Consumer Perception and Behavior Toward Water Supply,Demand, Water Tariff,Water Quality,and Willingness-To-Pay: A Cross Sectional Study

Urban water management is a critical subject for many developing countries; in Pakistan, urban water management faces challenges from weak regulatory frameworks, financial constraints, service interruptions, ailing infrastructure, rising population and climate change. Under the National Water Policy 2018, focus on urban water management envisions the incorporation of water metering and pricing as a measure to enhance water conservation and build climate resiliency measures. Investigation of the historical context for the capital, Islamabad, revealed failed prior attempts to integrate water metering and pricing. A mixed methods survey, found high dissatisfaction among the residential and commercial sectors for the municipal water service provided by the municipal authorities, with major complaints relating to service interruptions and claims of inequitable water provision. Spending on bottled water, tankers and private groundwater extraction indicated significantly higher willingness-to-pay for the provision of potable tap water; however, the concerns of residential and commercial sector remained lack of trust in municipal water suppliers. Those surveyed from the residential sector noted that the current water rate of PKR 400 was acceptable, despite over 50% of those surveyed spending more than PKR 500 on bottled water and tankers per month. Water conservation strategies remain little explored in terms of enforcement in the city, largely due to lack of market products and awareness among the population. Recommendations for improving water metering and pricing potential and resolving urban water management issues in Pakistan are presented.

     

Spatial Determinants of Urban Residential Water Demand in Fortaleza,Brazil

This paper aims at estimating the residential water demand function for the city of Fortaleza, Brazil, considering the potential impact of including spatial effects in the model. The empirical evidence is a unique micro-data set obtained through a household water consumption survey carried out in 2007. We estimated three econometric models, which have as explanatory variables the average/marginal price, the difference, income, number of male and female residents and the number of bathrooms, under different spatial specifications: the Spatial Error Model (SEM), the Spatial Autoregressive model (SAR), and finally, the Spatial Autoregressive Moving Average model (SARMA). Results suggest that the SARMA model is the “best” as shown by a series of tests. Such results contradict conclusions drawn by Chang et al. (Urban Geogr 31(7):953–972, 2010), House-Peters et al. (JAWRA J Am Water Resour Assoc 46(3), 2010), and Ramachandran and Johnston (2011). This means, among other things, that not controlling spatial effects is a key specification error, underestimating the effect of almost all variables in the model. Sometimes, these differences can be as high as 24.66 % and 13.32 % for price elasticity in the Average Price and the McFadden models, respectively.     

Determinants of Small-Area Water Consumption for the City of Phoenix,Arizona

Rapid population growth in the face of an uncertain climate future challenges the desert city of Phoenix, Arizona to consume water more prudently. To better understand the demand side of this important issue, we identified the determinants of water consumption for detached single-family residential units using ordinary least squares regression (OLS). We compared the results from the OLS model to those of a geographically weighted regression (GWR) model to determine whether there are spatial effects above and beyond the effects of the OLS variables. Determinants of residential water demand reflect both indoor and outdoor use and include household size, the presence of swimming pools, lot size, and the prevalence of landscaping that requires a moist environment. Results confirm the statistical significance of household size, the presence of a pool, landscaping practices, and lot size. Improvement of the GWR over the OLS model suggests that there are spatial effects above and beyond the effects for household size and pools – two of the four determinants of water demand. This means that census tracts exhibit water consumption behavior similar to neighboring tracts for these two variables. Model parameters can be used to investigate the effects of policies designed to regulate lot size, pool construction, and landscaping practices on water consumption and to forecast water demand in areas of new construction.     

Using Survey Data and Mathematical Modeling to Prioritize Water Interventions in Developing Countries

Water Resources Management - A traditional cost-benefit analysis of potential water interventions in a given locality is a laborious and time-intensive process. To help decision makers identify...     

Estimating Residential Water Demand Using the Stone-Geary Functional Form: The Case of Sri Lanka

This paper formulates a demand model for residential water in Sri Lanka using the Stone-Geary functional form. This functional form considers water consumption to be composed of two parts—a fixed and a residual component. The presence of these two components means it is possible to estimate a threshold below which water consumption is non-responsive to price changes. In turn, this can provide policy makers with a better understanding of the degree to which price changes will affect water consumption and the extent to which price instruments can be utilised to raise additional revenues. These revenues could then be used to extend pipe-borne water infrastructure to a greater proportion of the population than is currently the case. The findings presented here show the portion of water use that is insensitive to price changes in Sri Lanka is between 0.64 and 1.06 m³ per capita per month. The results indicate that price elasticity ranges from -0.11 to -0.14 while income elasticity varies from 0.11 to 0.14. Combined, these findings suggest water authorities could raise revenue via price increases to fund critical infrastructure extension.     

营口市经济社会用水调查代表性分析

经济社会用水调查方法采用典型用水户调查,在分析计算出典型用水户单位用水指标的基础上,结合经济指标推算全口径用水量。应用营口市水利普查数据,分析了各行业样本与总体的关系、选取典型用水户代表性的合理性,说明此次水利普查所采用的统计方式和方法准确、实用。     

Residential Water Use: Efficiency, Affordability, and Price Elasticity

In practice, water pricing is the main economic instrument used to discourage the wasteful use of residential water. Owing to considerations of affordability, residential water is systematically underpriced because water is essential for life. Such a low price results in water being used inefficiently. This paper proposes a system that supplements the existing price system with a cap-and-trade measure to reconcile conflicts among the goals of residential water use. It forces all people (independent of income) to be faced with reasonable price signals and to use water efficiently. The poor could, however, gain from trade and afford water. By taking advantage of the agent-based model, a simulation of this system applied to Taipei, Taiwan shows that those with lower income per capita are better off under this system even though the equilibrium price of residential water is higher. The simulated average price elasticity of market demand is ?0.449.     

Urban Water Consumption and Regional Economic Growth: The Case of Taejeon,Korea

This paper investigates the causality between urban water consumption and regional economic growth in Taejeon, Korea by using the cointegration and error-correction models. It employs annual data covering the period 1973–2001. The overall results support the existence of unidirectional causality running from regional economic growth to urban water consumption without any feedback effects. Thus, water conservation policies can be initiated without deteriorating economic side effects.     

Residential Water Demand in a Fast-growing Metropolis: The Case of Honolulu,Hawaii

Multi-unit housing residents are important consumers of fresh water in the City and County of Honolulu (CCH). This study examined water use in private multi-unit residences as well as Hawaii Housing Authority (HHA) multi-units in relation to variables such as price of water, number of units, income of residents, etc. using monthly water use data of the top 100 Honolulu Board of Water Supply (BWS) water users. The generalized least squares (GLS) procedure was used to estimate the regressionequations, although the results of ordinary least squares (OLS) estimation are also presented.Based on the results, inducing lower water use by raising the water price appeared somewhat feasible in the case of private multi-unit residences. The same was not, however, true in the case of HHA housing units. A long-term plan to make the water users (who have so far been shielded from bearing the cost directly) pay for water directly (by installing water meters for individual units) has been suggested to promote the prudent use of water.     

The Debate over Municipal Water Pricing: Evidence from Kolkata,India

Steps to rationalize the municipal water pricing system have raised various debates in Kolkata, India. The primary point of debate is whether the age-old direct subsidy to a water system benefiting all users should continue or a volumetric charge on water usage should be imposed. Apart from this, issues such as a transitional phase pricing strategy, specific tariff structure, support for the poor and management options are widely debated by those that favour rationalization. The present paper examines the behaviour of 500 households of Kolkata, India, and uses the information to resolve the issues of contention. It is estimated that a uniform volumetric charge of Rs. 4 per kilolitre can be imposed in the phase of transition.     

The Cost of Irrigation Water Delivery: An Attempt to Reconcile the Concepts of Cost and Efficiency

This work discusses the conflict between two of the main objectives of the EU Water Framework Directive: cost recovery and economic efficiency in the use of irrigation water. In the Mediterranean region, this conflict is commonly embedded in a state of under-utilization of irrigation networks managed by Water User Associations (WUAs). This under-utilization arises from factors independent of farmers’ choice, such as water shortage, crises in the sector, and changes to the Common Agricultural Policy. This prevents the facilities from operating at the minimum average cost. This paper argues that farmers should not suffer this inefficiency, which results in them paying higher water prices to cover the costs of water supply. Indeed, the application of the Water Directive should be rethought, taking into account the specific problems related to irrigation in the Mediterranean region. Based on an econometric analysis of the costs of water distribution in a WUA in Sardinia (Italy), we propose a payment system based on two components. Primarily there is a fee related to the number of hectares under irrigation. In addition there is a fee that considers the intensity of irrigation: this component is to encourage farmers to save water. The results show that the proposed approach has some desirable effects, including higher rates of cost recovery and possibly a reduction in the use of groundwater. Finally, the proposed system is not overly expensive for the rest of the community, who must bear the costs of inefficiencies in the use of irrigation water that do not depend on choices of farmers.     

Measurement of Resource Environmental Performance of Crop Planting Water Consumption Based on Water Footprint and Data Enveloped Analysis

Water Resources Management - Pollutants and water consumption in agriculture are essential factors in terms of water environment resource conservation. Calculating the water resource use efficiency...     

Identifying the Links Among Poverty,Hydroenergy and Water Use Using Data Mining Methods

Water is fundamental to human well-being, social development and the environment. Water development, particularly hydropower, provides an important source of renewable energy. Water development is strongly affected by poverty, but only few attempts have been made to understand the links between water development and poverty from a global water development point of view. In this work, this linkage was explored using reservoir construction, hydroenergy and water use data along with six derived indicators. We used association rule mining and classification and regression trees (CART) to identify the links. Random forests were employed to search for factors sensitive to poverty. This study shows that the reservoir density is significantly related to poverty, and reservoir densities are lower in countries with higher poverty rates. Countries with a higher use of small hydropower (SHP) systems are generally more prosperous as follows: an SHP utilization rate above 27% corresponds to a poverty rate below 4.9%. The ratio of water utilization, water availability per capita (WAPC) and reservoir density were essential for the prediction of the poverty class. All three ratios could be related to poverty alleviation as they enable the identification of the potential for water resource development and their constraints. This study concludes that water development in poor countries needs to receive more attention.

     

Water Consumption by the Visitor Industry: The Case of Hawaii

The visitor industry plays a pivotal role in Hawaii's economy, accounting for 30% of the gross state product. It is an important consumer of the state's freshwater supply, with a clear potential for substantial additional demand in the years ahead. Water consumption in hotels and golf courses that cater to the needs of the visitor was analysed. Regression analysis showed that size and price were important determinants of water use by golf courses. The numbers of units, swimming pools and golf courses were found to be statistically significant determinants in water consumption by the hotels. Pricing could be an effective instrument in efficient water allocation to golf courses. A small change in price, however, is unlikely to make a major impact on water use decisions by the resorts and hotels.     

Decomposition of Cost Efficiency Into Persistent and Transient Efficiency in the Provision of Water Services: Evidence from England and Wales

Water Resources Management - Performance assessments of water utilities are essential to protect the interests of citizens, because utilities operate under natural monopolies and their costs are...     

水文水资源新技术应用研究综述

就水文水资源领域中得到广泛应用的若干新技术进行简要地回顾和述评,主要包括人工神经网络、信息技术以及遗传算法等方面。     

The Perception of Water Quality Among Rural Communities in South-Western Nigeria: Lesson for Planners

ABSTRACT

“Clean water for all” is one of the goals of the UN International Drinking Supply and Sanitation Decade 1981–90. This goal to be accomplished, requires a level of governmental investment which is difficult to reach in many developing countries. This is particularly so of Nigeria where a vast majority of rural people is yet to benefit from improved water supply and where the level of priority accorded domestic water supply is dismally low, with some states devoting just about 1% of their total capital expenditure to water supply provision.

At the same time, there is evidence that the rural people in many places, aware of the advantages of good water sources and the disadvantages of bad ones, show preferences for and undertake development programmes connected with good quality water supply: this is here exemplified by three rural communities in southwestern Nigeria. Not only are these people knowledgeable about water quality and its relationship with health, they are also eager to seize any feasible opportunities to improve their water supply situation.

It is argued that rather than rely on gigantic time-consuming, capital intensive and difficult to maintain schemes, as we have presently with government projects, more modest ones within the competence of the rural communities should be encouraged.     

Source Choice Perception and Sustainable Rural Water Supply Development: A Case Study of Ban Thadindam,Lopburi, Thailand

Abstract

This study seeks to examine source choice perception and sustainable rural water supply development in Ban Thadindam, a Thai village situated about 220 km north of Bangkok. It makes use of an elementary schematic matrix that was initially developed for the valuation of water sources as perceived by water users in East Africa. In applying the elementary choice scheme, the author interviewed the village Kamnan (district officer) and a few villagers. The results of this study show that a wide range of water supply sources was perceived by the Kamnan. Out of a practical range of six sources, four were perceived and accepted, roof (rain water), river, spring, and pond; and two were perceived but not accepted: well and canal. The reason why well and canal water sources were rejected was because of their hardness and turbidity. Of the four sources accepted, roof (rain water) was rated very favorably as the preferred choice while river, spring, and pond sources were judged equally favorable. Awareness of source choice and the conditions under which choice is made is crucial for the understanding and development of sustainable rural water supply. By adopting a wide combination of sources and integrating them to provide a rich water supply for treatment, and by taking advantage of filtration technology given by the Asian Institute of Technology, Environmental Engineering Division, the villagers, with the help of the Project Managing Committee, transformed the demonstration filtration facility into a sustainable rural water supply system. The latter succeeded not only in providing adequate filtered water for the majority of the households in Ban Thadindam but also in satisfying the water requirements for the whole village for two decades. The success of the rural water supply system has been attributable to many factors, but most important was the awareness the villagers have in the understanding of the interrelations between landscape, range of choice and the interaction between community participation, technology, and environment.