This policy brief is based on 10 years of research in Kitui County, Kenya, supported by the REACH programme, the USAID Sustainable WASH Systems Learning Partnership, UNICEF, ESRC and UKAID. It finds the investment case for professionalized maintenance of drinking water infrastructure becomes compelling when factoring in wider social and economic returns.
Research theme
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.
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.
Legal and policy change to promote sustainable WASH services in Kitui County, Kenya
This report outlines water policy development in Kitui County, Kenya, over the past 10 years. The key contributions of the Kitui Water Bill and Policy are detailed, as well as three core recommendations to continue moving towards sustainable WASH services.
Fear, Efficacy, and Environmental Health Risk Reporting: Complex Responses to Water Quality Test Results in Low-Income Communities
This paper investigates how water quality information influences water safety management in rural Kenya. The authors find that while poverty threatscapes and gender norms hinder behaviour change, test results can motivate supply-level managers to implement hazard control measures.
Infrastructure alone cannot ensure resilience to weather events in drinking water supplies
The paper presents a novel multi-country empirical study measuring weather impact on water quality. Results show that weather-related shocks affect drinking water quality and health, requiring strengthened climate resilience that addresses management and infrastructure.
Invited perspective: Beyond National Water Quality Surveys: Improving Water Quality Surveillance to Achieve Safe Drinking Water for All (Sustainable Development Goal 6.1)
This perspective summarises a recent paper from the Joint Monitoring Program team (Bain et al. 2021), and recommends three key areas for capacity strengthening to advance water safety toward achieving SDG 6.1: better information through risk-based monitoring, improved institutional clarity on roles and responsibilities, and more investment in mainstream water safety planning.
Drinking Water Quality in Bangladesh | 2021 Updates
This report shares key findings from the Bangladesh Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2019: Water Quality Thematic Report, based on water quality testing and survey carried out in 2019 by Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics in collaboration with UNICEF and icddr,b.
