How does a drinking water intervention impact water quality and health? A field experiment to determine the role of contextual factors in household drinking water practices.

Globally, more than half of the deaths due to diarrhoea are caused by a lack of water, sanitation and hygiene provision (WASH), particularly In Sub-Saharan Africa. Improving access to WASH is therefore an important goal of development cooperation. Many authors studied the health effects of these WASH interventions on waterborne diseases and diarrhoea incidence, indicating significant positive health outcomes. However, much less attention has been paid to the role of contextual factors. The overall aim of this project is to carefully assess the water quality and health impact of a drinking water intervention with particular attention to the role played by contextual factors at the individual, household and community level. A survey experiment and WTP experiment shed light on different factors of interest: time savings, institutional trust, household decision power, shocking events and demographic characteristics. A choice experiment deepens insight in household drinking water supply preferences. Knowing how these factors shape water related practices and determine household drinking water preferences provides useful knowledge to improve drinking water interventions and to shape drinking water policy. The context of the study is the drinking water intervention by the Belgian NGO Join for Water (JFW) and the Ugandan NGO Health trough Water and Sanitation (HEWASA) in Western Uganda.