Water & infrastructure
Water, sanitation and public works. Real interventions, each with its sources: what worked, what didn't, and why.
2 worked0 mixed4 didn't work
What worked
- WorkedWater & infrastructure
Phnom Penh's water utility turnaround
ChallengeThe city's water utility reached only a quarter of residents and lost most of its water.
A broken, leaking city water utility turned into one of Asia's best performers.
72% → 6.2%water lost to leaks and theft, 1993 to 2008ObservationalRead case - WorkedWater & infrastructure
Restoring the Cheonggyecheon stream in Seoul
ChallengeAn aging elevated highway dominated and divided Seoul's city center.
Tearing down an elevated highway to bring a buried stream back to the city center.
5.8 kmof stream restored where a highway stoodObservationalRead case
What didn't work
- Didn't workWater & infrastructure
PlayPumps: merry-go-round water pumps
ChallengeRural villages lacked reliable water, and hand pumps took hard physical effort.
Merry-go-rounds that pump water as children play.
Up to 17 monthsthat broken PlayPumps sat out of commission, per Mozambique government reportObservationalRead case - Didn't workWater & infrastructure
The Flint water crisis
ChallengeFlint was under financial emergency and looking to cut water costs.
A cost-saving switch of water source that exposed a city to lead.
2.4% → 4.9%young children in Flint with elevated blood leadObservationalRead case - Didn't workWater & infrastructure
Cochabamba's water privatization
ChallengeCochabamba's water system was underfunded and failed to reach many residents.
A city water concession handed to a private consortium, then cancelled after mass protests.
35%average water rate rise from January 2000, per BechtelObservationalRead case - Didn't workWater & infrastructure
Tubewells and arsenic in Bangladesh
ChallengeContaminated surface water was causing deadly diarrheal disease.
Millions of wells dug to replace contaminated surface water, which turned out to contain arsenic.
35–77 millionof 125 million Bangladeshis at risk of arsenic-contaminated water (2000 estimate)ObservationalRead case