Reliable data on the economic feasibility of small-scale rural water supply systems are insufficient, which hampers the allocation of funds to construct them, even as the need for their construction increases. To address this gap, three newly constructed water supply systems with water points in Nepal, Egypt, and Tanzania were accompanied by the authors throughout the planning and implementation phases and up to several years of operation. This study presents an analysis of their economic feasibility and suggests important factors for successful water supply system implementation at other rural locations. The initial investment for construction of the new water supply systems ranged from 23,600 € to 44,000 €, and operation and maintenance costs ranged from 547 € to 1921 € per year. The water price and actual multi-year average quantity of tapped water at each site were 7.7 €/m³ & 0.67 m³/d in Nepal, 0.7 €/m³ & 0.88 m³/d in Egypt and 0.9 €/m³ & 8.65 m³/d in Tanzania. Although the new water supply systems enjoyed acceptance among the consumers, the actual average water quantity tapped ranged from just 17 to 30 % of the demand for which the new supply systems were designed. While two of three sites successfully yielded a cash surplus through the sale of water, sufficient for operation, maintenance and basic repairs, no site showed a realistic chance of recovering the initial investment (reaching the break-even point) within the projected lifetime of the technical infrastructure. Reaching the break-even point within 5 years, which would be necessary to attract private investors, would require an unrealistic increase of the water price or the water consumption by factors ranging from 5.2 to 9.0. The economic viability of such systems therefore depends strongly on the quantity of water consumed and the water price, as well as the availability of funding from governments, NGOs or other sponsors not primarily interested in a financial return on their investment.

关于小型农村供水系统经济可行性的可靠数据不足，即使建设需求增加，也会妨碍建设这些系统的资金分配。为了解决这一差距，作者在整个规划和实施阶段以及长达数年的运营过程中，在尼泊尔，埃及和坦桑尼亚建立了三个供水点的新建供水系统。这项研究对它们的经济可行性进行了分析，并提出了在其他农村地区成功实施供水系统的重要因素。建造新供水系统的初期投资为每年23,600欧元至44,000欧元，运营和维护成本为每年547欧元至1921欧元。每个地点的水价和实际的多年实际平均出水量在尼泊尔分别为7.7€/m³和0.67m³/ d，在埃及为0.7€/m³＆0.88m³/ d，以及0.9€/m³和8.65m³/ d在坦桑尼亚。尽管新供水系统受到了消费者的欢迎，但实际平均取水量仅为新供水系统设计需求的17％到30％。虽然三个地点中有两个通过出售水成功产生了现金盈余，足以进行操作，维护和基本维修，但没有一个地点显示出在预期的使用寿命内收回初始投资（达到收支平衡点）的现实机会。技术基础架构。在5年内达到收支平衡点，这对于吸引私人投资者是必要的，要求水价或用水量不切实际地增加5.2至9.0。因此，此类系统的经济可行性在很大程度上取决于用水量和水价，以及政府，非政府组织或其他主要对投资的财务回报不感兴趣的赞助商的资金可用性。