Assessing the Impacts of Relative Wealth and Geospatial Factors on Water Access in Rural Nepal: A Community Case Study

Abstract

As one of the poorest nations, citizens of Nepal lack access to safe, affordable, and sufficient drinking water. While many nationwide studies have been performed at a country or regional level in Nepal to determine regions of the highest vulnerability, this study uniquely recognizes the economic heterogeneity within a single rural village and assesses the impact of household socioeconomic status on water access at the intracommunity level. Household surveys in a rural village setting provided the information for a locally-informed relative wealth index. A spatial analysis determined suitable locations for future installation of improved water sources to prioritize water access for the community’s most vulnerable households. Three sites were shown to be optimal for future water source construction. This study provides a blueprint to assess water inequalities within a single village and incorporate forward-thinking development approaches to water access.

Prevalence and Correlates of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) and Spatial Distribution of Unimproved WASH in Nepal

“…This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and correlation of household levels of WASH, including the identification of areas where WASH facilities are unimproved in Nepal. There are a few studies related to WASH that have been performed in Nepal [ 1 , 11 , 16 , 17 , 31 ]. However, there is a lack of studies measuring each WASH component, such as access to a source of water, toilet facilities, availability of soap, water, and fixed places for handwashing, in Nepal, including spatial analysis.…”

An Evaluation of Water Quality and Accessibility in Nepal: A Study of Three Areas: Kaski, Terai, and Kathmandu

“…Due to the direct use of water and in many cases non-existent sanitation methods, inhabitants of villages and rural settlements face a variety of health-related complications. In the literature, specific diseases were observed to correlate directly with the degraded water quality that existed in Nepal's rural water bodies (Thakur, Neupane, and Mohanan, 2017;Shrestha et al, 2013;Panthi et al, 2019;Tandukar et al, 2013;Regmi et al, 2004;Islam et al, 2020). High traces of E. Coli were detected through water quality tests conducted by Shrestha et al (2013), Tandukar et al, (2013), and Gubhaju, Streatfield, & Majumder (1991).…”

“…Thakur et al, (2017) contrasted these studies by remarking that even pipe water was unreliable in the city, especially in the dry months of September to April. Rural area related health complications were noted by scholars as diarrhea being one of the main resultants of drinking contaminated water in urban areas (Shrestha et al, 2013;Islam et al, 2020). Thakur et al, (2017) and Sharma et al, (2010) further noted that anthropogenic activities such as dumping factory waste and personal waste disposal were some of the contributors to degraded water quality in the city.…”

“…This would coincide with Tandukar et al, (2013), Pandey (2021), andShrestha et al, (2013) findings of health complications in individuals who depend on non-city infrastructure for their agricultural and personal needs. However, it must be noted that there is a lack of literature covering the direct impacts of waterborne illnesses in the urban areas of Nepal while studies conducted in rural villages and rural districts are abundant in geography academia (Wang et al, 2019;Gubhaju et al, 1991;Regmi et al, 2004;Islam et al, 2020). Specifically, Islam et al, (2020), andGubhaju et al, (1991) found direct correlations between water sources and infant health.…”

“…Wang et al (2019) go as far as to state "contrary to expectations, Nepal is one of the most water insecure countries in the region despite being one of the richest in terms of per capita renewable water availability in Asia" (Wang et al, 2019 pg.1). Regarding overall accessibility, Islam et al (2020) note that the World Health Organization's (WHO) latest edition of Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality mentions the current standard of adequate water access should be a thirty-minute round trip (or fifteen-minute trip one-way) to a water source and Nepal fails to meet this standard. Thus, previous literature has already recognized that inadequate water access and degraded water quality is a prevalent issue faced by the Nepalese people.…”