Providing a Basic Level of Water and Sanitation Services that Last: Cost Benchmarks

Data collected by WASHCost using the life-cycle costs approach suggest benchmarks for the capital and recurrent costs of providing basic levels of sustainable water supply and sanitation service. The benchmarks should be interpreted with the understanding that local contexts can greatly influence cost. Nevertheless, the ranges presented will be useful for planning, assessing sustainability, and monitoring, and expenditure that significantly deviates is more likely to result in reduced service levels or long-term failure.

• The life-cycle costs approach considers construction, operation, rehabilitation and replacement of infrastructure. Tweet
• A basic level of water supply is defined as access by a majority of a population to at least 20 liters per person per day of acceptable quality water from a source that functions as least 350 days a year, costing no more than 30 minutes per day per round trip of a person's time. Tweet
• A basic level of sanitation service is defined as access by the majority of a population to a latrine with an impermeable slab, which is used by at least some members of the household; is in the house, compound, or shared with neighbors; and from which disposal of sludge is not harmful to people or the environment. Tweet
• Benchmarked capital costs of preparing and installing a borehole and handpump range from $20 to just over $60 per person (at 2011 prices). Recurrent costs are $3-6 per person per year. Tweet
• Capital costs of small schemes (including mechanized boreholes and piped supplies) are $30 to just over $130 per person, while capital costs of immediate and larger schemes vary from $20 to $152 per person. Recurrent costs of all piped schemes range from $3-15 per person per year. Tweet
• Capital costs of a traditional pit latrine with an impermeable slab are from $7-26 per person, increasing to $36-350 for latrines with concrete slabs or superstructures and $90-350 for pour-flush or septic-tank latrines. * Recurrent costs for latrines range from $1.5-11.5 per person per year. Tweet
• Densely-populated or remote areas may see basic levels of service with lower or higher costs, respectively, than the benchmarks suggest. Tweet