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A Decision Support Tool for Rural Water Supply Planning

Author

Listed:
  • Cook, Joseph

    (Washington State University)

  • Wagner, Jake

    (Washington State University)

  • Newell, Gunnar

    (Washington State University)

Abstract

Over a dozen studies have examined how households who travel to collect water (about one quarter of humanity) make choices about where and how much to collect. There is little evidence, however, that these studies have informed rural water supply planning in anything but a qualitative way. In this note, we describe a new web-based decision support tool that planners or community members can use to simulate scenarios such as (1) price, quality, or placement changes of existing sources, (2) the closure of an existing source, or (3) the addition of a new source. We describe the analytical structure of the model and then demonstrate its possibilities using data from a recent study in rural Meru County, Kenya. We discuss some limits of the current model, and encourage readers and practitioners to explore it and suggest ways in which it could be improved or used most effectively.

Suggested Citation

  • Cook, Joseph & Wagner, Jake & Newell, Gunnar, 2020. "A Decision Support Tool for Rural Water Supply Planning," EfD Discussion Paper 20-6, Environment for Development, University of Gothenburg.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:gunefd:2020_006
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    rural water supply; decision support; development economics; water supply engineering;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • Q25 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - Water

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