Utility of the Future 2.0: Taking Water and Sanitation Utilities Beyond the Next Level - A Methodology to Ignite Transformation in Water and Sanitation Utilities

Abstract

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 drinking water sources. Those who have access to water supply and sanitation (WSS) services often must cope with intermittent water supply, sewerage system overflows, and poor customer service. Poor service frequently stems from a vicious cycle of dysfunctional political environments and inefficient practices. Global forces - including climate change, water scarcity, population growth, and rapid urbanization - exacerbate these challenges to providing high-quality, sustainable WSS service delivery. Therefore, WSS utilities require a new approach to planning and sequencing reforms to provide WSS services in a sustainable manner. The utility of the future (UoF) program provides this new approach, building on an extensive body of knowledge on utility performance improvement. This methodological document provides a practical guide to implementing the UoF program. Reflecting the program’s practical nature, this document and the accompanying UoF toolkit are intended to be living documents. As the implementation of the program evolves, and new best practices and zoom-in lenses emerge, lessons learned, and new developments will inform updates to the methodology and toolkit. Chapter one gives introduction. Chapter two defines the UoF concept, determinants of success, and the analytical basis of the program. Chapter three presents the methodology developed to guide the process of becoming a UoF.