Going beyond basic access to improved water sources: Towards deriving a water accessibility index

Abstract

In this paper, we use a Water Accessibility Index (WAI) to determine differences in urban household water access in an inner-city community characterized by relatively high piped water coverage. The case study is based on field data collected in a low-income community called August Town, located in Jamaica's capital city of Kingston. A semi-formal survey was used to document how different socio-economic factors influenced household-level water accessibility within the study area. Data from the survey was later used to develop the WAI. The index revealed the importance of incorporating socio-economic and human-centered factors in the measurement of water accessibility, especially when access to improved drinking water sources is already gained. When used on its own, piped water coverage was found to be an inadequate indicator of water accessibility within the study area. In general, we regard the WAI as a useful management tool for tracking household-level and inter-community disparities, which could contribute greatly in facilitating improvements in water access where it is needed the most.