Linking Investment Decisions with Disaster Risk Reduction in Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH): The Role of the Public and Private Sectors, Potentials for Partnership and Social Learning

The paper examines the intersection of WASH investments and disaster risk reduction, arguing that disconnected public and private investments often increase vulnerability, particularly in poor urban areas. It identifies four critical building blocks for resilience: access, siting, mitigation/adaptation, and sharing. The authors argue that social learning—the process of sharing knowledge across stakeholders—is essential to trigger strategic innovation and effective PPPs. The document highlights how structural flood protections can paradoxically increase risk and advocates for 'green infrastructure' and ecosystem-based assessments to ensure long-term sustainability.

• Disconnected investments in WASH services often exacerbate vulnerabilities for poor urban communities, whereas appropriate investments can build resilience and reduce disaster risk.
• Private sector participation in WASH is hindered by a lack of trust, misconceptions about the ability of the urban poor to pay for services, and a risk-averse approach that favors wealthy clients.
• Many urban sanitation efforts fail because they use a 'one size fits all' approach that ignores local environmental risks, such as high water tables in flood-prone areas which cause septic tanks and pit latrines to leak and contaminate water.
• Structural flood mitigation measures, such as levees and embankments, can create a false sense of security and may actually increase vulnerability by destroying protective 'green infrastructure' like wetlands.
• Corruption in public investment often drives a preference for large-scale structural projects over community-managed or green solutions because capital-intensive projects provide more opportunities for bribes and 'commissions'.
• Insurance penetration is extremely low in developing countries, leaving governments reliant on humanitarian aid; however, risk-pooling facilities like the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) provide a model for short-term liquidity.
• Ecosystem assessments can demonstrate that preserving natural assets is more cost-effective than building artificial infrastructure, as seen in Kampala, Uganda, where the Nakivubo Swamps provide wastewater treatment services that would otherwise cost the city US$2 million annually.
• To improve WASH resilience, the authors recommend a 'phasing-in' approach to PPPs, starting with short-term contracts to build trust before moving to long-term concessions.

APA

Johannessen, Å., Rosemarin, A., Swartling, Å. G., Han, G., Vulturius, G., & Stenström, T. A. (2013). Linking Investment Decisions with Disaster Risk Reduction in Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH): The Role of the Public and Private Sectors, Potentials for Partnership and Social Learning. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-Paper-UNISDR-LinkingInvestmentDecisionsWithDisasterRiskReductionInWaterSanitationAndHygiene-2013.pdf

Chicago

Johannessen, Åse, Arno Rosemarin, Åsa Gerger Swartling, Guoyi Han, Gregor Vulturius, and Thor Axel Stenström. Linking Investment Decisions with Disaster Risk Reduction in Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH): The Role of the Public and Private Sectors, Potentials for Partnership and Social Learning. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2013. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-Paper-UNISDR-LinkingInvestmentDecisionsWithDisasterRiskReductionInWaterSanitationAndHygiene-2013.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Johannessen |first1=Åse |last2=Rosemarin |first2=Arno |last3=Swartling |first3=Åsa Gerger |last4=Han |first4=Guoyi |last5=Vulturius |first5=Gregor |last6=Stenström |first6=Thor Axel |title=Linking Investment Decisions with Disaster Risk Reduction in Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH): The Role of the Public and Private Sectors, Potentials for Partnership and Social Learning |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2013 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-Paper-UNISDR-LinkingInvestmentDecisionsWithDisasterRiskReductionInWaterSanitationAndHygiene-2013.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{johannessen2013linking, author = {Johannessen, Åse and Rosemarin, Arno and Swartling, Åsa Gerger and Han, Guoyi and Vulturius, Gregor and Stenström, Thor Axel}, title = {{Linking Investment Decisions with Disaster Risk Reduction in Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH): The Role of the Public and Private Sectors, Potentials for Partnership and Social Learning}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2013}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-Paper-UNISDR-LinkingInvestmentDecisionsWithDisasterRiskReductionInWaterSanitationAndHygiene-2013.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }