This research article analyses how women strive for and negotiate their independence through spatiality, and how services, specifically water, affect their ability to develop their business spaces. Using evidence from five studies conducted in the small town of Wukro, Ethiopia, the paper suggests water struggles should be analysed not only through the evaluation of water shortages and unequal geographical sectorization but also through the perspective of ‘water precarity’ (Sultana, 2020).
Inequalities
The unequal distribution of water risks and adaptation benefits in coastal Bangladesh
This article uses a stochastic-optimization model to simulate the impact of flood embankment investments on the distribution of agricultural incomes in coastal Bangladesh. The authors find that the risk of crop loss is greatest for the poor, and make the case for planning models to consider interacting benefits and risks within a local political economy to better inform coastal adaptation decisions.
(Re-)orienting the Concept of Water Risk to Better Understand Inequities in Water Security
This research article presents a theoretical framework for embedding water risk in equitable water security considerations, based on analysis of lived water experiences and hyrdosocial drivers in the Awash River basin in Ethiopia.
Sustainable land management, gender, and agricultural productivity
This IFPRI-REACH policy note summarises the results from a study of six learning watersheds in Central and North-Eastern Ethiopia, particularly the gendered differences in the adoption of and investment in sustainable land management practices.
Who does what and why? Examining intra-household water and sanitation decisionmaking and autonomy in Asutifi North, Ghana
This article examines two important aspects of decision-making around WASH: motivations behind a person’s actions, and the extent to which decisions are perceived to be solely or jointly made.
‘They will listen to women who speak but it ends there’: examining empowerment in the context of water and sanitation interventions in Ghana
This study explores the meanings of women’s empowerment in the WASH sector from the perspective of local stakeholders in the Asutifi North District, Ghana.
River pollution and social inequalities in Dhaka, Bangladesh
This study seeks to understand the socio-spatial and seasonal inequalities in pollution risks in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The authors designed a direct observation method to record people’s daily river use activities across dry and wet seasons, complemented by monthly monitoring of river water quality, heavy metal and biotoxicity assessment a large-scale household survey along a 25km stretch of the Turag River and Tongi Khal in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Engaging with the politics of climate resilience towards clean water and sanitation for all
In this article, world-leading water specialists from academic and practitioner communities reflect on, and share examples of, the importance of keeping people and politics at the centre of work on climate resilient water security.
Exploring water access in rural Kenya: narratives of social capital, gender inequalities and household water security in Kitui county
This study uses qualitative methods to examine how values embedded in social capital enable women and vulnerable groups in Kenya’s Kitui County, to cope with household water insecurity.
Report on findings from the Awash River basin
This report provides an update on REACH’s work in the Awash Basin up to November 2020, and introduces our programme of research from 2020-2024.
