Abstract
Local communities in mining regions are vulnerable to water scarcity risks caused by extensive mining and changing climate. To mitigate such risks, we adopt a non-market valuation of low income communities’ preferences for improved access to water services, as an effort to develop pro-poor policies that bring long-term water security and benefits to the local people. Using data collected from 268 households from the mining site in the Thar coalfield (Pakistan), we examine the household willingness to pay (WTP) for all major uses based on hypothetical policy scenarios. Results show that the mean WTP was estimated to be PKR 3921 (USD 38) for risk averting services (S1) and PKR 4927 (USD 48.13) for domestic pipelines and more decentralized water systems (S2) per month. We found that the mean WTP for S1 is 11.8% and for S2 is 16.6% more than the existing water-related expenditures of households. Age of household head, income level, project employment, livestock, farm income, and water quality are the significant factors influencing their WTP. These findings provide empirical evidence to policymakers and resource managers to implement cost-effective water management plans that provide multiple ecosystem service benefits, thereby potentially aiding pro-poor and sustainable economic growth in mining regions.
Highlights
Water scarcity is a major environmental constraint to economic development in several regions worldwide, including mining regions where there are insufficient resources to cover environmental, domestic, and industrial requirements [1]
A total of 58% of the work force was occupied in agriculture and livestock rearing, 10% in handicraft making, 3% in government and business, and 29% of the population was reported to be employed in the project, including both direct and indirect jobs, skill development programs, and other programs
If household members employed in the project (HME) is increased by 1%, we expect willingness to pay (WTP) to increase by 11% for S1 and 18% for scenario 2 (S2)
Summary
Water scarcity is a major environmental constraint to economic development in several regions worldwide, including mining regions where there are insufficient resources to cover environmental, domestic, and industrial requirements [1] Some of these regions in developing economies are experiencing the rapid expansion of mining projects [2] which, some argue, are expected to deliver substantial benefits to local, regional, and national stakeholders [3]. Other social impacts may include human displacement, pressure on subsistence resources, and the degradation of cultural and aesthetic resources [10], which may aggravate economic conditions in the region [11] These factors put enormous pressure on water resources in terms of their availability, and can lead to some of the worst environmental disasters in mining regions [9,12]
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