How to climate proof water and sanitation services for the urban poor

Climate change has many uncertainties, but in general we can expect increases in temperatures, the intensity of precipitation, storms, droughts and extreme events; changes in average precipitation are less certain but will become more erratic, shifting in season. For water and sanitation providers climate change will tend to exacerbate or relieve existing vulnerabilities rather than creating new issues. The impact on individual projects depends upon their particular vulnerabilities. To adapt, water and sanitation providers need to increase the robustness of their systems by assessing the impacts across multiple scenarios. Populations will be impacted by climate change in other ways too and this may affect their ability to access water and sanitation services. The impacts must be considered within the context of population growth, urbanisation and environmental degradation. For providers, the most pragmatic approach is to
ensure resilience to environmental change and preparedness for disasters. [authors abstract]