Adaptation of WASH services delivery to climate change
Updated - Thursday 08 December 2011
Climate change has the potential to impact on both the supply and demand sides of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) delivery systems. Some potential impacts are likely to be direct and very obvious (e.g. increased incidence of extreme floods that damage WASH infrastructure), whereas others are likely to be indirect, insidious and more uncertain in nature and severity (e.g. sea level rise leading to out-migration from coastal areas). Just as importantly, potential climate change impacts may be exacerbated by other changes that are also subject to a high degree of uncertainty (e.g. increased competition for safe water between the WASH and agricultural sectors).
This Thematic Overview Paper (TOP) is targeted at WASH professionals and practitioners who recognise the need for climate change adaptation, but are not sure what to do or how to plan for it, and/or who themselves, may already be struggling with major challenges in improving or maintaining current WASH services. More specifically, this TOP recommends a range of practical and well-proven methods and tools for managing risk and uncertainty linked to climate change and other factors for WASH practitioners to use. The approach recommended is based on three principles, consistent with statements arising from the 2009 UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.
Suggested citation:
Batchelor, C., Smits, S. and James, A.J., 2011. Adaptation of WASH services delivery to climate changeand other sources of risk and uncertainty (Thematic Overview Paper 24) [online] The Hague: IRC InternationalWater and Sanitation Centre (Published July 2011). Available at: <http://www.irc.nl/top24>.
- - Download:
- TOP24_WASHandClimateChange.pdf (3.3 MB)
