Urban water and sanitation
Turning knowledge into change
Between 2004 and 2010, LTH delivered the Sida-funded Urban Water and Sanitation programme for professionals from Africa, Asia and Latin America. The programme was built around the principle that sustainable water and sanitation cannot be addressed through technology alone.
Participants explored how engineering and water management interact with urban planning, public health, environmental sustainability, economics, gender equality and governance. More importantly, they applied this knowledge to challenges in their own organisations and communities, developing initiatives that could become catalysts for wider change.
More than 150 professionals from 15 countries participated, representing ministries, public authorities, universities, businesses and civil society. Together, they initiated more than 40 change projects.
From projects to wider transformation
Several initiatives moved far beyond their original scope. Pilot projects were expanded to new communities, replicated by other organisations and sectors, incorporated into public development plans, or attracted additional institutional funding.
- In India, a participant-led initiative in Khedbrahma contributed to the municipality investing INR 10 million of its own resources in stormwater management. The process also contributed to decisions on water metering, revised water tariffs and improved waste management.
- In Sri Lanka, work initiated through the programme on sludge management contributed to the adoption of a national policy by the National Water Supply and Drainage Board.
- In Uganda, an initiative for wetland restoration and sustainable management was incorporated into Wakiso District’s three-year development plan, securing resources for implementation and helping bring the issue to national attention.
- In Zambia, an initiative addressing vandalism of water and sanitation infrastructure gained national attention. The approach subsequently spread beyond the water sector to actors working with electricity and telecommunications infrastructure.
Why it still matters
More than two decades after the programme began, access to safe water and sanitation remains a major global challenge. Climate change is adding further pressure through drought, water scarcity, extreme rainfall and flooding.
The challenge is not only finding better technical solutions. Sustainable transformation also depends on institutions that can implement them, professionals with the capacity and mandate to drive change, adequate financing, and collaboration across sectors.