The future of piped water in villages in low- and middle-income countries

Alua Oralovna Omarova, Kamshat Tussupova

2018

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DOI 10.1093/eurpub/cky214.081
Data confidence 70 medium
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Abstract

Background: The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) call for full drinking water coverage by 2030, but more importantly this requires a focus on rural areas, which have been greatly neglected until now. The aim is to identify efficiency of using the piped water in rural regions. Methods: A questionnaire survey was made in a rural area of central Kazakhstan during July-August 2017. Overall, 400 people randomly selected from some household were interviewed. The study was conducted using a questionnaire to assess the satisfaction of the rural population with the quality of drinking water supply. Results: There are large differences between the official data and actual conditions in the regions. Kazakhstan is supplied by centralized (tap, standpipe), decentralized (well, borehole) and tankered water. According to the statistics, 99% in the central part of Kazakhstan have access to safe water supply. However, the survey results give a different picture. The major water supply type is tap, with 63%. Nevertheless, only 17.75% of respondents consume it. A second major difference is the standpipe users. The statistics state 8% of standpipe users, while survey results give 19.75%. The officially registered wells are exploited by 17.75% of population. About 8% have boreholes, while the survey indicates about 14.5%. Almost 8.75% of respondents transport water from open sources independently. This category is completely absent in the statistics. In addition, four villages in the region of interest are fully provided with only tankered water, since there is no alternative source of drinking water supply in their territory. Despite the statistics, the survey indicates a mere 69% access to safe water supply in the central part of Kazakhstan. Conclusions: In spite of the fact that the state tries to provide rural regions with centralized water supply, the study shows the low efficiency of its use by residents. The reason is the problem in the uninterrupted supply of water and its poor quality. Key messages: It is essential to know whether piped water in villages in low and middle-income countries is efficient. The results are important for the planning and fulfilment of the UN SDGs in Kazakhstan.