The study conducted in rural Bangladesh highlights the significance of fecal contamination in deep tubewell water and the effectiveness of cleaning wells with a low-cost weak chlorine solution to improve water quality. Current local maintenance practices are found to be ineffective, emphasizing the need for improved cleaning and maintenance practices to enhance access to safe drinking water. The research suggests that disinfection of tubewells with chlorine reduces or eliminates contamination, indicating that the source of fecal contamination is likely not the groundwater source. Further research is recommended to understand the mechanisms of contamination introduction and to explore interventions for enhancing cleaning and maintenance practices. The study was funded by the Swedish Research Council Formas and conducted in collaboration with NGO Forum for Public Health in Bangladesh.
Author(s): Md. HabibA, Hasan; Cocciolo , Serena; Md. Haque, Abdul; Md. Raihan, Mir Abu; Bhattacharya, Prosun; Anna, Tompsett
Published: 2023
Language: English
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Additional Information
Sustained functionality of rural water systems is a global challenge. Research on factors contributing to rural water system functionality is largely restricted to hand pumps from single geographies. We analyzed monitoring data from 10 drinking water supply programs in nine sub-Saharan African and South Asian countries collected between 2017 and 2020. Data included 1,805 randomly selected water points (tap stands, spring protections, rainwater collection, and boreholes and hand-dug wells with hand pumps) from two cross-sectional samples: older construction (1–12 years old) and new construction (<1 year). Data collection included observations of water point functionality (“water available”) and management committee questionnaires. Overall, 79% of older construction and 92% of new construction water points were functional. In a mixed effects logistic regression to identify factors contributing to functionality within the older construction sample, piped water tap stands had lower odds of functioning than boreholes with hand pumps (OR = 0.26, 95% CI:0.15–0.46). Water points in communities with fewer available water points, those with operational water management committees (which meet often, collect fees, and can name someone for maintenance), and those with financial savings were associated with higher functionality. As piped water system provision increases in line with international development goals, our results suggest that the benefits of providing higher levels of water service should be carefully considered alongside the technological, institutional, and financial investment required to operate and maintain more complex piped water systems in rural settings.