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.
Highlights
Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) are fundamental for human health and quality of life on both the individual and societal levels
Defines water access in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), stating basic water access is having a water source within 1 km or a 30 min round trip; yet millions around the globe do not meet this international standard for basic access [4,5]
The first layered analysis displays which regions of Bolde are accessible within a 30 min roundtrip walk time (Figure 2)
Summary
Sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) are fundamental for human health and quality of life on both the individual and societal levels. Globally 663 million people, predominantly in the global south, still lack adequate access to reliable water supplies [1]. The SDGs focus the importance of WASH as a facet of international progress and development by incorporating “Clean Water and Sanitation” as its sixth primary goal [3]. Lack of access to water has many well-known impacts at the individual level. The provision of basic access to improved water sources has a profound impact on the social dynamics of certain populations, influencing education rates, gender equality, and intergenerational economic development [10,11]. There is a distinct accessibility difference between urban and rural populations, with rural regions
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