Risk factors associated with rural water supply failure: A 30-year retrospective study of handpumps on the south coast of Kenya

Foster, T; Willetts, J; Lane, M; Thomson, P; Katuva, J; Hope, R

Risk factors associated with rural water supply failure: A 30-year retrospective study of handpumps on the south coast of Kenya

Foster, T

Willetts, J

Lane, M Thomson, P Katuva, J Hope, R

Permalink

Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Science of the Total Environment, 2018, 626 pp. 156 - 164
Issue Date:: 2018-06-01

Closed Access

	Filename	Description	Size
	1-s2.0-S0048969717337324-main.pdf	Published Version	1.42 MB	Adobe PDF	View/Open

Copyright Clearance Process

Recently Added
In Progress
Closed Access

This item is closed access and not available.

Full metadata record

Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Foster, T https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1738-3450	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Willetts, J https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3975-9642	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Lane, M	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Thomson, P	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Katuva, J	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Hope, R	en_US
dc.date.available	2017-12-25	en_US
dc.date.issued	2018-06-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Science of the Total Environment, 2018, 626 pp. 156 - 164	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	0048-9697	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/131645
dc.description.abstract	© 2018 Elsevier B.V. An improved understanding of failure risks for water supplies in rural sub-Saharan Africa will be critical to achieving the global goal of safe water for all by 2030. In the absence of longitudinal biophysical and operational data, investigations into water point failure risk factors have to date been limited to cross-sectional research designs. This retrospective cohort study applies survival analysis to identify factors that predict failure risks for handpumps installed on boreholes along the south coast of Kenya from the 1980s. The analysis is based on a unique dataset linking attributes of > 300 water points at the time of installation with their operational lifespan over the following decades. Cox proportional hazards and accelerated failure time models suggest infrastructure failure risks are higher and lifespans are shorter when water supplied is more saline, static water level is deeper, and groundwater is pumped from an unconsolidated sand aquifer. Water point failure risks also appear to grow as distance to spare part suppliers increases. To bolster the sustainability of rural water services and ensure no community is left behind, post-construction support mechanisms will need to mitigate heterogeneous environmental and geographical challenges. Further studies are needed to better understand the causal pathways that underlie these risk factors in order to inform policies and practices that ensure water services are sustained even where unfavourable conditions prevail.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Science of the Total Environment	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.12.302	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Environmental Sciences	en_US
dc.title	Risk factors associated with rural water supply failure: A 30-year retrospective study of handpumps on the south coast of Kenya	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	626	en_US
utslib.for	0502 Environmental Science and Management	en_US
utslib.for	1604 Human Geography	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/DVC (Research)
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/DVC (Research)/Institute For Sustainable Futures
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - ISF - Institute for Sustainable Futures
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	626	en_US

Abstract:

© 2018 Elsevier B.V. An improved understanding of failure risks for water supplies in rural sub-Saharan Africa will be critical to achieving the global goal of safe water for all by 2030. In the absence of longitudinal biophysical and operational data, investigations into water point failure risk factors have to date been limited to cross-sectional research designs. This retrospective cohort study applies survival analysis to identify factors that predict failure risks for handpumps installed on boreholes along the south coast of Kenya from the 1980s. The analysis is based on a unique dataset linking attributes of > 300 water points at the time of installation with their operational lifespan over the following decades. Cox proportional hazards and accelerated failure time models suggest infrastructure failure risks are higher and lifespans are shorter when water supplied is more saline, static water level is deeper, and groundwater is pumped from an unconsolidated sand aquifer. Water point failure risks also appear to grow as distance to spare part suppliers increases. To bolster the sustainability of rural water services and ensure no community is left behind, post-construction support mechanisms will need to mitigate heterogeneous environmental and geographical challenges. Further studies are needed to better understand the causal pathways that underlie these risk factors in order to inform policies and practices that ensure water services are sustained even where unfavourable conditions prevail.

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:

http://hdl.handle.net/10453/131645