Derivation and testing of the Water Poverty Index Phase 1. Final Report May 2002

The Water Poverty Index is an interdisciplinary management tool, which integrates outputs from both the physical and social sciences, within a structured framework. It takes existing monitoring programmes further by explicitly linking socio-economic indicators of poverty drivers with water resource assessments, enabling the identification of those communities where poverty may be closely tied to water stress. As a result, the links between poverty, social deprivation, health, environmental integrity and water availability become more explicit, enabling policy makers to identify appropriate mechanisms to deal with the causes of these problems. The work done to calculate national level WPI scores has also been productive, and the WPI framework provides a means by which standardised assessments can be made in different countries. While such coarse evaluations at a country level can sometimes be of little use at the local level, they are of use to national policy makers, and to national and international donor organisations. Material on the WPI is to be included in the forthcoming United Nations World Water Development Report, and this is testimony to the fact that the tool is of interest to those seeking to promote more informed and equitable water management practices.