Geography matters for sanitation! Spatial heterogeneity of the district‐level correlates of open defecation in India

Abstract

This paper quantitatively analyzes the spatial heterogeneity of district-level correlates of open defecation in rural India. We employ standard non-spatial regression, spatially explicit regressions and multi-scale geographically weighted regression to compare the stability of measurable correlates of open defecation across these different methods as well as across analyzed spatial units. Attributes like ownership of household assets, drinking water inaccessibility and prevalent literacy rates were identified as the most stable district-level correlates of open defecation. Our results also demonstrated the relevance of our hypotheses about (a) possible negative sanitation externalities stemming from the co-concentration of Scheduled Caste communities and other communities in densely populated rural districts, and (b) possible positive sanitation externalities stemming from the co-concentration of Muslim and non-Muslim communities in densely populated districts. Overall, however, our analyses demonstrate notable spatial clustering and significant spatial nonstationarity of examined variables. Therefore, in our opinion, research findings that ignore spatial heterogeneity of sanitation drivers provide incomplete information for policy development and implementation.

Unveiling the spatial divide in open defecation practices across India: an application of spatial regression and Fairlie decomposition model

“…There is a substantial body of literature on the regional, HH and individual determinants of OD practices in India, while studies that focus on the spatial heterogeneity and predictors of OD using district-level data are limited. Most studies that have used spatial measures in India have attempted to contextualise the geographical clustering of water, sanitation and hand washing practices using composite indices23–25 and have explored the spatial heterogeneity of OD practices in northern India 17 26. However, the factors accountable for the spatial disparity in OD practice in India remain unanswered 17 23–26.…”

“…Most studies that have used spatial measures in India have attempted to contextualise the geographical clustering of water, sanitation and hand washing practices using composite indices23–25 and have explored the spatial heterogeneity of OD practices in northern India 17 26. However, the factors accountable for the spatial disparity in OD practice in India remain unanswered 17 23–26. Additionally, the substantial regional gap in OD practices between the north and south of India is well documented,16 18 26 but the factors contributing to this north-south divide remain unexplored.…”

“…However, the factors accountable for the spatial disparity in OD practice in India remain unanswered 17 23–26. Additionally, the substantial regional gap in OD practices between the north and south of India is well documented,16 18 26 but the factors contributing to this north-south divide remain unexplored. Therefore, the present study aims to fill the existing research gap by contextualising the spatial heterogeneity of OD practices in India.…”

Household-level sanitation in Ethiopia and its influencing factors: a systematic review

“…Although informative, it is argued that the focus on interventions’ effectiveness may not be enough to fully understand how complex context-sensitive sanitation conditions evolve [ 10 – 13 ]. Thus far, factors that are potentially important for sanitation outcomes have been viewed through conceptual frameworks such as the IBM-WASH [ 14 ] or the RANAS model [ 15 ].…”