Work that changes the water and sanitation world

Take a look at some of our success stories to find out how the Urban Water Catalyst Initiative was inspired by the successful turnaround of urban water utilities such as the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Bangladesh), the Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority (Cambodia) and the Nyeri Water and Sanitation Company (Kenya).  In these utilities, the services provided by the utility, and the state of the utility itself, were fundamentally transformed over a period of a few years.  

in Dhaka, over seven years, the percentage of bills collected improved from 65% to 97%. The operating cost coverage ratio increased from 1.1 to 1.5, which substantially improved the financial performance of the utility and created the conditions for a sustainable development in service quality over time, reducing non-revenue water from 40% to 20% and increasing water access from 80% to 100%.  

in Phnom Penh, unaccounted-for water was reduced from 58% to 16% over five years and the percentage bills collected increased from 45% to 95% in three years. Service hours were increased from 10 to 24 hours per day in a few years and the number of water connections increased by a factor of four over eight years.   

in Nyeri, non-revenue water – water that has been supplied but does not translate into sales – was reduced from 48% to 20% over six years and the operating cost coverage improved from 1 to 1.5 in three years. Access to piped water also increased. In Nyeri, 88 percent of poor households have water piped in their home that is safe to drink and with an availability of 24 hours a day.  

In all three cases, the turnaround was led by a dynamic utility leader who was able to get the necessary political support for the required reforms to get to the improved outcomes.

You can find out more about these turnaround stories here: