Water use behaviors and water access in intermittent and continuous water supply areas during the COVID-19 pandemic
More than one billion people worldwide receive intermittent water supply (IWS), in which water is delivered through a pipe network for fewer than 24 h/day, limiting the quantity and accessibility of water. During the COVID-19 pandemic, stay-at-home orders and efforts to limit contact with others can...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IWA Publishing
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Water and Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://jwh.iwaponline.com/content/20/1/139 |
| Summary: | More than one billion people worldwide receive intermittent water supply (IWS), in which water is delivered through a pipe network for fewer than 24 h/day, limiting the quantity and accessibility of water. During the COVID-19 pandemic, stay-at-home orders and efforts to limit contact with others can affect water access for those with unreliable home water supplies. We explored whether water service delivery and household water-use behaviors changed during the COVID-19 pandemic in Hubballi–Dharwad, India, and whether they differed if households had IWS or continuous (24×7) water supply through a longitudinal household survey in 2020–2021. We found few perceived differences in water service delivery or water access, although one-quarter of all households reported insufficient water for handwashing, suggesting an increased demand for water that was not satisfied. Many households with 24×7 supply reported water outages, necessitating the use of alternative water sources. These findings suggest that water demand at home increased and households with IWS and 24×7 both lacked access to sufficient water. Our findings indicate that water insecurity negatively affected households’ ability to adhere to protective public health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic and highlight the importance of access to uninterrupted, on-premise water during public health emergencies. HIGHLIGHTS
Water access in households with intermittent and continuous piped water supply was compared during the COVID-19 pandemic.;
Households reported using more water during the pandemic and having insufficient water for handwashing.;
Social distancing while using public water points and toilets was often infeasible.;
Access to uninterrupted on-premise water should be ensured during public health emergencies.; |
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| ISSN: | 1477-8920 1996-7829 |