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141 results
A woman sitting on a raised platform
Urban food insecurity and malnutrition are about more than just food
… Urban poverty and poor diets are inextricably linked. With most of the … and obese adults and one in three stunted children. To achieve Sustainable Development Goal target 2.2 of eliminating all forms of … more food insecure residents are also those who lack access to piped water and adequate housing and are often recent migrants to the city …
Insight, 16 October 2019
Woman using a public water tap in Kliptown, Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa. Johannesburg uses 32 different indicators to assess progress towards its strategic goals. Indicators need to reflect the needs of marginalised and vulnerable groups (Photo: Ray Muzyka, Creative Commons via Flickr)
The value and limits of urban sustainability indicators
Insight, 21 April 2015
A small brick building with two steps leading to a corrugated iron door houses a pit latrine.
The case for sewers
… sanitation in cities in the global South. In 2020 only 15% of the urban population in low-income nations had sewer connections – for … is clearly no point in having a sewer connection to the home if the water supply needed for flushing is irregular. But it’s also wrong to … to meet the sanitation needs of their growing populations. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) require access to adequate and …
Insight, 19 November 2021
Study reveals immense importance of ‘invisible’ water to urban poor
… The IIED study shows that hundreds of millions of urban people in such countries already depend on this hidden resource. Water taken directly from wells rather than being piped to users from … urges action to ensure that people can use groundwater in a safe and sustainable way. "The policy trend is to promote the use of piped water …
News, 12 November 2010
This barrio in Guatemala has no running water or sewers. The country receives abundant rainfall, but lacks infrastructure to deliver water to households (Photo: David Amsler, Creative Commons via Flickr)
Can natural capital accounting increase water access?
… On World Water Day , I was invited to reflect on the challenges of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for water and sanitation at a … with little information on water flows and their uses.  Fast growing urban areas in developing countries often lack basic access to water and … Natural resource management …
Insight, 05 April 2016
Cover for 10577IIED.pdf
Water service provision for the peri-urban poor in post-conflict Angola
… is to provide more and better quality basic services, such as water. Previous attempts at upgrading main supply systems to accommodate peri-urban areas have been overwhelmed by the explosive demographic growth of … responsibility for maintenance and the payment of service fees is a sustainable and affordable model. The paper also points out that …
Publication, 01 August 2009
Although aid agencies provide emergency help in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, only long-term planning can deal with the wider environmental stresses (Photo: Caroline King-Okumu/IIED)
Unblocking the cycle of water stress, crises and innovation in the Bekaa Valley
Project, 04 January 2017
Aerial view of an informal settlement and an urban centre in the background
Rethinking household surveys reveals true picture of health inequality
… in their work at community, city and city region level to meet UN Sustainable Development Goals – as well as meeting goals for climate … in informal settlements get hidden in aggregate statistics for urban and rural populations. City-wide averages will usually appear … their physical living conditions, including inadequate access to water and sanitation, poor housing conditions, poor livelihood …
Insight, 18 January 2022
Langrug informal settlement, South Africa, May 2014 (Photo: Diana Mitlin/IIED)
Introduction to urban poverty
Project, 09 September 2014
Raipur in Central India is developing into a major urban centre, but the infrastructure in the city's expanding informal settlements is poor (Photo: India Water Portal, Creative Commons via Flickr)
Addressing the needs of vulnerable groups in urban areas
… 'Vulnerable', along with 'sustainable' and 'resilient', are three powerful words that appear so … to a risk (such as malaria-spreading mosquitoes, contaminated water or a flood) if they are more susceptible to being harmed or killed … – as in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the UN's ' New Urban Agenda' (PDF) .  The SDGs include many mentions of vulnerable …
Insight, 26 April 2017