Close to three billion people in the developing countries will need
improved water supply and sanitation services by 1990. This is the
ambitious goal of the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade (IDWSSD). Among the major impediments to meeting this goal are a scarcity of expertise for planning good projects and the lack of globally accepted project preparation standards. The limited human and financial resources in developing countries can be used more efficiently if water and sanitation projects are initially prepared to standards meeting requirements of approving authorities and financing agencies.