Unaffordable and Undrinkable: Rethinking Urban Water Access in the Global South

The paper argues that global indicators from UNICEF and the WHO overestimate water access in the global south. Analysis of 15 cities reveals that nearly half of households lack piped utility water, forcing them to rely on private sources that can be up to 52 times more expensive. The document contends that private sector involvement and the corporatization of utilities have failed to improve access for the under-served and recommends extending formal piped networks, addressing intermittent service, and upgrading informal settlements.

• Global data from UNICEF and the WHO overestimate water access, masking an urban water crisis that leads to ineffective planning. Analysis of 15 cities in the global south indicates that nearly half of all households still lack access to piped utility water.
• Piped utility water is the most affordable option, whereas households relying on self-provision or private vendors pay up to 52 times more. Furthermore, in 12 of the 15 analyzed cities, those with piped connections experience intermittent service, which leads to water contamination.
• Efforts to corporatize water utilities and increase private sector involvement in water provision have failed to adequately improve access for under-served urban populations and have ignored issues of reliability and affordability.
• To ensure equitable access amidst challenges like population growth and climate change, cities should focus on four areas: extending formal piped networks, solving causes of intermittent service, implementing affordability strategies for low-income users, and upgrading informal settlements.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Unaffordable and Undrinkable: Rethinking Urban Water Access in the Global South. https://www.wri.org/research/unaffordable-and-undrinkable-rethinking-urban-water-access-global-south

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Unaffordable and Undrinkable: Rethinking Urban Water Access in the Global South. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/unaffordable-and-undrinkable-rethinking-urban-water-access-global-south.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Unaffordable and Undrinkable: Rethinking Urban Water Access in the Global South |url=https://www.wri.org/research/unaffordable-and-undrinkable-rethinking-urban-water-access-global-south |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendunaffordable, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Unaffordable and Undrinkable: Rethinking Urban Water Access in the Global South}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/unaffordable-and-undrinkable-rethinking-urban-water-access-global-south}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }