Water withdrawals around the world have increased almost twice as fast as the population during the last century. Higher than expected water demand is leading to water scarcity and causing rapid depletion of water tables around the world. One reason behind the higher than expected demand is the inefficient use of water. Inefficient use of water affects the well-being of society, the economic stability of countries, and environmental health. Indeed, water use efficiency (WUE) is one of the pillars of sustainable development goals (SDG 6.4.1). However, progress toward achieving WUE is slow, especially for many developing countries where the degradation of natural resources is critical, economic growth is slow, and there are few strong institutions to coordinate actions. One reason behind inefficient water use is human behavior. A variety of contextual and psychological factors underlie the behavior. The contextual factors include socioeconomic, technical, institutional, and environmental factors and the behavioral factors include factors associated with the perception of risk, attitudes, norms, etc. Yet, few studies consider an integrated view of these factors in shaping water use behavior. This paper consolidates contextual and behavioral factors which influence water use, studies the gaps in our understanding of human water behavior underlying WUE and highlights the need to comprehensive assess and consistently measure such factors and their relationships. Based on the gaps identified, it proposes a conceptual model that connects contextual and behavioral factors and represents potential cause-effect relationships as supported by various environmental behavior approaches and psychological theories. Based on the literature review of water use, and conservation behavior, environmental psychology, and water use models, this model proposes an institutional factor to assess the relationship between institutions and stakeholders, and study contextual factors linked not only for individual water users but also studying these factors for individuals of water supply organizations.

<p><strong> </strong>Diana Carolina Callejas Moncaleano<sup>a</sup> , Saket Pande<sup>a</sup> and Luuk Rietveld<sup>a</sup></p><p><sup>d.c.callejasmoncaleano-1@tudelft.nl</sup><sup>; </sup><sup>s.pande@tudelft.nl</sup><sup>; l.c.rietveld@tudelft.nl</sup></p><p><sup>a</sup>Delft University of Technology, Department of Water Management, the Netherlands</p><p>Keywords:</p><p>Water use efficiency</p><p>Human behaviour</p><p>Contextual and psychological factors</p><p>Every day a large amount of water is extracted from inland surface (rivers, lakes, wetlands, reservoirs) and aquifers for agriculture, domestic, electricity, and industrial purposes. In semi-arid and arid regions, high water demand can lead water scarcity, and in other areas causes rapid depletion of water tables. One reason behind the over extractions and higher demand is the inefficient use of water</p><p>Water use efficiency has been a matter of concern to diverse scholars, water managers, and policymakers, as it affects the well-being of society and the economic growth of countries. In many countries, it becomes a priority policy; indeed, increasing water use efficiency is one of the pillars of sustainable development goals (SDG 6.4.1.).However, the slow progress of water efficiency remains, due to the water demand is likely to rise still higher, especially for many developing countries where the degradation of natural resources is critical, economic growth is slow, and there are not strong institutions for coordinate actions. </p><p>Across the spectrum of water users, there are a variety of contextual and psychological factors behind water use inefficiency. Researchers have identified the importance of associated these factors in influencing user's behaviour. The contextual factors investigated are social, economic, environmental, and institutional, and assessments focus on study causes of the water inefficiency, and what are the perceptions and attitudes of water users to adopt water-saving practices, and regulations.  Yet, none of these studies consider a holistic view of these factors in shaping water use behaviour.</p><p>The understanding of water inefficiency requires, firstly exploration of connections between factors. Second, understanding how these influence the human behaviour of stakeholders and the decisions that they make as water users or water managers. A comprehensive assessment of these factors and their relationships is needed to provide insights on the causalities of over-extraction, the interdependence between stakeholders, and water use inefficiency. In this regard, a holistic view of a framework that incorporates the effects of know-how, linkages between stakeholders, such as water users, water managers, and institutions on water use efficiency, is absent.</p><p>This paper aims to study the gaps in our understanding of human water behaviour underlying water use efficiency from socio-cultural, economic, psychological, and institutional factors. This research proposes a conceptual model that connects contextual and behavioural factors and represents the prior causal- effect relationships between water users and institutions.</p><p> </p>

<p>In developing countries, such as Colombia, the majority of the rural water supply systems (RWSS) emerge from the water needs of the community, in order to transit from manual water collection to piped systems. The communities usually construct their water supply system and assume the responsibility of the system. How big these system grow and how well these are maintained are key to how well these systems serve its communities. This paper explores whether the scale of a system, i.e. the size of the system and the number of water users, is an emergent property of the human-water system and that the maintenance of a RWSS depends on this emergent property. Key questions addressed here are: what factors control the scale of a system and how these factors affect the maintenance of the system.</p><p>Eight RWS systems located in the rural area of two municipalities, Restrepo and the rural area of Cali in the Valle del Cauca province in Colombia, are investigated to compare and contrast the systems and associated factors such as location, occupation and income distributions of the communities. Nearly 900 households representing the population are surveyed. Even though the RWSS are located in the same region, water use efficiencies (indicator of system maintenance) are different from one system to another.</p><p>Rarely, the distance from the RWSS to urban areas is considered to analyse how well a system is maintained. The results highlight that the locations of the systems, dominant occupation and income levels, as a result,  of the communities play an important role because it determines the surplus that communities are able to muster to maintain as well as grow the systems. The surplus is less in remote areas compared to those close to the peri-urban areas while the maintenance costs are similar. As a result, factors are identified that affect the scale and water use efficiency of the studied RWSS in the Valle del Cauca province in Colombia.</p>