Spotlight On: Building Resilient Water and WASH Systems

Abt Global delivers innovative, equitable and integrated solutions in WASH and water resources management both in the United States and around the world. We develop tools to optimize watershed management and monitor flood risk. We capture methane emissions from wastewater. We apply state-of-the-art climate modeling to populations at risk from floods. We assist water utilities to evaluate their exposure to climate risk. Government agencies and municipalities turn to us for hydrological, ecological, and economic analysis as they plan their water investments.

Capabilities

Around the world, Abt Global partners with donors, federal agencies, and local organizations to build resilient water management and WASH systems. We reduce vulnerability while bolstering gender equality and youth and social inclusion.

Our capabilities include:

• Creating state agency investment plans in drinking water protection, remediation, and sustainability infrastructure.
• Building private-sector markets for latrines and outreach to foster demand creation and behavior change.
• Developing advanced models and tools that optimize watershed management, enable utilities to address the impacts of climate change, assess flood risk, and capture methane from wastewater.
• Partnering with the private sector at the health-energy-water nexus to bring biomedical equipment and water purification technology to healthcare facilities.
• Pioneer new technologies that make irrigation systems more efficient, boosting production and saving money for farmers.

Relevant Experience   

Bangladesh Nutrition Activity  
Client: Feed the Future

Abt improves sanitation in Bangladesh through engagement with the private sector. We support latrine businesses, collaborate with local sales representatives, and partner with local public awareness campaigns. These combined interventions enable rural latrine producers to scale production and sales of improved latrines and promote safer sanitation services. Since 2019, we have trained 384 rural latrine producers, who have sold over 48,000 improved latrines. This has benefitted more than 218,000 individuals in rural areas in Faridpur, Khulna, Patuakhali, and Cox’s Bazar. In 2022, the project’s awareness campaign reached 8,000 rural households lacking improved latrines.

Health Electrification and Telecommunications Alliance (HETA) 
Client: Power Africa

Abt is facilitating the electrification of eight healthcare facilities in North Kivu and Kasaï, Democratic Republic of Congo, through a HETA grant to OffGridBox. This project provides standalone solar power modules, biomedical equipment, and water purification technology. This work at the health-energy-water nexus will replace diesel generators with renewable energy solutions, improve healthcare delivery, and provide safe drinking water to areas with more than 150,000 people. Efforts are underway to expand this model to more facilities.

National Flood Risk Characterization Tool 
Client: Army Corps of Engineers

Abt designed the National Flood Risk Characterization Tool (NFRCT) to evaluate flood risks and guide prioritization for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers nationwide. It assesses relative risks, considering factors like human exposure, asset damages, and emergency response infrastructure vulnerability. Decision makers can visualize these risks conveniently through the map-based interface.

Green Growth and Climate Resilience Strategy Study  
Client: Government of Rwanda

In collaboration with the Government of Rwanda, Abt led a study that estimated the medium-term investment needs and targets for the country’s integrated water resources management (IWRM) sector. Aligned to Rwanda’s Green Growth and Climate Resilience Strategy, which aims to guide and implement national policies that address climate issues, our team modelled scenarios for meeting IWRM targets. The study recommended a more robust governance framework that advances national IWRM through increased inter-agency coordination and stronger monitoring, information management and permitting programs.

Climate Resilience Evaluation Tool (CREAT) 
Client: Environmental Protection Agency

Created for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Abt’s CREAT tool enables water utility personnel to evaluate and address the impacts of climate change. Abt created a module to analyze the effectiveness of adaptation alternatives and worked with the EPA to update CREAT by incorporating up-to-date climate change scenarios and economic assessments.

Climate Economic Analysis for Development, Investment, and Resilience (CEADIR) 
Client: USAID

Abt partnered with the United Nations Development Programme, USAID, and three cities in eastern India with a combined population of 5 million to design 10 public-private partnerships (PPP) to reduce disaster risks related to cyclones, monsoonal flooding, and extreme heat and precipitation events. These PPPs improved coordination of disaster response in public health systems, strengthened community resilience, and increased storm water drainage during heavy rains and flooding through improved solid waste management.