PPPs for Water and Sanitation – From large to small projects
September 2026
Over the past decades, there has been an increasing recognition of the need to attract private capital for water and sanitation services in developing countries. Besides capital, it is also envisaged that the private sector can bring efficiency, innovation and accountability to the delivery of public services. The Urban Challenge Fund set up by the Government of India envisages leveraging resources through PPPs for urban services. In this paper, we focus our discussion on PPPs for urban water supply and sanitation services. We review the global experience with PPPs in the water and sanitation services (WSS) sector to draw lessons for an appropriate model and approach for Indian cities.
