Water Policy - Our work
The ODI Water Policy Programme links high quality research with practical policy advice on water issues with a bearing on poverty.
Adapting to environmental change and uncertainty in the water sector
Water is the primary medium through which the impacts of climate change are felt by people, ecosystems and economies. Our work is exploring what these impacts are, who are most vulnerable, and the implications for policy and practice at different scales –from international planning to community adaptation.
Water resources management and allocation
Competition for water – between uses and users, between regions and countries – is increasing. As competition and scarcity grows, there will be an increasing need for rules-based systems that can allocate water fairly and protect the claims of the poorest. Our work is looking at some of the trade-offs involved, and how water rights and markets could be strengthened.
Research-inspired Policy and Practice Learning in Ethiopia and the Nile Region
This research programme and resource centre was led by the Water Policy Programme from 2006 to 2011. The objective was to advance evidence-based learning on water supply and sanitation and to inform the policy and practice agenda around service delivery, water resources management and climate change adaptation.
Secure water and sanitation
Access to drinking water and sanitation provides the foundation for public health, economic growth and poverty reduction. Our work looks at how reliable, affordable and sustainable services can be provided for growing, and increasingly mobile, rural and urban populations, and the links between access to basic services and poverty.
Private sector and water management
Private companies for whom water is a key input are increasingly taking an interest in water management beyond the factory fence. Our work has been following these developments, mapping the new frontiers of private-sector engagement on water, and what this may mean for transparent, accountable, equitable and sustainable water management.