(ENVIADO) A comprehensive index to assess the sustainability of water and sanitation management systems in Salta, Argentina

SEGHEZZO, L.; IRIBARNEGARAY, M.A.; LIBERAL, V.I.; LEÓN, H.E.; GUERRA MUNIZAGA, M.S.; COPA, F.R.; MORENO SOLÁ, A.L.

JOURNAL OF WATER AND HEALTH

I W A PUBLISHING

Año: 2010

1477-8920

A comprehensive sustainability index for the assessment of water and sanitation management systems (WSMS) is presented. In this approach, sustainability is seen as the conceptual framework within which the territorial, temporal, and personal aspects of development can be openly discussed. Based on this framework, a coherent set of indicators was selected to assess the sustainability of the WSMS in a case study in the province of Salta, Argentina. A comprehensive Sustainability Index (ISI) was built for the provincial capital, Salta city. Indicators were calculated with information gathered by several means including questionnaires, visits, literature reviews, sampling, and other data collection methods. Participatory workshops were held when necessary. The index (dubbed WASSI, acronym for Water And Sanitation Sustainability Index) was sensitive to detect variations between different aspects of the WSMS. It is relatively independent of the amount of information available and could be a useful tool for optimization towards sustainability. Complementary studies are being carried out to shed additional light on the complex problems related to the sustainability of WSMS in the region.