Who Pays for Climate-Resilient Wash? Supplier Perspectives on Pro-Poor Financing and Adaptation in Rural Cambodia

Bibliographic Data

ID22010547
AuthorsLien Pham (0000-0001-7142-9806, Oldham Council, corresponding author)
Year2026
Volume16
Issue03
Pages193-218
Publication date2026-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAdvances in Applied Sociology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2165-4328 • E-ISSN: 2165-4336
PublisherScientific Research Publishing, Inc. (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.4236/aasoci.2026.163013
OpenAlexW7134225152
LanguageEN
References cited15

Climate change is intensifying risks to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services in rural Cambodia, raising questions about how climate-resilient services can be delivered equitably and who should finance them. Small-scale private WASH suppliers play a central role in rural service delivery, yet their perspectives are rarely reflected in WASH program design. This study examines how rural Cambodian WASH suppliers understand climate adaptation, financing, and pro-poor provision. Drawing on focus group discussions and a scenario-based preference-ranking exercise, it explores adaptation measures suppliers are willing to deliver, financing instruments they consider acceptable, and how free provision for poor households should be financed. The findings show that suppliers prioritise adaptations aligned with existing capabilities, favour financing arrangements that reduce operational and repayment risk, and support free provision only when costs are covered through public or concessional sources. These results contribute supplier-level evidence to debates on climate-resilient and pro-poor WASH financing

Focus group · Hygiene · Private finance initiative · Private sector · Rural area · Service provider · Child Nutrition and Water Access · Global trade, sustainability, and social impact · Sustainability and Climate Change Governance