2008 Volume 31 Issue 4 Pages 37-46
While there are many cases of urban area water supply systems in developed countries being operated by the public sector, there are also many different degrees of public sector control. These range from full ownership by the private sector as seen in England & Wales, to extensive private sector participation seen in France, and are due the needs in both countries for solving public financial problems and to comply with increasingly strict EU environmental regulations.
This paper describes the concept of the overall effectiveness of a number of water supply companies, from the standpoint of their ability to produce reliable drinking water at an acceptable price for the entire population that must be served. 1) This study focuses on developing a framework for evaluating the effectiveness of drinking water suppliers using the following five key factors:
•Efficiency (productive, dynamic, allocative)
•Service levels (drinking water quality, customer services)
•Legitimacy of regulatory process (political/legislative mandates, accountability, decision-making processes, decision-maker expertise, regulatory costs)
•Criteria for institutional structures intended to provide credible protection for private investors
•Global environmental impact 2) (enhancement of healthful water production and distribution, application of Integrated Water Resource Management practices, understanding of and planning for the effects of climate changes, and the minimization of greenhouse gas emissions)
