Indicators of Climate Resilience in WASH: A Global Systematic Mapping and Gap Analysis

Sammanfattning

This thesis investigates the global landscape of indicators used to measure climate resilience within Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) services through a systematic mapping and gap analysis. As climate change increasingly threatens water security and public health, there is an urgent need for theoretically grounded monitoring frameworks to evaluate systemic resilience across diverse contexts. This thesis develops a three-dimensional analytical framework that synthesizes Sen’s capability approach, climate vulnerability theory, and institutional theory to assess indicators across socioeconomic, environmental, and institutional dimensions. The methodology involved a systematic review of 104 indicators collected from 16 academic and policy sources published between 2017 and 2025. The results show a significant imbalance in the current indicator landscape: the environmental dimension has the highest representation, while the institutional dimension has the lowest representation. Although the WASH sector demonstrates a significant commitment to monitoring equity, inclusion, and strategic alignment, significant shortcomings were identified in accountability mechanisms, economic viability, and community agency. The thesis concludes that current monitoring practices often prioritize technical “means” and formal “rules-on-paper” over the functional “rules-in-use” and adaptive capacity required to sustain WASH services during climate stress and shocks. To achieve the long-term targets of SDG 6, the thesis argues for a fundamental shift from static status assessments toward monitoring the adaptive efficiency of institutions and the economic resilience of users. These findings provide a theoretically grounded roadmap for developing more balanced, regionally adaptable monitoring frameworks that capture the dynamic nature of climate resilience.