Billions of people lack access to water and sanitation services, due mainly to poor governance and inadequate investment and maintenance. The situation is becoming more urgent because of increasing pressure, competition, and even conflict over the use of water resources.
This report emphasizes the economic and financial aspects of water resources management and water service provision, the need for an integrated approach (including governance considerations) to address these complex policy challenges, and the importance of establishing a firm evidence base to support policy development and implementation.
It considers both developing and OECD countries, focusing on the "3Ts" of taxes, tariffs, and transfers; the design and implementation of water pricing strategies that balance financial sustainability with other policy objectives; recent developments in private sector participation in the water sector; and trends and the future outlook of water use in agriculture.