DEVELOPMENT OF A PROTOTYPE WATER SECURITY SELF-ASSESSMENT TOOL FOR RURAL, REMOTE, AND OTHERWISE MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES

Abstract

<p>The majority of people in the world that lack access to sustainable water supplies reside in the rural regions of low- and middle-income countries. Lacking this access they depend on unprotected water sources that are contaminated from environmental factors and poor land-use practices. Access to safe water is a key determinant of public health, and hence rural, remote, and otherwise marginalized (RRM) communities suffer high rates of waterborne disease. The sustainability of water supply in RRM communities is influenced by the level of community participation as well as an holistic array of issues that correspond to the challenges faced by RRM communities.</p> <p>The purpose of this research is to develop a prototype computer-based tool to support RRM communities in an holistic water security self-assessment as a front-end to decision support. The aim of this assessment is to facilitate a systematic consideration of water security issues and to consolidate the results into key graphics that could help identify relative strengths and threats.</p> <p>First, a literature review was conducted on relevant water security indices, resulting in a water security framework and indicator database (n=285). Second, the Community Self-Water Assessment Tool (Community-SWAT) was developed. Third, Community-SWAT was beta-tested to demonstrate its ability to differentiate challenges between communities, identify water security challenges within a community, and visualize heterogeneity in water point security. A sensitivity analysis demonstrated that the majority of changes in that dimension’s scores were small (less than 5) when at least half of its questions were answered.</p>