This would be where reforms to improve the effectiveness of service delivery and lowering of capital costs would be most needed. Such delays would lead to deferred benefits and potentially higher investment costs in the future, which would therefore translate in false economies. This would also require identifying areas for priority investment, depending on where the highest benefits are likely to stem from and where the most cost-effective interventions can be identified. To achieve this, policy makers and water service providers need to engage in a process of strategic financial planning so as to identify what needs to be financed, how much additional resources can be generated from existing sources and how the performance of utilities can be improved to generate such efficiency gains and mobilise external financing.