Economic Valuation of Wastewater - Executive Summary

This document presents an analytical assessment of the economic valuation of wastewater management, contrasting the costs of effective action with the costs of inaction to guide policy and investment decisions. It distinguishes financial analysis for operators from broader economic analysis for society, noting that environmental and health benefits are often excluded from market-based appraisals, which understates total benefits. It categorizes inaction costs into human health impacts from unsafe water, environmental degradation of receiving bodies, and losses to water-dependent economic activities such as agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture, and tourism.