Household water treatment and safe storage options for Northern Region Ghana : consumer preference and relative cost

Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2008.

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Green, Vanessa (Vanessa Layton)
Other Authors: Susan E. Murcott.
Format: Thesis
Language:eng
Published: Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2008
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/43903
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author Green, Vanessa (Vanessa Layton)
author2 Susan E. Murcott.
author_facet Susan E. Murcott.
Green, Vanessa (Vanessa Layton)
author_sort Green, Vanessa (Vanessa Layton)
collection MIT
description Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2008.
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spelling mit-1721.1/439032019-04-11T08:29:17Z Household water treatment and safe storage options for Northern Region Ghana : consumer preference and relative cost HWTS storage options for Northern Region Ghana : consumer preference and relative cost Green, Vanessa (Vanessa Layton) Susan E. Murcott. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Civil and Environmental Engineering. Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2008. Includes bibliographical references (p. 69-72). A range of household water treatment and safe storage (HWTS) products are available in Northern Region Ghana which have the potential to significantly improve local drinking water quality. However, to date, the region has failed to see significant HWTS product adoption and sustained use. Therefore, this consumer preference study was conducted to give HWTS implementing organizations a method and tool to help stimulate product uptake by tailoring water quality interventions to local preferences and needs. Ultimately, this work highlights a discrete set of HWTS products most likely to have the greatest impact on local drinking water quality, based on product effectiveness, adoption and sustained use. The research methodology included a consumer preference survey and water quality testing in 237 households in four rural and three urban communities around Tamale, Ghana in January 2008. Turbidity testing and total coliforms (TC) and Escherichia coli (E.coli) removal were used to assess source water quality. The research confirmed that local purchasing decisions are dominated by a desire for products that offer a major health improvement and have a traditional durable product look, with relatively less importance placed on water taste and look, treatment time and price. The data was used to generate baseline consumer profiles based on a combination of demographic characteristics, source water quality, HWTS product preferences, ability to pay, and purchasing behavior. The consumer profiles reveal that a traditional durable product such as Pure Home Water's Kosim ceramic pot filter is a good fit for communities with turbid source water; however, a portfolio HWTS approach will be required to meet the diverse needs of the northern Ghana population. (cont.) Specifically, there is a cross-segment need for a safe storage product as well as a low-cost chlorine disinfection option. There is an opportunity for revenue generation through a sachet water business targeted to the high-income segment of the urban market. Finally, continued investment in filtration and flocculation technology options will be required to effectively serve rural communities that utilize surfaces waters with average turbidities >200 NTU. by Vanessa Green. M.Eng. 2008-12-11T18:48:45Z 2008-12-11T18:48:45Z 2008 2008 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/43903 263921746 eng M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582 127 p. application/pdf Massachusetts Institute of Technology
spellingShingle Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Green, Vanessa (Vanessa Layton)
Household water treatment and safe storage options for Northern Region Ghana : consumer preference and relative cost
title Household water treatment and safe storage options for Northern Region Ghana : consumer preference and relative cost
title_full Household water treatment and safe storage options for Northern Region Ghana : consumer preference and relative cost
title_fullStr Household water treatment and safe storage options for Northern Region Ghana : consumer preference and relative cost
title_full_unstemmed Household water treatment and safe storage options for Northern Region Ghana : consumer preference and relative cost
title_short Household water treatment and safe storage options for Northern Region Ghana : consumer preference and relative cost
title_sort household water treatment and safe storage options for northern region ghana consumer preference and relative cost
topic Civil and Environmental Engineering.
url http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/43903
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