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- Title
Unequal, Unreliable, and Unfixable?—The Need to Investigate Water Infrastructure Improvements in Intermittent Supply Systems.
- Authors
Klassert, C.
- Abstract
Infrastructure deterioration threatens urban water security and the pursuit of Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6, "water for all"). One billion urban residents worldwide already face intermittent piped water access, making their public water supply unreliable and unequal. Thus, effective investments in water infrastructure improvements are critical. In a recent WRR paper, Jeuland et al. (2023, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022WR033897) evaluate the impacts of a large infrastructure improvement project on various water security metrics and assess the challenges of such an investigation. They apply a rigorous difference‐in‐difference approach to data from a US$275 million investment in upgrades to water supply and sewage networks in the Zarqa governorate in arid Jordan, analyzing its effects on households, businesses, farms, and the water utility. The authors find a range of moderate improvements to water access and re‐use metrics, including a significant reduction in reported shortages. Key water security indicators related to access intermittency, however, such as the supply duration per day and the expenditure on water deliveries by tanker trucks, saw little to no improvement. The findings reveal that the efforts required to overcome the insecurity and inequity of intermittent public water supply systems might be considerably larger than expected. This suggests an urgent need to further enhance both the accuracy of impact evaluation methods and the effectiveness of infrastructure investments to support the pursuit of SDG 6. Plain Language Summary: One billion people in cities worldwide experience frequent interruptions in their tap water supply. Improving unreliable and inefficient public water supply networks is critical to cope with growing water scarcity. How do we know if these improvements are effective? A recent WRR paper by Jeuland et al. (2023, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022WR033897) reveals how difficult it is to determine this. This commentary discusses what their findings mean for efforts to make public water supply reliable and equitable. The authors are only able to confirm moderate benefits for a large‐scale water infrastructure investment. This suggests that the challenge to achieve secure water supply for all is greater than expected. Key Points: This commentary discusses the findings of an impact evaluation study for a large‐scale investment in water infrastructure improvementsThe study finds only limited impacts of the investment regarding public water supply intermittency despite a suitable setting and approachThe study's findings suggest that overcoming public water supply intermittency poses an unexpectedly large challenge
- Subjects
JORDAN; ENVIRONMENTAL infrastructure; WATER supply; MUNICIPAL water supply; INFRASTRUCTURE funds; WATER utilities; WATER security
- Publication
Water Resources Research, 2023, Vol 59, Issue 11, p1
- ISSN
0043-1397
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1029/2023WR036208