Enhancing the water point mapping: a WASH approach

Strategic planning and appropriate development and management of water and sanitation services can be strongly supported by accurate and accessible data. If adequately exploited, these data might assist water managers with performance monitoring, benchmarking comparisons, policy progress evaluation, resources allocation, and decision making. A variety of tools and techniques are in place to collect such information. However, some methodological weaknesses arise when developing an instrument for routine data collection, particularly at local level: (i) comparability problems due to heterogeneity of data and sector-re lated indicators, (ii) in adequate combination of different information sources, and (iii) statistical validity of collected data. The purpose of this study is to adopt an integrated water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) approach for data collection at community level in rural low income settings, as an attempt to overcome previous shortcomings. The survey design takes the Water Point Mapping (WPM) as a starting point to record all available water sources at a particular location, and this information is then linked to data provided from a household-based survey. In order to demonstrate the applicability of the method, a case study is presented at Tiraque Valley (Cochabamba, Bolivia).Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Delivering water and sanitation services in the 2030 agenda for sustainable development

This report provides the reader with a comprehensive picture of the discussions, topics and recommendations covered during the International Conference on Sustainable Development Goals: Actors and Implementation. Readers will find insights to a wide variety of topics within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), from higher education and Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI), to gender equality, governance or circular knowledge economy.Postprint (published version

Compositional data for global monitoring: the case of drinking water and sanitation

Introduction At a global level, access to safe drinking water and sanitation has been monitored by the Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) of WHO and UNICEF. The methods employed are based on analysis of data from household surveys and linear regression modelling of these results over time. However, there is evidence of non-linearity in the JMP data. In addition, the compositional nature of these data is not taken into consideration. This article seeks to address these two previous shortcomings in order to produce more accurate estimates. Methods We employed an isometric log-ratio transformation designed for compositional data. We applied linear and non-linear time regressions to both the original and the transformed data. Specifically, different modelling alternatives for non-linear trajectories were analysed, all of which are based on a generalized additive model (GAM). Results and discussion Non-linear methods, such as GAM, may be used for modelling non-linear trajectories in the JMP data. This projection method is particularly suited for data-rich countries. Moreover, the ilr transformation of compositional data is conceptually sound and fairly simple to implement. It helps improve the performance of both linear and non-linear regression models, specifically in the occurrence of extreme data points, i.e. when coverage rates are near either 0% or 100%.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

The Water Poverty Index: Assessing water scarcity at different scales

An assessment of water stress and scarcity requires a multi-faceted approach to achieve real water poverty reduction. Several issues impact the ability of people to access to and properly use water and improved sanitation facilities. Among them are the availability of water resources, the capacity of communities to manage the schemes, the economic aspects of services affordability, and the environmental issues. However, they are often treated separately, and not as an integrated, dynamic process. In order to integrate these biophysical, social, economic and environmental issues, as well as the existing pressures and policy responses into one single, comparable, dynamic indicator, an enhanced Water Poverty Index, which uses a pressure–state–response function, has been developed and is proposed in this study. It is primarily designed to produce a holistic tool for policy making, aimed at allowing resource managers to determine and target priority needs in the water sector, while assessing development process. This paper highlights some of the applications of the index at different spatial scales. It is concerned not with the development or the underlying methodology of the index, but with how the tool can best be applied in practice to generate useful data, which then may be used to support decision-making.Peer Reviewe

Measuring sanitation poverty: a multidimensional measure to assess delivery of sanitation and hygiene services at the household level

Water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) are at the core of sustainable development. As we embark on a new round of global goals, namely the Sustainable Development Goals, a top priority is to address a coherent framework for monitoring these services. In the coming years, the sector will witness the development of a variety of multidimensional monitoring measures, albeit from different perspectives. This paper reviews the relevant literature and discusses the adequacy and applicability of one approach that is increasingly adopted for multidimensional poverty measurement at the household level, the Alkire-Foster methodol¬ogy. Drawing on this method, we identify and combine a set of direct household-related water and sanitation deprivations that batter a person at the same time. This new multidimensional measure is useful for gaining a better understanding of the context in which WaSH services are delivered. It captures both the incidence and intensity of WaSH poverty, and provides a new tool to support monitoring and reporting. For illustrative purposes, one small town in Mozambique is selected as the initial case study.Postprint (published version

Local Government planning: from data to action

Decentralisation is built on the assu mption that decentralized governme nts are more knowledgeable about and responsive to the needs of the poor. This article ex amines the role of local governments in Kenya and the ways in which they make their decisions about the allocation of resources to deliver water and sanitation services. Two major challenges are identified: i) lack of data that accurately reveal which areas are most in need; and ii) inadequate instruments for planning, monitoring and evaluation. In tackling previous shortcomings, this study i) adopts a new specific appr oach for data collection at community level, and ii) exploits these data through simple composite indicator s as policy tools that assist local government with decision-making. It concludes that accurate and compre hensive data are the basis of effective targeting and prioritization, which are fundamental to sector planning.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Sampling in surveys with reduced populations: a simplified method for the water, sanitation, and hygiene sector

© Practical Action Publishing, 2018.Making decisions efficiently and equitably requires up-to-date and reliable information. In the water, sanitation, and hygiene sector, devolving decision-making to local governments is increasingly promoted to stimulate local development. However, too few data are available at a level of disaggregation that is appropriate to allow decisions to be made about local-level allocations or for monitoring equitable outcomes across communities. Collecting robust data through cost-effective methodologies is therefore a key element of planning and programming, and for this correct sampling methods are of primary importance. Although different sampling strategies are currently being used to support national-level interventions, none have been optimized for data collection at the local level with only small populations, and standard approaches are usually overly expensive and time consuming. Against this background, we used simplified linear piecewise approximations in this paper to calculate the sample size for proportions in terms of given precision, confidence levels, and population size. To support the use of this proposed approach by practitioners in the field, easy-to-use pre-calculated tables have been included. For sampling, easy-to-follow practical guidelines for household selection and transect walk planning are also provided. Further, six rural communities in Honduras are presented as an initial case study, with total populations ranging from 11 to 44 households. The results illustrate the validity and applicability of this approach for sampling design and sample size determination.Preprin

Monitoring and targeting the sanitation poor: A multidimensional approach

Water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) are at the core of sustainable development. As we embark on a new round of global goals, namely the Sustainable Development Goals, a top priority is to address a coherent framework for monitoring these services. In the coming years, the sector will witness the development of a variety of multidimensional monitoring measures, albeit from different perspectives. This paper reviews the relevant literature and discusses the adequacy and applicability of one approach that is increasingly adopted for multidimensional poverty measurement at the household level, the Alkire-Foster methodology. Drawing on this method, we identify and combine a set of direct household-related water and sanitation deprivations that batter a person at the same time. This new multidimensional measure is useful for gaining a better understanding of the context in which WaSH services are delivered. It captures both the incidence and intensity of WaSH poverty, and provides a new tool to support monitoring and reporting. For illustrative purposes, one small town in Mozambique is selected as the initial case study.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Post-processing data from management information system through a water poverty index in East Africa

This paper highlights the relevance of the use of the Water Poverty Index as an effective water management tool in resources allocation and prioritization processes. Nevertheless, three conceptual weaknesses exist in the current index, including redundancy among variables, the decision of assigning weights to them, and the aggregation method. Based on a post process of readily available but sector relevant data, a revised method to construct the index has been developed through a case study in Kenya, at local scale. The paper discusses the results of this application. In particular, different approaches to exploit the index as a policy tool are presented, with the aim of enabling a more comprehensive understanding of the water sector constraints and challenges, and thus enhance related decision-making accordingly.Postprint (author’s final draft

The enhanced Water Poverty Index: targeting the water poor at different scales

For a large proportion of the world's population, the provision of a reliable, sustained and safe water supply has become a top priority. As water stress increases, the need for effective water management becomes more pressing. However, the conventional approaches to water assessment are inappropriate for describing the increasing complexity of water issues. Instead, a multi-faceted approach is required to achieve real water poverty reduction. In order to link the biophysical, social, economic and environmental aspects which are influencing sustainable development of water resources, as well as the existing pressures and policy responses into one single, comparable, dynamic indicator, an enhanced Water Poverty Index (eWPI) has been developed and is proposed in this study. A pressure – state – response function is combined with the original Water Poverty Index (WPI) framework to produce a holistic tool for policy making. In particular, the index is aimed at allowing resource managers to determine and target priority needs in the water sector, while assessing development process. This paper is concerned not with the development or the underlying methodology of the index, but with how the tool can best be applied in practice to generate useful data, which then may be used to support decision-making. It highlights some of the applications of the index at different spatial scales, and two different case studies are presented: in Bolivia, at local scale; and in Peru, at watershed scale.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version