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Vision 2030: the resilience of water supply and sanitation in the face of climate change - summary and policy implications

  • 01/11/2009
  • WHO

The global climate is changing - drinking-water and sanitation services have to prepare for the impact. If the widely anticipated flood and drought consequences of climate change come to pass, then both established water and sanitation services and future gains in access and service quality will be at risk. The vision 2030 study of DFID and WHO set out to increase understanding of how anticipated climate change may affect drinking-water and sanitation services and what can be done to optimize resilience of technologies, infrastructure and services. Five broad policy-relevant conclusions are reached. This document summarizes the evidence for the impact of climate change on water and sanitation technologies in the near to medium term. It aims to help policy-makers, planners, operators and communities in making practical decisions based on clear criteria, to improve the resilience of their water and sanitation services.