Your search found 4 records
1 Taylor, D. D. J.; Khush, R.; Peletz, R.; Kumpel, E. 2018. Efficacy of microbial sampling recommendations and practices in Sub-Saharan Africa. Water Research, 134:115-125. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2018.01.054]
Biological contamination ; Water quality ; Sampling ; Guidelines ; Regulations ; Monitoring ; Bacteria ; Water supply ; Pipes ; Strategies ; Statistical uncertainty ; Models / Africa South of Sahara
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048834)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004313541830068X/pdfft?md5=05a7a2182a8a59839319f38eb068402b&pid=1-s2.0-S004313541830068X-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H048834.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H048834.pdf
(0.86 MB) (884 KB)
Current guidelines for testing drinking water quality recommend that the sampling rate, which is the number of samples tested for fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) per year, increases as the population served by the drinking water system increases. However, in low-resource settings, prevalence of contamination tends to be higher, potentially requiring higher sampling rates and different statistical methods not addressed by current sampling recommendations. We analyzed 27,930 tests for FIB collected from 351 piped water systems in eight countries in sub-Saharan Africa to assess current sampling rates, observed contamination prevalences, and the ability of monitoring agencies to complete two common objectives of sampling programs: determine regulatory compliance and detect a change over time. Although FIB were never detected in samples from 75% of piped water systems, only 14% were sampled often enough to conclude with 90% confidence that the true contamination prevalence met an example guideline ( 5% chance of any sample positive for FIB). Similarly, after observing a ten percentage point increase in contaminated samples, 43% of PWS would still require more than a year before their monitoring agency could be confident that contamination had actually increased. We conclude that current sampling practices in these settings may provide insufficient information because they collect too few samples. We also conclude that current guidelines could be improved by specifying how to increase sampling after contamination has been detected. Our results suggest that future recommendations should explicitly consider the regulatory limit and desired confidence in results, and adapt when FIB is detected.
2 Peletz, R.; Kisiangani, J.; Bonham, M.; Ronoh, P.; Delaire, C.; Kumpel, E.; Marks, S.; Khush, R.. 2018. Why do water quality monitoring programs succeed or fail?: a qualitative comparative analysis of regulated testing systems in Sub-Saharan Africa. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 221(6):907-920. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheh.2018.05.010]
Water quality control ; Monitoring ; Programmes ; Water supply ; Drinking water ; Corporate culture ; Qualitative analysis ; Capacity building ; Regulations ; Case studies / Africa South of Sahara / Ethiopia / Guinea / Kenya / Senegal / Uganda / Zambia
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048841)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1438463918300816/pdfft?md5=9d90204feefe14a1055d44b501333dd5&pid=1-s2.0-S1438463918300816-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H048841.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H048841.pdf
(1.43 MB) (1.43 MB)
Background:
Water quality testing is critical for guiding water safety management and ensuring public health. In many settings, however, water suppliers and surveillance agencies do not meet regulatory requirements for testing frequencies. This study examines the conditions that promote successful water quality monitoring in Africa, with the goal of providing evidence for strengthening regulated water quality testing programs.
Methods and findings:
We compared monitoring programs among 26 regulated water suppliers and surveillance agencies across six African countries. These institutions submitted monthly water quality testing results over 18 months. We also collected qualitative data on the conditions that influenced testing performance via approximately 821 h of semi-structured interviews and observations. Based on our qualitative data, we developed the Water Capacity Rating Diagnostic (WaterCaRD) to establish a scoring framework for evaluating the effects of the following conditions on testing performance: accountability, staffing, program structure, finances, and equipment & services. We summarized the qualitative data into case studies for each of the 26 institutions and then used the case studies to score the institutions against the conditions captured in WaterCaRD. Subsequently, we applied fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) to compare these scores against performance outcomes for water quality testing. We defined the performance outcomes as the proportion of testing Targets Achieved (outcome 1) and Testing Consistency (outcome 2) based on the monthly number of microbial water quality tests conducted by each institution. Our analysis identified motivation & leadership, knowledge, staff retention, and transport as institutional conditions that were necessary for achieving monitoring targets. In addition, equipment, procurement, infrastructure, and enforcement contributed to the pathways that resulted in strong monitoring performance.
Conclusions:
Our identification of institutional commitment, comprising motivation & leadership, knowledge, and staff retention, as a key driver of monitoring performance was not surprising: in weak regulatory environments, individuals and their motivations take-on greater importance in determining institutional and programmatic outcomes. Nevertheless, efforts to build data collection capacity in low-resource settings largely focus on supply-side interventions: the provision of infrastructure, equipment, and training sessions. Our results indicate that these interventions will continue to have limited long-term impacts and sustainability without complementary strategies for motivating or incentivizing water supply and surveillance agency managers to achieve testing goals. More broadly, our research demonstrates both an experimental approach for diagnosing the systems that underlie service provision and an analytical strategy for identifying appropriate interventions.
Water quality testing is critical for guiding water safety management and ensuring public health. In many settings, however, water suppliers and surveillance agencies do not meet regulatory requirements for testing frequencies. This study examines the conditions that promote successful water quality monitoring in Africa, with the goal of providing evidence for strengthening regulated water quality testing programs.
Methods and findings:
We compared monitoring programs among 26 regulated water suppliers and surveillance agencies across six African countries. These institutions submitted monthly water quality testing results over 18 months. We also collected qualitative data on the conditions that influenced testing performance via approximately 821 h of semi-structured interviews and observations. Based on our qualitative data, we developed the Water Capacity Rating Diagnostic (WaterCaRD) to establish a scoring framework for evaluating the effects of the following conditions on testing performance: accountability, staffing, program structure, finances, and equipment & services. We summarized the qualitative data into case studies for each of the 26 institutions and then used the case studies to score the institutions against the conditions captured in WaterCaRD. Subsequently, we applied fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) to compare these scores against performance outcomes for water quality testing. We defined the performance outcomes as the proportion of testing Targets Achieved (outcome 1) and Testing Consistency (outcome 2) based on the monthly number of microbial water quality tests conducted by each institution. Our analysis identified motivation & leadership, knowledge, staff retention, and transport as institutional conditions that were necessary for achieving monitoring targets. In addition, equipment, procurement, infrastructure, and enforcement contributed to the pathways that resulted in strong monitoring performance.
Conclusions:
Our identification of institutional commitment, comprising motivation & leadership, knowledge, and staff retention, as a key driver of monitoring performance was not surprising: in weak regulatory environments, individuals and their motivations take-on greater importance in determining institutional and programmatic outcomes. Nevertheless, efforts to build data collection capacity in low-resource settings largely focus on supply-side interventions: the provision of infrastructure, equipment, and training sessions. Our results indicate that these interventions will continue to have limited long-term impacts and sustainability without complementary strategies for motivating or incentivizing water supply and surveillance agency managers to achieve testing goals. More broadly, our research demonstrates both an experimental approach for diagnosing the systems that underlie service provision and an analytical strategy for identifying appropriate interventions.
3 Acey, C.; Kisiangani, J.; Ronoh, P.; Delaire, C.; Makena, E.; Norman, G.; Levine, D.; Khush, R.; Peletz, R. 2019. Cross-subsidies for improved sanitation in low income settlements: assessing the willingness to pay of water utility customers in Kenyan cities. World Development, 115:160-177. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2018.11.006]
Water supply ; Willingness to pay ; Low income groups ; Sanitation ; Water users ; Urban areas ; Financing ; User charges ; Subsidies ; Contingent valuation ; Stakeholders ; Socioeconomic environment ; Econometric models / Kenya
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049152)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X18304108/pdfft?md5=7a01086b63257e4fa7068d76e5874750&pid=1-s2.0-S0305750X18304108-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049152.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049152.pdf
(1.08 MB) (1.08 MB)
Most residents of the developing world do not have access to safely managed sanitation services, and large financial investments are required to address this need. Here we evaluate surcharges on water/sewerage tariffs as an option for supporting these investments in low-income neighborhoods. We investigated willingness-to-pay (WTP) for a pro-poor sanitation surcharge among customers of two urban water utilities in Kenya. Applying qualitative and quantitative methods, we conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews, focus-group discussions, and a double-bounded contingent valuation method for measuring WTP. We varied scenarios quasi-experimentally to study the effects of messaging and surcharge characteristics and evaluated factors associated with WTP. Our study finds that mean WTP was 290 KES (USD 2.9) per month, about 8% of the average water bill; median WTP was 100 KES (USD 1). In a multivariate analysis, WTP was significantly higher among customers that were younger, wealthier, shared toilets, and had higher water bills. WTP was also higher among customers that trusted the utility and distrusted the county government. Of our randomized scenarios, only the bill type was found to significantly influence WTP; WTP was higher if the surcharge was presented as a proportion of the customers’ last water bill vs a flat amount. Our findings suggest that in a sector that struggles to provide universal access to sanitation services, cross-subsidies may offer a means to support financing of safe sanitation for low-income households. These results indicate there are opportunities for cross-subsidies in urban Kenya that may be relevant for a wider understanding of surcharge payments that support basic services for low-income citizens.
4 Marshall, K.; Setty, K.; Mutegeki, A.; Peletz, R.; Khush, R.; Delaire, C. 2023. Water funds within village savings and loans associations: a promising solution to improve water user fee collection in rural Uganda. PLOS Water, 2(8):e0000159. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pwat.0000159]
Water users ; Water resources ; Funding ; Loans ; Villages ; Rural communities ; Water supply ; Social capital ; Sustainability ; Models ; Policies ; Water supply ; Local government ; Community development / Uganda / Kabarole
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052289)
https://journals.plos.org/water/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pwat.0000159&type=printable
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052289.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052289.pdf
(1.22 MB) (1.22 MB)
Without a functional revenue collection mechanism, rural communities in low-income countries cannot maintain or repair broken water supply infrastructure, such as groundwater wells equipped with handpumps. One approach to promote regular water user payments shifts responsibilities for fee collection from volunteer committees to village savings and loans associations (VSLAs; self-governed investment groups that follow strong accountability practices). We piloted this approach among 10 communities in Kabarole district, Uganda, and evaluated financial outcomes over two years. Qualitative interviews with 249 respondents helped identify drivers of performance and challenges. VSLAs contributed 47–221 USD annually (first-year median: 134 USD, second-year median: 112 USD) for water point upkeep (achieving 45–117% of target amounts). This revenue represented a considerable improvement over the prior scenario where communities had no reserve funds for water point maintenance. Financial transparency and increased social capital appeared to enhance collective efficacy and increase user fee collection. We identified two main threats to VSLA sustainability: perceived unfairness stemming from some water point users not joining the VSLA and the risk of water funds being loaned out if they remained unspent for too long. Coupling the VSLA model with professional handpump maintenance services could help ensure improved long-term water point functionality.
Powered by DB/Text WebPublisher, from
