 sewage (Matsui et al., 2001). Nonetheless, major funders have promoted the use of these technologies and stipulated their use as a condition for lending funds for or funding new infrastructure, along with promoting privatisation of service delivery. There are examples of successes and failures arising from this approach; it is clear that no one technology perspective or business model guarantees success (WDM, 2005). Failures have been attributed to local circumstances, including governance and corruption, poor service provision once a franchise or partnership has been awarded, excessive charging increases, and lack of promised investment. Successes are best illustrated by the English and French models, where investment in water services has been substantial in the past 20 years and there are clear regulatory systems and targets. This may be contrasted with the United States, where there are strong standards but nationally a surprisingly wide variety of providers and forms of provision. INFRASTRUCTURE TO 2030: TELECOM, LAND TRANSPORT, WATER AND ELECTRICITY - ISBN 92-64-02398-4 - © OECD 2006 5. THE IMPACTS OF CHANGE ON THE LONG-TERM FUTURE DEMAND FOR WATER SECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE Current evidence indicates a waning of interest on the part of the major private company players in large-scale investment in urban water and sanitation services. The risks and returns appear to be not as favourable as in the past (e.g. OECD et al., 2003). Wholesale rural water service investments have never been attractive to the private sector, and private participation is typically via specific activities such the supply and distribution of bottled water or the offering of particular services within the water supply and disposal chain (Water Management Consultants Ltd., 2004). In rural areas local SMEs have a more important role in these services. Global trends in water resources, supply and consumption An overview of past trends in selected countries can be found in the Endnote Profile that concludes this chapter.* The three main driver