Academic literature on the topic 'Water-supply, Rural – Ethiopia'

Access to safe drinking water supply in Ethiopia is among the lowest in sub-Saharan Africa. While both governmental and non-governmental organizations have implemented water supply projects in recent years, many fail shortly after construction due to improper management. In this paper, we examine socio-economic, institutional and exogenous factors affecting household participation in the management of water supply systems for drinking purposes. A survey was carried out involving 16 water supply systems and 160 households within the Achefer area, in the Amhara region, Ethiopia. The results show that household contributions to water supply system management are positively and significantly affected by user participation during the project design and implementation, by advocacy provided by the project and by greater household income. Thus, for drinking water systems in rural areas to be sustainable, these factors should be included when planning water supply projects.

Abstract Access to safe drinking water is essential to healthy living. Thus, investment in rural drinking water points is increasing in Ethiopia. However, little is known about user satisfaction with rural drinking water points. Therefore, this study was undertaken to investigate determinants of the user's satisfaction with rural drinking water points in Ethiopia by considering Woliso District (Woreda) as a case study. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered with 211 randomly selected households from six rural Kebeles (administrative areas), which were selected using a stratified sampling technique. Focus group discussions (FGD) and key interviews (KI) were also held along with observation. The quantitative data were analysed through descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression. The qualitative data were used to augment the results from the regression analysis. The results revealed that location of the water point, availability of guards, queueing time, service reliability, and distance significantly influence the satisfaction of users. Therefore, these significant factors should be addressed when planning water supply projects.

Abstract With rising coverage figures and the advent of the Sustainable Development Goals, there is increasing attention given to assessing and monitoring the sustainability of water services. Previous efforts in the rural water supply sector have included the development of sustainability checks, while in the urban water supply sector, benchmarking of water services and the performance of utilities has become common practice. This paper argues that neither rural sustainability checks, nor urban benchmarking frameworks, are entirely suitable for monitoring small town water services. It presents a framework specifically developed and applied for assessing and monitoring small town water services. Application of the framework in seven small towns in Ethiopia shows significant discrepancies between the ideal and actual situations. It reveals specific challenges related to sustainable small town water service provision, including capacity at service provider (utility) level, asset management and regulation. The costs of sustainability checks and prospects for uptake as project and wider sector tools are discussed.

This study examines the patterns, trends, and factors associated with functional community water points in rural Ethiopia and identifies potential areas of improvement in terms of practitioner response to functionality and functionality monitoring. It was part of an integrated WaSH and nutrition program implemented by UNICEF Ethiopia and the Government of Ethiopia. Cross-sectional surveys were conducted to collect WaSH-related data in communities and WaSH committees from four community-based nutrition (CBN) program groupings in Ethiopia. In all areas, CBN was implemented, but only in less than half of the areas, a WaSH intervention was implemented. Seventy-three representative kebeles, comprising 30 intervention and 43 control communities, were surveyed. Two structured surveys were conducted. The ‘community survey’ addressed community water points and their functionality and the main areas for improvement needed. The ‘WaSH committee survey’ investigated technical and management aspects of water points and their functionality. Data were analyzed using bivariate regression to identify community characteristics and management practices associated with functionality of water points and explore opportunities to improve water point functionality and monitoring. In the communities, 65% of water points were functional. Eighty percent of communities had a WaSH committee. The WaSH committee members reported that the most used water point types were protected dug wells and boreholes, and that 80% of their water points were functional. India Mark II pumps were more likely to be functional and communities with longer established WaSH committees had higher water point functionality. Communities suggested that the key factors for water point sustainability were improving water quality and water pressure, reducing water collection time, and speeding up repair times. Taking community leaders’ ‘priority lists’ into consideration offers sustainable opportunities for demand-driven, adaptive and targeted design and implementation of rural water supply programs, which, if they include the grassroots level as key informants and actors of change, can succeed. Interventions should integrate the ‘voice’ of the community, the WaSH committees, and other stakeholders and thereby facilitate transdisciplinary approaches at different stages of program management (planning, monitoring, and evaluation). This would help closing the knowledge to action gap and improve policy, programming, practice, and service delivery.

Significant efforts to improve water supply and sanitation (WS&S) in Ethiopia have been made over the past decade, yet it is unclear how progress has affected different segments of the population. This study used data from Ethiopia's Demographic and Health Survey (2000, 2005, and 2011) to assess trends in: 1) access to improved water supplies; 2) use of improved sanitation; 3) use of untreated surface water as a primary source for drinking water; 4) open defecation; and 5) water transport times greater than 30 minutes. Trends were assessed by urban/rural residence, administrative region and education. The study found increases in access to improved water supplies and reductions in open defecation; however, no progress was observed in the use of improved sanitation. Rural households that reported drinking untreated surface water went from nearly one-third in 2000 to one-fifth in 2011. No improvements were found regarding the reported time spent collecting water. Inequities in WS&S remained high across the country, highlighting the need to focus on these differences and target resources towards sub-populations that lack this fundamental necessity.

Abstract Water is a fundamental element essential for life and health. However, more than 33.3% of rural water services in Ethiopia are not functioning and hence sustainability of rural drinking water points in the country is under question. With this in mind, this study was undertaken to investigate the factors that affect the operational sustainability of rural drinking water points in Woliso woreda, Ethiopia. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to a randomly selected 211 households from six rural Kebeles, which were selected using stratified sampling technique. Focus group discussions and key interviews were also held along with observation. The quantitative data were analysed through descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression. The qualitative data were used to augment the results from the regression analysis. The results revealed that water service fee, willingness to pay, occurrence of conflict in the water points, monitoring by water user committees, willingness to sustain service, users' participation in the water point construction, satisfaction with the water point service, perception on the possibility of contamination, and training on maintenance are found to be significant factors that affect the operational sustainability of rural drinking water points. Therefore, these significant factors should be sufficiently addressed when planning water supply projects.