Determining the provision of wastewater management infrastructure in rural India from the local communities' perspectives.

Abstract

Management of wastewater in rural areas is important for improving the sanitation services which has remained relatively neglected in India and other developing countries. This study aims to analyse the service quality of attributes of wastewater management (WWM) infrastructure and to determine their service delivery levels from local communities' perspective which is required for the sustainability of the provided facilities. The study was conducted in a few villages of the Gaya district of Bihar, India with a sample size of 1,204. Twelve attributes are identified and selected after extensive literature review, focus group discussions and experts' opinion survey, and appropriate service delivery level for each attribute is determined using level of service (LOS) scale, zone of tolerance (ZOT) and through users' satisfaction level (USL) values for each attribute. The findings reveal that while service level of most of the attributes is perceived as LOS C, the expected service level for the attributes lies between LOS A and C. The proportion of households satisfied at the upper and lower ranges of ZOT also varies from one attribute to another. The framework developed in this research would help policy makers to determine appropriate service delivery level of WWM attribute and other infrastructure in rural areas.