ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the concepts covered in the preceding chapters of this book. The book focuses on how and why commercialised urban water utilities mobilise and implement pro-poor interventions. It deals with a literature review, to find out how the concept of pro-poor services is understood and used within water utilities. The book describes why the utilities adopt these strategies to serve the LIAs and how they are actually. It explores the impacts of the interventions for the low-income areas (LIA) consumers. The book argues that utilities rather pragmatically adopt pro-poor strategies, partly using them to protect themselves from the financial and operational risks of service provision to low-income areas, while still satisfying the mandate of universal access. It focuses on why utilities choose to serve low-income areas through pro-poor strategies and end by reflecting on the issues of equity raised around the concept.
