Skip to main content
TitlePrivate operators and rural water supplies : a desk review of experience
Publication TypeLiterature Review
Year of Publication2010
AuthorsKleemeier, EL
Secondary TitleWater papers
Volume57831
Paginationvii, 68 p.; 12 tab.; 2 fig.; 22 refs.
Date Published11/2010
PublisherWater Unit, World Bank
Place PublishedWashington, DC, USA
Publication LanguageEnglish
Keywordsprivate sector, rural areas, rural communities, rural supply systems, water supply, water supply services
Abstract

This study examines experiences with using the private sector to manage domestic water supplies serving dispersed populations or very small settlements in rural areas. The potential contribution from private operators is well-known for small towns. The unanswered question is whether private operators are an option for more remote rural areas with low population density. This review therefore focused on operations that: 1) serve dispersed populations or settlements with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants in rural areas, 2) have been undertaken on a significant scale, and 3) engage individuals or for-profit organizations to manage water supplies. The rationale for examining rural private operator models is twofold: sustainability and expanded access. First, rural private operators may offer a solution to the high rates of nonfunctioning water points, especially in rural Africa. Second, private operator models may enable governments to leverage private capital and rationalize government subsidies for rural domestic water infrastructure. Those capacities would enable governments, in turn, to expand access to safe rural domestic water supplies. [authors abstract]

URLhttp://hdl.handle.net/10986/17248
Custom 1

205.2

Citation Key68446

Disclaimer

The copyright of the documents on this site remains with the original publishers. The documents may therefore not be redistributed commercially without the permission of the original publishers.

Back to
the top