REVISITING: Off-grid, the New Water Supply Solution

Alexandre Gaudry, Marine Colon () and Catherine Baron ()
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Alexandre Gaudry: LEREPS - Laboratoire d'Etude et de Recherche sur l'Economie, les Politiques et les Systèmes Sociaux - UT Capitole - Université Toulouse Capitole - Comue de Toulouse - Communauté d'universités et établissements de Toulouse - UT2J - Université Toulouse - Jean Jaurès - Comue de Toulouse - Communauté d'universités et établissements de Toulouse - Institut d'Études Politiques [IEP] - Toulouse - ENSFEA - École Nationale Supérieure de Formation de l'Enseignement Agricole de Toulouse-Auzeville
Marine Colon: UM - Université de Montpellier, AgroParisTech, UMR G-EAU - Gestion de l'Eau, Acteurs, Usages - Cirad - Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement - IRD - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement - AgroParisTech - IRSTEA - Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture - Montpellier SupAgro - Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier
Catherine Baron: LEREPS - Laboratoire d'Etude et de Recherche sur l'Economie, les Politiques et les Systèmes Sociaux - UT Capitole - Université Toulouse Capitole - Comue de Toulouse - Communauté d'universités et établissements de Toulouse - UT2J - Université Toulouse - Jean Jaurès - Comue de Toulouse - Communauté d'universités et établissements de Toulouse - Institut d'Études Politiques [IEP] - Toulouse - ENSFEA - École Nationale Supérieure de Formation de l'Enseignement Agricole de Toulouse-Auzeville, IRASEC - Institut de Recherche sur l'Asie du Sud-est Contemporaine - MEAE - Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

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Abstract: Drawing on recent research, policy reports, and interviews, this chapter explores what the term "off-grid" – originally borrowed from the energy sector – means in the water sector. Off-grid water solutions encompass a wide range of arrangements, many of which have long existed to serve populations whose needs are unmet by water utilities. What has changed over the past decade, however, is the shift in perspective: once viewed as temporary fixes until network expansion, off-grid solutions are now increasingly seen as a desirable and sustainable option for achieving SDG 6.1 (universal access to safe and affordable drinking water). This chapter critically examines the expectations placed on off-grid solutions and reviews the challenges that must be overcome to position them as a viable alternative to centralised piped water supply. A key question emerges: How should public authorities adapt the governance and regulation of complex, fragmented water supply systems in order to ensure equity, continuity, quality, and protection of water resources?

Date: 2026-05-20
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Published in François Molle; Sylvain Barone. Best Practices in Global Water Policy: Revisiting Water Mantras, Routledge, 2026, 9781003745532. ⟨10.4324/9781003745532⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05638098

DOI: 10.4324/9781003745532

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