Impact evaluation
Water to save lives
3ie Brief No. 9, August 2009
Contaminated water is bad for health, resulting in thousands of premature deaths around the world each year. There is strong evidence that household water treatment has the biggest impact and is the most costeffective method in reducing risks of diarrhoea. But the picture is not as clear when it comes to measuring the impact on time savings and other outcomes, nor when it comes to making investments which have a sustainable impact.