WASH-Flows

WASH-Flows is an Excel-based analytical tool developed by the Stockholm Environment Institute under the Bolivia WATCH program to evaluate the vulnerability of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services. It translates qualitative household data into quantitative metrics to help planners and local governments in rural and peri-urban areas monitor progress toward SDG 6 and optimize watershed management. Currently in beta and applied in three Bolivian watersheds, the tool estimates water demand and pollution loads, providing data that can be integrated into hydrological models like WEAP.

• WASH-Flows is an analytical tool designed to bridge the gap between domestic WASH services and watershed planning, allowing users to see how household-level interventions affect water distribution, quality, and balance within a community and watershed. It aims to help local governments, professionals, and planners prioritize interventions in rural and peri-urban settings to meet Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 targets.
• The tool was developed under the Bolivia WATCH (WASH Thinking Connected to Hydrology) Program, funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). It utilizes a Microsoft Excel interface and follows the "service ladder" methodology created by the Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) of UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO).
• WASH-Flows transforms qualitative information into quantitative data to evaluate current service status, estimate environmental pollution loads from poor sanitation, and compare different infrastructure alternatives. It can provide water demand and wastewater flow data that can be integrated into basin-scale hydrological modeling tools such as WEAP.
• The beta version of the tool has been applied in three Bolivian watersheds: Tupiza, Pampa Huari, and Choqueyapu-La Paz. While currently not available for public access because it was developed for the Bolivian context, there is interest in its use in Colombia, Spain, Guatemala, Mexico, and Peru. SEI conducted training for government agencies in Guatemala and various stakeholders in Bolivia between August and September 2023.

APA

Esquivel, N., Trujillo, A. S., & Liera, C. (2023). WASH-Flows. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/sei2023.053-herramienta-wash-flows.pdf

Chicago

Esquivel, Nhilce, Adriana Soto Trujillo, and Carla Liera. WASH-Flows. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2023. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/sei2023.053-herramienta-wash-flows.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Esquivel |first1=Nhilce |last2=Trujillo |first2=Adriana Soto |last3=Liera |first3=Carla |title=WASH-Flows |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=November 2023 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/sei2023.053-herramienta-wash-flows.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{esquivel2023washflows, author = {Esquivel, Nhilce and Trujillo, Adriana Soto and Liera, Carla}, title = {{WASH-Flows}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2023}, month = nov, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/sei2023.053-herramienta-wash-flows.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }