K4D Helpdesk Report

Water Security Beyond Covid-19

1st April 2020
Author: Rachel Cooper

The 2020 Covid-19 pandemic could increase developing countries and development partners’ focus on water and WASH and trigger transformational change in some countries. The 2014-16 Ebola outbreak in West Africa increased the demand for safe water for prevention and treatment, and also increased development partners’ attention to WASH at the household and healthcare levels both during and after the outbreak . As the Covid-19 pandemic is still unfolding, it is not clear what the impact on developing countries or their water security will be. Consequently, there is a need to monitor how the pandemic unfolds and assimilate lessons learned. Interventions to strengthen water security should focus on four key areas: adequate water availability, acceptable water quality, water resource management, and affordable access to WASH

Suggested Citation

Cooper, R. (2020). Water Security beyond Covid-19. K4D Helpdesk Report 803. Brighton, UK: Institute of Development Studies.

Published

1st April 2020

Location

Continent: Global