Who lacks water and sanitation service? : a typology of unserved communities

This paper presents a typology of unserved communities that distills some of the important insights from the practitioner literature in the form of a conceptual framework that can be employed by governments and their partners in efforts to meet Millennium Development Goal Target 10 - halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. The simple typology includes six kinds of communities in which a substantial proportion of households do not have access to improved water supply and sanitation services. The six typology categories are further described as applied to water supply and sanitation services, respectively, including common bottlenecks to expanding coverage, possible strategies for improving access, and references to relevant cases. An illustrative example of how the typology might be used for diagnostic and planning purposes is presented, using a large metropolitan region as a sample case. The ways in which planning and policy responses for different community types might be shaped by 'macro' level considerations - such as the availability of financial resources and locus of decision-making authority are discussed. The paper concludes that only a modest amount of information about the location and characteristics of unserved communities is needed t develop strategies and action plans that better exploit local opportunities and address local constraints. A collaborative typology assessment can also bring often antagonistic stakeholders together in a process that promotes dialogue and mutual understanding, stimulates the development of innovative strategies, and brings the MDG Target 10 within reach.