ABSTRACT

This chapter explores the governance and regulation of water supply and sanitation, a subset of overall water governance which includes water for agriculture, water for energy and water in the environment. It considers governance and regulation challenges by drawing on examples from around the world. The challenge of service provision is to ensure that expensive societal investments in fixed assets for water and sanitation are managed, within the context of governance and regulatory oversight, in such a way that all can benefit. In the accountability diagram, the role of regulator/monitors to oversee the relationship between government and service provider – in the first instance to ensure environmental quality as well as water potability. The drinking water and wastewater quality standards, regulators need 'key performance indicators' which act as standards or benchmarks against which they can measure the performance of the service providers.