RWSN Region Information

To increase awareness and understanding of self-supply of water in Asia and the Pacific, the
UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures has partnered with UNICEF EAPRO and UNICEF ROSA
to develop 21 country profiles.

The following country profiles present the prevalence of self-supply, spatial and temporal trends,
service levels including water quality and availability, equity dimensions, and policy aspects of
self-supply in each country.

To increase awareness and understanding of self-supply of water in Asia and the Pacific, the
UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures has partnered with UNICEF EAPRO and UNICEF ROSA
to develop 21 country profiles.
The following country profiles present the prevalence of self-supply, spatial and temporal trends,
service levels including water quality and availability, equity dimensions, and policy aspects of
self-supply in each country.

Country overview:

Afghanistan
Bangladesh
Cambodia
Federated States of Micronesia
Fiji
India
Indonesia
Kiribati
Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Maldives
Mongolia
Myanmar
Nepal
Pakistan
Philippines
Papua New Guinea
Solomon Islands
Sri Lanka
Timor-Leste
Vanuatu
Viet Nam | »

For centuries, households have survived and thrived relying on simple, self-supplied drinking water sourced mainly from ground water that is self-financed and self-managed by individual households. With proper point-of-use treatment such as boiling or filtering, alongside appropriate source protection, self-supply may provide households with safely managed water. However, since domestic groundwater use is often unregulated and unmonitored, several risks may be present. These risks, in both rural and urban areas, include faecal contamination, seasonal variability and over-extraction. With the demand for safe drinking water ever increasing, should selfsupply
water be promoted or deterred? If so, what is the role of government and other stakeholders in ensuring a sustainable future for drinking water supply combined with groundwater conservation? | »

Lead is a priority chemical hazard that should be included in national drinking-water quality standards and monitored as part of drinking-water quality surveillance.

This document provides practical guidance to support the assessment and management of lead contamination in drinking-water supplies. Step-wise guidance is provided to support action when elevated lead concentrations are detected in drinking-water. It also explains why lead in drinking-water is an important issue and sources of lead exposure in water supplies. | »

The RWSN Secretariat organises regular learning and networking events dedicated to RWSN Member Organisations only, to enable them to exchange, learn from each other, and find out more about the services RWSN offers to its Member Organisations.

The following events have taken place so far:
- June 2022: on the benefits that RWSN offers to Member Organisations, and what Member Organisations would like to get out of their membership.
- March 2023: on financial innovations to improve the financial sustainability of rural water services, with presentations by 1001Fontaines, the Aquaya Institute, Green Empowerment and Water Compass.

Between 40 to 50 organisations participated in each series of events. Below are the recordings of the presentations and collaborative slides. | »

My book, I Tried to Save the World and Failed, reflects on a time and effort to find rural water solutions in Mexico, Malawi and Cambodia that could be used everywhere. 

The book closes with a set of lessons aimed at sustainability.  The lessons are not meant to be the final word.  It is hoped they will provoke discussion on how to go about achieving project sustainability.

Permission granted by author to distribute | »