The resilience of public water governance: outlook and lessons learned (book chapter)

Abstract

Extending universal coverage of water supply and sanitation as basic conditions for human well-being is a pervading concern worldwide. The past decades are replete with failures by governments and the private sector alike in meeting these goals. Programs and investments geared toward meeting water supply and sanitation targets of the Millennium Development Goals have made considerable progress, yet formidable challenges remain. With the advent of the Rio+20 Sustainable Development Goals the global community must redouble efforts to provide water and sanitation services as a corner stone of water security, and do so in ways that are equitable and environmentally benign. This synthesis piece draws on thirteen contributions to the current volume, assessing in the broadest terms the experience of mobilizing private capital and management know-how to increase coverage, and contrasting this with the reemergence of the public governance model &ndash indeed it was only temporarily eclipsed &ndash based on the renewed capacity of public institutions to regulate utilities and manage competition. We reflect on the challenges ahead, especially the social equity and environmental impacts of waterresource development and wastewater use.