Domestic water supply in rural Greenland – sufficiency, affordability and accessibility
Global efforts are still under way to ensure sustainable development goal 6 of providing enough clean water to sustain public health in many regions, and especially in the Arctic where the remoteness of communities and the harsh climate make water provision especially challenging. This study aimed t...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis Group
2022-12-01
|
| Series: | International Journal of Circumpolar Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/22423982.2022.2138095 |
| _version_ | 1828157933382270976 |
|---|---|
| author | Judith Y. A. Maréchal Kåre Hendriksen Lisbeth Truelstrup Hansen Casper Gundelund Pernille Erland Jensen |
| author_facet | Judith Y. A. Maréchal Kåre Hendriksen Lisbeth Truelstrup Hansen Casper Gundelund Pernille Erland Jensen |
| author_sort | Judith Y. A. Maréchal |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Global efforts are still under way to ensure sustainable development goal 6 of providing enough clean water to sustain public health in many regions, and especially in the Arctic where the remoteness of communities and the harsh climate make water provision especially challenging. This study aimed to examine the sufficiency, accessibility, and affordability of water supplies in rural Greenland. The state of the water supply was investigated using quantitative data on infrastructure and demographics. Qualitative data on water-related practices and perceptions were collected through fieldwork and interviews in a selection of settlements. Generally, the supply of drinking water was found to be sufficient and affordable for most. However, access was severely constrained by the lack of piping to rural homes (20% were piped). The daily water consumption of residents from un-piped households was between 13 and 23 L/d/cap, i.e. within the basic access level according to WHO, which is in theory not sufficient to sustain public health. Several health risks could be caused by the low daily consumption in un-piped homes, and water saving practices induced by it – i.e. the use of shared handwashing basins, and household water storage, which could lead to degradation of water quality at the point-of-use. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T23:37:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-19211cbf0c374a1fa8c1349687063eb0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2242-3982 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T23:37:38Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Circumpolar Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-19211cbf0c374a1fa8c1349687063eb02022-12-22T03:56:54ZengTaylor & Francis GroupInternational Journal of Circumpolar Health2242-39822022-12-0181110.1080/22423982.2022.2138095Domestic water supply in rural Greenland – sufficiency, affordability and accessibilityJudith Y. A. Maréchal0Kåre Hendriksen1Lisbeth Truelstrup Hansen2Casper Gundelund3Pernille Erland Jensen4Arctic DTU Sisimiut Ilinniarfeqarfik Sisimiut, DTU Sustain, Technical University of Denmark, Greenland, SisimiutDepartment of Planning, Aalborg University Copenhagen, Kongens Lyngby, DenmarkDTU Food, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, DenmarkSection of Freshwater Fisheries and Ecology, Technical University of Denmark, DTU Aqua, Silkeborg, DenmarkArctic DTU Sisimiut Ilinniarfeqarfik Sisimiut, DTU Sustain, Technical University of Denmark, Greenland, SisimiutGlobal efforts are still under way to ensure sustainable development goal 6 of providing enough clean water to sustain public health in many regions, and especially in the Arctic where the remoteness of communities and the harsh climate make water provision especially challenging. This study aimed to examine the sufficiency, accessibility, and affordability of water supplies in rural Greenland. The state of the water supply was investigated using quantitative data on infrastructure and demographics. Qualitative data on water-related practices and perceptions were collected through fieldwork and interviews in a selection of settlements. Generally, the supply of drinking water was found to be sufficient and affordable for most. However, access was severely constrained by the lack of piping to rural homes (20% were piped). The daily water consumption of residents from un-piped households was between 13 and 23 L/d/cap, i.e. within the basic access level according to WHO, which is in theory not sufficient to sustain public health. Several health risks could be caused by the low daily consumption in un-piped homes, and water saving practices induced by it – i.e. the use of shared handwashing basins, and household water storage, which could lead to degradation of water quality at the point-of-use.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/22423982.2022.2138095Arcticwater accessdrinking waterwater consumptionremote communities |
| spellingShingle | Judith Y. A. Maréchal Kåre Hendriksen Lisbeth Truelstrup Hansen Casper Gundelund Pernille Erland Jensen Domestic water supply in rural Greenland – sufficiency, affordability and accessibility International Journal of Circumpolar Health Arctic water access drinking water water consumption remote communities |
| title | Domestic water supply in rural Greenland – sufficiency, affordability and accessibility |
| title_full | Domestic water supply in rural Greenland – sufficiency, affordability and accessibility |
| title_fullStr | Domestic water supply in rural Greenland – sufficiency, affordability and accessibility |
| title_full_unstemmed | Domestic water supply in rural Greenland – sufficiency, affordability and accessibility |
| title_short | Domestic water supply in rural Greenland – sufficiency, affordability and accessibility |
| title_sort | domestic water supply in rural greenland sufficiency affordability and accessibility |
| topic | Arctic water access drinking water water consumption remote communities |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/22423982.2022.2138095 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT judithyamarechal domesticwatersupplyinruralgreenlandsufficiencyaffordabilityandaccessibility AT karehendriksen domesticwatersupplyinruralgreenlandsufficiencyaffordabilityandaccessibility AT lisbethtruelstruphansen domesticwatersupplyinruralgreenlandsufficiencyaffordabilityandaccessibility AT caspergundelund domesticwatersupplyinruralgreenlandsufficiencyaffordabilityandaccessibility AT pernilleerlandjensen domesticwatersupplyinruralgreenlandsufficiencyaffordabilityandaccessibility |