This article explores the history and evolution of drinking water risk in Bangladesh through the construction and interpretation of risk narratives in the media. The author reviews an inventory of 3,211 drinking water specific articles published by the Ittefaqnewspaper between 1980 and 2016.
Published Article
Fecal Colonization With Multidrug-Resistant E. coli Among Healthy Infants in Rural Bangladesh
The overuse of third generation cephalosporins (3GC) antibiotics, is causing increased antiobiotic resistance in developing countries. In this article, the authors describe fecal colonization of 3GC-resistant E-coli in healthy infants living in rural areas of Bangladesh.
On considering climate resilience in urban water security: A review of the vulnerability of the urban poor in sub-Saharan Africa
This paper reviews literature on the vulnerability of the urban poor to floods, droughts, and cholera in Sub-Saharan Africa. It highlights the structural challenges and systemic inequalities that are increasing the vulnerability of the urban poor including the differential experiences of women and children.
Constraints and solutions for groundwater development, supply and governance in urban areas in Kenya
This paper presents a conceptual framework addressing groundwater governance and management issues to promote water security for the poor in Kenya’s urban areas. The approach is flexible, scalable, transferrable, can be monitored using set indicators and is thus directly relevant to practitioners and policy makers working towards the development of holistic and effective solutions for groundwater development, supply, and governance.
Climate Change Impact on Water Resources in the Awash Basin, Ethiopia
In this paper published in Water MDPI, the authors aim to understand the impact of climate change on water resources of the Awash Basin, using three climate models from Coupled Models Inter-comparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5) and for three future periods (2006–2030, 2031–2055, and 2056–2080).
Finding sustainable water futures in data-sparse regions under climate change: Insights from the Turkwel River basin, Kenya
Kenya’s Turkwel river basin experiences a high level of water scarcity due to its arid climate, high rainfall variability and rapidly growing water demand. In this paper, a novel decision-scaling approach was applied to model the response of the Turkwel river basin’s water resources system to growing demand and climate stressors.
Restoring water quality in the polluted Turag-Tongi-Balu river system, Dhaka: Modelling nutrient and total coliform intervention strategies
The authors undertook a baseline survey of water chemistry and pathogens in Dhaka’s Turag-Tongi-Balu River System.
Assessing the Impact of a Risk-Based Intervention on Piped Water Quality in Rural Communities: The Case of Mid-Western Nepal
In this journal article, the authors assess the effectiveness of a risk-based strategy to improve drinking water safety for five gravity-fed piped schemes in rural communities of the Mid-Western Region of Nepal. The strategy is based on establishing community-led monitoring of the microbial water quality and the sanitary status of the schemes.
A cultural theory of drinking water risks, values and institutional change
In this article published in Global Environmental Change, the authors apply Mary Douglas’ cultural theory to rural waterpoint management and discuss its operationalisation in pluralist arrangements through networking different management cultures at scale. The theory is tested in coastal Kenya, drawing on findings from a longitudinal study of 3500 households.
The water diary method – proof-of-concept and policy implications for monitoring water use behaviour in rural Kenya
The water diaries method consists of collecting comprehensive evidence on daily sources, uses, cost and sufficiency of water, along with weekly household expenditures. In this paper, published in Water Policy, the authors pilot the water diaries method in Kitui, Kenya and evaluate its measurement, internal and external validity.
