7. A Framework for Assessing Climate-Induced Risk for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene

This chapter discusses development of an analytical framework for assessing the public health risk associated with disruptions in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services affected by climate-induced hazards related to water such as droughts and floods. For the development of the framework, the factors influencing the three different dimensions such as hazard, exposure and vulnerability in rural water and sanitation were identified and grouped as natural, physical, socio-economic and institutional. These factors and the relevant indicative variables are identified based on an extensive review of international literature and expert knowledge. This way, a total of 29 factors were identified, which included five natural factors affecting ‘hazard’; three natural, six physical, three socio-economic and three institutional and policy factors influencing ‘exposure’; and one natural, six socio-economic and two institutional and policy factors influencing ‘vulnerability’. The way in which these factors influence hazard, exposure and vulnerability are discussed, and the quantitative criteria for assigning values for these variables are also explained.