...

Within the water industry, some water companies provide both water and sanitation services whereas other just water services. Assuming a common technology of different types of water companies may lead to biased estimates of performance. To deal with the problem of incomparability of...

Understanding the specific factors associated with cholera outbreaks is an integral part of designing better approaches to mitigate their impact. This paper uses georeferenced case data from the cholera epidemic that occurred in Harare, Zimbabwe, from September 2018 to January 2019. The paper...

Urbanization combined with climate change are exacerbating water scarcity for an increasing number of the world's emerging cities. Water and sanitation infrastructure, which in the first place was largely built to cater only to a small subsector of developing city populations during colonial...

It has long been understood that public utilities, and especially sewers, play a powerful role in shaping patterns, rates, and forms of urban development. But decisions about whether and where to build this “growth-shaping” infrastructure are largely left to local communities, who frequently...

This paper provides novel evidence on the trade-off between public service delivery and free riding in low- and middle-income countries. We implement a field experiment in the slums of two major Indian cities, where inadequate access to sanitation restricts residents to either free ride, by...

As stated by the OECD, "water security in many regions will continue to deteriorate due to increasing water demand, water stress and water pollution." Indeed water supply and sanitation (WSS) utilities in many countries are already and increasingly faced with pressing water risks which include...

We estimate the impacts of two interventions implemented as field experiments in informal settlements by Nairobi’s water and sanitation utility to improve revenue collection efficiency and last mile connection loan repayment: (i) face-to-face engagement between utility staff and customers to...

Urban regions derive social and economic benefits as local governments supply water and wastewater services. We analyze differences in water and wastewater spending programs in US city-regions. The municipal provision of water and wastewater services is situated in a regional context, examining...

Inadequate water utility services in the low-income areas (LIAs) of Kenya remains the greatest water sector challenge for the coming decades, especially with a fast-growing low-income population. Land tenure issues, vandalism, unlicensed water service providers, irregular payment of fees, and...

The issue of sludge utilization from wastewater treatment in agriculture is an important socio-economic and environmental problem in the European Union (EU) and Bulgaria. It is becoming topical issue along with constantly growing amount of produced wastewater treatment sludge, deficiency of...

Pharmaceutical residues are released in the aquatic environment due to incomplete removal from wastewater. With the presence of multiple chemicals in sewage waters, contaminants may adversely affect the effectiveness of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). In certain cases discharged metabolites...

This study modelled and optimized biomass and lipid accumulation using mix wastewater for the cultivation of Chlorococcum sp. The simplex lattice mixture design was used to optimize complementary wastewater mixture ratio (25:75, 50:50, 100:0) of dairy (DWW) and paper-pulp (PWW) wastewater. The...

Solar-driven interfacial evaporation is considered a promising solution to water pollution and water shortages, potentially reducing heat loss and improving energy conversion efficiency. However, the current photothermal films used for solar-driven interfacial water evaporation have some issues...

Basic sanitation services are essential for human development, promoting health and inhibiting the spread of waterborne diseases. The availability of information on water and sanitation services at the local level supports the formulation, implementation and improvement of public policies aimed...

Climate-informed projects aimed at boosting water utilities' performance are likely to succeed in achieving intended results by investing in energy efficiency, nonrevenue water (NRW) reduction, climate resilience, and demand-side water use efficiency. Extending water supply and sanitation (WSS)...

Policies, institutions, and regulation (PIR) are essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to water and sanitation, but need a considerable boost to be effective. A rich body of analytical work has been developed to support this idea. Nevertheless, this report...

Food waste is the main component of municipal solid waste (MSW) and its sustainable management is a global challenge. Co-treatment of food waste and urban wastewater in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) could be a plausible management strategy to reduce the MSW amount that is disposed in...

The sustainable development goal for water and sanitation - to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all is a lofty one. Worldwide, 2.4 billion people remain without access to improved sanitation, and nearly 0.7 billion remain without access to improved...

Brazil has a pressing need for better water supply and sanitation services (WSS), but in recent years public investment in the sector has been declining both in real terms and as a proportion of gross domestic product (GDP) and is often spent behind schedule and inefficiently. WSS budgets are...

The maximizing finance for development (MFD) approach can be implemented to close the financing gap in the water and sanitation sector in Latin America and the Caribbean, helping the region in getting closer to achieving sustainable development goal (SDG 6), particularly if emphasis is put on...

Inefficiency is common in many of the world's water utilities, especially in developing countries. The problem derives from a range of different causes relating primarily to technical, organizational, and commercial (TOC) factors. Evidence from a World Bank study conducted in 2020 shows that...

Policies, institutions, and regulation (PIR) are essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to water and sanitation, but need a considerable boost to be effective. A rich body of analytical work has been developed to support this idea. Nevertheless, this report...

Wastewater and pollution management issues are usual negative externalities in the pursuit of economic development. This is true in the Philippines where industrial and domestic refuse often end up in tributaries and major waterways, sometimes even contaminating groundwater due to improper...

We estimate the impacts of two interventions implemented as field experimentsin informal settlements by Nairobi’s water and sanitation utility to improverevenue collection efficiency and last mile connection loan repayment: (i)face-to-face engagement between utility staff and customers to...

This paper compares water and sanitation services in municipalities that entered into a concession arrangement with a private operator versus those in a comparable control group of municipalities that continued with a public operator, and we explore five variables of interest: (i) water coverage;...

This study estimates the impacts of two interventions implemented as field experiments in informal settlements by Nairobi's water and sanitation utility to improve revenue collection efficiency and last mile connection loan repayment: (i) face-to-face engagement between utility staff and...