This article proposes a new pricing mechanism for ‘water ATMs’, made possible with pre-payment and remote sensing, where prices adjust during rainy seasons to incentivise the continued use of clean water sources. The authors estimate cost per capita and cost per disability-adjusted life year averted, resulting in values which compare favourably with other water quality interventions.
Published Article
Modular, adaptive, and decentralised water infrastructure: promises and perils for water justice
This review summarises emerging realities for water insecurity in an era of disruption, and new developments that the authors call modular, adaptive, and decentralised (MAD) water infrastructure. These decentralised models require a justice-oriented framework to unlock the promise of sustainable access to safe, reliable, affordable water supply for a more mobile, just, and resilient world.
Negotiating spaces of marginality and independence: On women entrepreneurs within Ethiopian urbanization and water precarity
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).
July–September rainfall in the Greater Horn of Africa: the combined influence of the Mascarene and South Atlantic highs
This climate dynamics research article investigates the relative influences of the Mascarene and South Atlantic highs on July-September rainfall, a key component of Ethiopia’s annual rainfall and source of variability. A covarying region in the Greater Horn of Africa is analysed using CHIRPS observed rainfall and the ERA5 reanalysis.
Piped water revenue and investment strategies in rural Africa
This article examines how water service delivery approaches impact revenue generated by user payments, and how infrastructure investment strategies can promote revenue and equity goals for rural piped water services.
Soil moisture spatio‑temporal variability under treated and untreated catchment conditions in a fragile tropical highland environment: implication for water security
This research article presents soil moisture variability as influenced by catchment management in the Blue Nile Highlands, Ethiopia. The authors show that improved catchment management can play a critical role in improving agricultural water security in rainfed systems by improving soil moisture availability and storage.
Identifying the Sources of Intestinal Colonization With Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase-Producing Escherichia coli in Healthy Infants in the Community
This study aimed to identify the sources of ESBL-Ec colonization in children < 1 year old through comparative analysis of E. coli isolates from child stool, child’s mother stool, and point-of-use drinking water from 46 rural households in Bangladesh. Interventions such as improved hygiene practices and a safe drinking water supply may help reduce the transmission of ESBL-Ec at the household level.
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.
Assessing the effect of sustainable land management on improving water security in the Blue Nile Highlands: a paired catchment approach
This paper investigates the use of sustainable land management (SLM) practices over a 5 year catchment restoration effort in the Blue Nile Highlands, Ethiopia, analysing run off and soil moisture dynamics. It finds SLM interventions are capable of restoring natural hydrological functionality, and reducing nonproductive freshwater losses.
