Global prospects to deliver safe drinking water services for 100 million rural people by 2030

The climate crisis and global pandemic have accelerated the urgency of providing safe drinking water services around the world. Global progress to safe drinking water is off-track with uncertain and limited data on the extent and performance of rural water service providers to inform policy and investment decisions. This report documents a global diagnostic survey to evaluate the status and prospects of rural water service providers from 68 countries. The service providers describe providing drinking water services to a population of around 15 million people through over 3 million waterpoints

Policy reform for safe drinking water service delivery in rural Bangladesh

REACH policy brief: The Government of Bangladesh has provided global leadership in progress to improved drinking water access, with an estimated coverage of 98.5% of its 160 million citizens in 2019. However, the coverage decreases to 42.5% when service delivery accounts for indicators of water quality, proximity and sufficiency (UNICEF/MICS, 2019). As the Government sets out to revise the 1998 National Policy for Safe Water Supply and Sanitation, the ‘SafePani’ model proposes reforms in institutional design, sustainable finance, and information systems, to advance the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target 6.1 of universal access to safe and affordable drinking water for households, schools and healthcare facilities

Results-based funding for safe drinking water services

Rural infrastructure investments have accelerated the installation of decentralised water supply without corresponding investment in the management and oversight of drinking water quality. The assumption that certain types of infrastructure provide safe drinking water has been widely disproven, with faecal and chemical contamination common in piped systems and boreholes. Managing drinking water safety in rural areas is difficult due to the distances involved and the cost implications, with ongoing responsibilities primarily borne by users. As a result, drinking water safety remains unmanaged for much of the global rural population, which coincides with the majority of people living in extreme poverty. Uptime and partners have demonstrated the ability of professional models to improve reliability of water services in rural environments, with results-based funding supporting sustainability and expansion of the services. Recognising that water safety management activities are critical, this working paper presents an approach that advances contracts for results-based funding to incentivise delivery of safe drinking water services. Standardised metrics for water quality, volume, and revenue are proposed within a framework for protected and reliable drinking water services

Creating an enabling environment for research impact (REACH Discussion document)

Research should benefit society: that is widely accepted. There has been much written on how to design research to deliver impact through equitable partnerships, co-production, and more. However, there has been less reflection on the enabling environment that funders and universities create to support research to have impact. In this brief we explore the experiences of creating impact through research in international development, and the ways in which the enabling environment facilitated impact drawing on perspectives of researchers, research users from government and UN agencies, and funders. We highlight three areas for funders to focus on strengthening enabling environments: (1) foster science-practitioner networks, (2) enhance collaborative research environments based on equitable partnerships, and (3) shift financing and incentives to sustain partnerships for impact at scale

Australia and New Zealand renal gene panel testing in routine clinical practice of 542 families

Genetic testing in nephrology clinical practice has moved rapidly from a rare specialized test to routine practice both in pediatric and adult nephrology. However, clear information pertaining to the likely outcome of testing is still missing. Here we describe the experience of the accredited Australia and New Zealand Renal Gene Panels clinical service, reporting on sequencing for 552 individuals from 542 families with suspected kidney disease in Australia and New Zealand. An increasing number of referrals have been processed since service inception with an overall diagnostic rate of 35%. The likelihood of identifying a causative variant varies according to both age at referral and gene panel. Although results from high throughput genetic testing have been primarily for diagnostic purposes, they will increasingly play an important role in directing treatment, genetic counseling, and family planning

Water Security for Climate Resilience Report: A synthesis of research from the Oxford University REACH programme

This report presents a synthesis of published and ongoing research by REACH which explores the relationship between water security, climate and climate adaptation decisions, drawing on findings from REACH research conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. We demonstrate the unequal impact of climate on water security, and on people’s lives and livelihoods, which can be counter-intuitive to broad narratives around resilience and adaptation. We exemplify the impact of seasonal fluctuations in weather on surface and groundwater quality and quantity, and show that water security risks evolve with shifting climate conditions, water use behaviours, and policy decisions. We also present a deepened understanding of location- and context specific climate issues and dynamics, revealing a pressing need to consider and plan for different distributional impacts of climate and climate change

Policy reform for safe drinking water service delivery in rural Bangladesh

The Government of Bangladesh has provided global leadership in progress to improved drinking water access, with an estimated coverage of 98.5% of its 160 million citizens in 2019. However, the coverage decreases to 42.5% when service delivery accounts for indicators of water quality, proximity and sufficiency (UNICEF/MICS, 2019). This report seeks to support the Government of Bangladesh in its review and reform of the 1998 National Policy for Safe Water Supply and Sanitation, and to introduce the ‘SafePani’ model as one responseto achieving SDG 6.1 in rural areas. The design of the SafePani model is informed by collaborative work of the REACH programme with national and local partners in the coastal zone (Khulna) and central plains (Chandpur). Interdisciplinary research reveals intersecting challenges – hydroclimatic and water quality risks, public finance and private enterprise, and social and spatial inequalities – and highlights opportunities for reforms in policy and practice