Abstract
Kathmandu Valley faces water scarcity from decades of the added burden of water storage and treatment, which imposed cost. We estimated the method-specific cost of in-house drinking water treatment (9 L/day used) based on equipment price and life, daily operation time, fuel used, and consumables replacement frequency, which were Nepalese Rupees (NRs) 23, 57, 392, 586 and 799 for chemicals, ceramic filter, boiling, Euro-Guard and reverse osmosis-ultraviolet (RO-UV) water purification, respectively. The monthly average water treatment cost was estimated based on these estimates and treatment methods used in households, obtained from a questionnaire survey of 1500 households, and its socioeconomic relationship in a Nepalese urban context was investigated. Of the households, 75% practiced at least one treatment method, (average, 1.4). The estimated monthly average cost per household was NRs 380. The fixed effects model showed that the cost was significantly higher in Lalitpur district, and in high school education households. Higher water insecurity perception of respondents was the main determinant of higher treatment cost, which was especially true in Lalitpur district. Water treatment added extra financial burden, especially for the poor households which should be averted or minimized by concerned authorities to provide adequate quantity, quality, and access to drinking water for all.
Highlights
Clean, safe water is essential for human life and has high social, economic, and cultural importance for people
We found the monthly method-specific cost to treat 9 L water per day ranged from Nepalese Rupees (NRs) 23 to NRs 799, with a wide range based on simple method versus advanced (RO-UV) methods
Household water treatment cost was unknown and we attempted to estimate the expenditure based on the practiced popular method
Summary
Safe water is essential for human life and has high social, economic, and cultural importance for people. Access to safe drinking water and sanitation is a basic human right recognized by the United Nations in 2010 [1]. 2.1 billion people globally and >140 million in the Southeast Asia region still do not have access to safely-managed. Water 2018, 10, 607 water services, and approximately 80% of illnesses are linked with poor water and sanitation in developing countries [3]. In Southeast Asia (population nearly 1.6 billion), water availability has decreased nearly 80% per capita since the 1950s [4]. To address the water security and accessibility of safe water worldwide, the sustainable development goal (SDG) target 6 focused on “ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all” by the year 2030
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