Adopting a sustainable livelihoods approach to water projects : implications for policy and practice

This paper examines the implications of moving away from an emphasis on health benefits in water and sanitation projects, towards a Sustainable Livelihoods (SL) approach, based on an understanding of the socio-economic impacts of improved household water supply. It argues that the adoption of demand-responsive approaches (DRA), as advocated by international agencies, requires greater attention to the role of water within wider household livelihood strategies. The paper discusses the use of the Sustainable Livelihoods (SL) framework as an analytical tool to help poor households gain water security. An SL approach requires an understanding of: uses of water as both an asset (productive use) as well as an economic and social consumption good; institutional linkages; sequencing of interventions and time taken to access water supplies; and the role that knowledge plays in poor households' decision-making over water access.