Integrated resource planning: a vital tool for utilities in low-income countries

A rapidly increasing global population, coupled with effects of climate change inevitably lead to a decreasing per capita fresh water availability for the world’s inhabitants. In response, water professionals in some developed countries have adopted Integrated Resource Planning (IRP), which evaluates both demand and supply options using multiple criteria, for sustainable urban water management. Water professionals in lowincome countries can learn from this experience, through existing global partnerships such as the WEDC Conference and IWA specialist groups. This paper describes the basic concepts of IRP, highlights its importance and briefly states how it could be adapted to the operating environment in low-income countries.