Changes

[[Image:MUS in Nepal.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A multi-use water system in Nepal provides safe drinking water and drip irrigation for farmers, helping them adapt to climate change. Photo: [http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/nov2010/2010-11-22-03.html USAID and Winrock International]]]

Multiple-use water services (MUS) is an innovative approach to water services. It unlocks new investment opportunities for poverty reduction and gender equity in peri-urban and rural areas. MUS takes people’s multiple water needs as the starting point of planning and design of new systems and upgrades. Universally, water users already use ‘domestic’ systems or ‘irrigation’ systems for multiple purposes, whether legal or not. By planning for these multiple uses, many more benefits from investments in infrastructure can be realized: health, freedom from domestic chores, food and income and gender equity.

Here MUS takes communities as entry point of water services. It holistically considers their multiple water uses (domestic, irrigation, animal watering, tree-growing, fisheries, enterprises, ceremonies, environment) from multiple water sources (rain, surface water, groundwater, wetlands) at multiple sites (homesteads, fields, open access). This integrated water resource management at the local level is (potentially) considerably more cost-effective and sustainable than single-use water services.

==Acknowledgements==

* Models For Implementing Multiple-Use Water Supply Systems For Enhanced Land And Water Productivity, Rural Livelihoods And Gender Equity – Multiple Use Systems (MUS). [http://ongoing-research.cgiar.org/factsheets/models-for-implementing-multiple-use-water-supply-systems-for-enhanced-land-and-water-productivity-rural-livelihoods-and-gender-equity-multiple-use-systems-mus/ Ongoing research - CIGAR.]