scholarly journals Indicator-based rural water service sustainability assessment: a review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor Dang Mvongo ◽  
Célestin Defo ◽  
Martin Tchoffo
Keyword(s):  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
Prospective Analysis ◽  
Water Services ◽  
Water Service ◽  
Rural Water ◽  
Index Index ◽  
Equity Index

Abstract The aim of this article is to present the state of the art on the sustainability indices of rural water services in order to identify gaps in knowledge. The methodological approach used was to conduct online searches using the databases of Google Scholar, Web of Science, Pub Med, the International Water Association, and ResearchGate. Several indices have been identified in the literature including the Canadian Water Sustainability Index, Index of Drinking Water Adequacy, the Sustainable Water Governance Index, equity index in water and sanitation, WASH performance Index, Sustainable Water Management Index, and Index of water service quality. However, these indices do not provide an integrative, contextualized and prospective analysis of the sustainability of water services. In addition, these indices select only a few evaluation criteria deemed relevant. In other words, these indices make the choice to make visible certain phenomena and therefore in invisibility of others according to the logic of action of each and certain social compromises. These difficulties therefore encourage the development of a new index to provide an integrative, contextual and prospective analysis of the sustainability of rural water services.

scholarly journals Exploring the challenges to sustainable rural drinking water services in Chile

Water Policy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 1251-1265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jami Nelson-Nuñez ◽  
Jeffrey P. Walters ◽  
Denisse Charpentier
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Delphi Study ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Universal Coverage ◽  
Water Services ◽  
Rural Water ◽  
Development Goals

Abstract Many countries around the world now face the dual challenges of closing the remaining gaps in access to drinking water in rural areas while further addressing the issues of equity, quality, and sustainability outlined in the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our research explores the key factors for sustainability in rural drinking water services in Chile, an important example not only due to its success in rural water access but also because of the new directions the country is taking to achieve the SDGs. Drawing on results from a Delphi study of Chilean rural water experts, we discuss the most important issues identified, including water availability and investment in community water organizations, as well as disagreement among experts, particularly around roles of private service providers and the national government. We leverage these results to assess Law No. 20.998 passed in 2017, which aims to address problematic variation in rural water services by introducing a stronger role for central government and conferring more responsibility on rural water organizations. The work presents insights for challenges countries closer to universal coverage will face as they work towards the SDGs and provides an analysis of the new rural drinking water governance landscape in Chile.

Editorial: Leave no one behind in rural water services

Waterlines ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-70
Author(s):  
Richard C. Carter
Keyword(s):  
Water Services ◽  
Rural Water

The Swiss Case. Main Results of the Sustainability Assessment of Swiss Forest Policy and its Merits in an International Context

2000 ◽  
Vol 151 (12) ◽  
pp. 480-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pekka Patosaari
Keyword(s):  
Economic Efficiency ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Expert Panel ◽  
Forest Policy ◽  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
International Context ◽  
Policy Goals ◽  
Areas Of Concern

Mandated by the Swiss Forestry Agency, a group of internationally recognised experts drew up a sustainability assessment of Swiss forest policy. In this paper, the author, himself a member of the expert panel, presents the main results of this study. The strong protection regime of forests, for instance, is seen as one of the strengths of Swiss forest policy, whereas the lack of economic efficiency as well as the lack of clear policy goals with corresponding evaluation criteria have been identified as areas of concern.

Assessing Product Lifecycle Sustainability Using Uncertain Design Information at Conceptual Stage

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Q. Z. Yang ◽  
B. Song
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Product Information ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Evaluation Model ◽  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
Design Decision ◽  
Fuzzy Evaluation ◽  
Product Lifecycle ◽  
Selection Of

This paper presents a hierarchical fuzzy evaluation approach to product lifecycle sustainability assessment at conceptual design stages. The purpose is to advocate the emerging use of lifecycle engineering methods in support of evaluation and selection of design alternatives for sustainable product development. A fuzzy evaluation model is developed with a hierarchical criteria structure to represent different sustainability considerations in the technical, economic and environmental dimensions. Using the imprecise and uncertain early-stage product information, each design option is assessed by the model with respect to the hierarchical evaluation criteria. Lifecycle engineering methods, such as lifecycle assessment and lifecycle costing analysis, are applied to the generation of the evaluation criteria. This would provide designers with a more complete lifecycle view about the product’s sustainability potentials to support decision-making in evaluation and selection of conceptual designs. The proposed approach has been implemented in a sustainable design decision-support software prototype. Illustrative examples are discussed in the paper to demonstrate the use of the approach and the prototype in conceptual design selection of a consumer product.

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