Learning Repository

Valuing Water: The Australian Perspective. Lessons from the Murray-Darling Basin

Publication

This is one in a series of four reports that examine how the diverse values placed on water have shaped the development and management of water resources in the Murray Darling River Basin.

The report synthesises and elicits generalisable lessons from three case studies that tell the story of valuing water in the Basin through the primary lenses of economics, environment and Australia’s First Nations cultural values of water. The insights and generalisable lessons presented in this report are primarily intended for policy makers, practitioners, water managers, water engineers, civil society organisations and academics to inform and improve water management in other country contexts. These lessons are provided not as a roadmap for direct transfer elsewhere, but rather as framing and guidance that should be viewed through the lens of the hydrological, ecological, socioeconomic and political context of a specific basin or country.

This series of reports is the result of a collaborative effort between the World Bank and the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, with support from the Australian Water Partnership, to promote more equitable, transparent and effective management of water resources development. The report is also available to download from the World Bank.

WASH FINANCE: Accessing Commercial Finance for Water and Sanitation Service Providers in Kenya, Cambodia, and Senegal

Publication

This paper presents three case studies from the USAID Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Finance (WASHFIN) Program, which illustrate different approaches to leveraging commercial finance in the water supply and sanitation (WSS) sector. The Program implemented activities in ten countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America since 2016 and helped raise over US$118.8 million from a mix of public and private financing sources. These three examples from Kenya, Cambodia, and Senegal are representative of the Program’s efforts to help close financing gaps utilizing both public and commercial funding sources.

Wastewater Management Expert (WaMEX) Tool

Tool

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the UNESCO-IHE teamed up to develop the wastewater management expert system that will provide decision-makers and planners with a tool to carry out “what-if” scenarios to effectively evaluate technologies and sewer networks.

Water Accounting Plus (WA+)

Tool

WA+ provides independent estimates of water flows, fluxes, stocks, consumption and services supported by a multi-institutional effort from international knowledge centers (IWMI, UNESCO-IHE, FAO, and WWAP)

Water Planning and Gender Perspectives in Asia and the Pacific

Training

Water Safety Portal

Tool

WSPs are a comprehensive risk assessment and risk management approach from catchment to consumer, with the aim of consistently ensuring the safety and acceptability of a drinking-water supply.

Water Security Assessment Tool (WATSAT)

Tool

WATSAT is a city-level water security rating tool. It has a three-layered structure that culminates into a Water Security Index (WSI). The WSI is measured on a scale of 1 to 5, and provides the overall water security situation in the city. It helps identify the driving forces that have an impact on urban water security.

Water Sensitive Cities Knowledge Platform

Technology

Provides multidisciplinary research-based, technical guidelines and case studies to assist you to envision your water sensitive city, develop your strategy and fund your implementation

Water, Women and Jobs: Breaking Barriers to Female Employment in Water (Self-Paced)

Training

Water-Energy-Food Nexus Short Course

Training