Multiple-use water services (MUS) : recommendations for a robust and sustainable approach

Water is fundamental for human societies and ecosystems. We need water to grow food, run industries, satiate thirst, and ensure health. Yet, the development of water resources to date has left a large number of people without enough water to meet their basic needs and impoverished the ecosystems upon which we depend. Population growth, urbanization, and climate change add new stress to water availability and demand. International institutions have over the last few decades attempted numerous solutions to meet these basic needs, from identifying water and sanitation as targets in the Millennium Development Goals, to developing international frameworks and funding streams for water development. Despite many decades of effort, water projects implemented with the best intentions still fall into disrepair or have drained existing water sources, and the poorest still face water and food insecurity. [authors abstract]