Determination of Water Supply Investment Priorities in Developing Countries

Abstract

Capital investments in water resources projects in newly developing countries always involve the problem of lack of funds, as the available means of financing in these lands always lag far behind the needs of the population. This gap between the possible and the desirable raises the question of what is to be given priority. An approach to the question of priorities grading has been outlined by Aaron Wiener at international gatherings dealing with the relevant problems, and constitutes the basis of the system suggested in this article. According to this approach, the benefit of a water supply project lies in its total water output. This quantity is measured, not by its absolute physical volume, but by awarding greater importance to immediate supply and lesser importance to future supply.