1
|
Wutich A, Thomson P, Jepson W, Stoler J, Cooperman AD, Doss-Gollin J, Jantrania A, Mayer A, Nelson-Nuñez J, Walker WS, Westerhoff P. MAD Water: Integrating Modular, Adaptive, and Decentralized Approaches for Water Security in the Climate Change Era. WIREs Water 2023; 10:e1680. [PMID: 38162537 PMCID: PMC10756426 DOI: 10.1002/wat2.1680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Centralized water infrastructure has, over the last century, brought safe and reliable drinking water to much of the world. But climate change, combined with aging and underfunding, is increasingly testing the limits of-and reversing gains made by-these large-scale water systems. To address these growing strains and gaps, we must assess and advance alternatives to centralized water provision and sanitation. The water literature is rife with examples of systems that are neither centralized nor networked, but still meet water needs of local communities in important ways, including: informal and hybrid water systems, decentralized water provision, community-based water management, small drinking water systems, point-of-use treatment, small-scale water vendors, and packaged water. Our work builds on these literatures by proposing a convergence approach that can integrate and explore the benefits and challenges of modular, adaptive, and decentralized ("MAD") water provision and sanitation, often foregrounding important advances in engineering technology. We further provide frameworks to evaluate justice, economic feasibility, governance, human health, and environmental sustainability as key parameters of MAD water system performance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amber Wutich
- School of Human Evolution & Social Change, Cady Mall, Tempe, AZ 85281, Arizona State University
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Stoler J, Miller JD, Brewis A, Freeman MC, Harris LM, Jepson W, Pearson AL, Rosinger AY, Shah SH, Staddon C, Workman C, Wutich A, Young SL. Household water insecurity will complicate the ongoing COVID-19 response: Evidence from 29 sites in 23 low- and middle-income countries. Int J Hyg Environ Health 2021; 234:113715. [PMID: 33735823 PMCID: PMC7894133 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2021.113715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 01/25/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a set of public guidelines for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevention measures that highlighted handwashing, physical distancing, and household cleaning. These health behaviors are severely compromised in parts of the world that lack secure water supplies, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We used empirical data gathered in 2017-2018 from 8,297 households in 29 sites across 23 LMICs to address the potential implications of water insecurity for COVID-19 prevention and response. These data demonstrate how household water insecurity presents many pathways for limiting personal and environmental hygiene, impeding physical distancing and exacerbating existing social and health vulnerabilities that can lead to more severe COVID-19 outcomes. In the four weeks prior to survey implementation, 45.9% of households in our sample either were unable to wash their hands or reported borrowing water from others, which may undermine hygiene and physical distancing. Further, 70.9% of households experienced one or more water-related problems that potentially undermine COVID-19 control strategies or disease treatment, including insufficient water for bathing, laundering, or taking medication; drinking unsafe water; going to sleep thirsty; or having little-to-no drinking water. These findings help identify where water provision is most relevant to managing COVID-19 spread and outcomes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Joshua D Miller
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Sameer H Shah
- University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Rosinger AY, Brewis A, Wutich A, Jepson W, Staddon C, Stoler J, Young SL. Corrigendum to "Water borrowing is consistently practiced globally and is associated with water-related system failures across diverse environments" [Global Environ. Change 64 (2020) 102148]. Glob Environ Change 2020; 65:102196. [PMID: 33707814 PMCID: PMC7946130 DOI: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2020.102196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
[This corrects the article PMC7566692.].
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Asher Y. Rosinger
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State
University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University,
University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Alexandra Brewis
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Phoenix,
Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Amber Wutich
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Phoenix,
Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Wendy Jepson
- Department of Geography, Texas A&M University, College
Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Chad Staddon
- Centre for Water, Communities and Resilience, University of
the West of England, Bistol BS161QY, UK
| | - Justin Stoler
- Department of Geography, University of Miami, Coral Gables,
FL 33146, USA
| | - Sera L. Young
- Department of Anthropology & Institute for Policy
Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
4
|
Rosinger AY, Brewis A, Wutich A, Jepson W, Staddon C, Stoler J, Young SL. Water borrowing is consistently practiced globally and is associated with water-related system failures across diverse environments. Glob Environ Change 2020; 64:102148. [PMID: 33071475 PMCID: PMC7566692 DOI: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2020.102148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Water problems due to scarcity, inaccessibility, or poor quality are a major barrier to household functioning, livelihood, and health globally. Household-to-household water borrowing has been posited as a strategy to alleviate unmet water needs. However, the prevalence and predictors of this practice have not been systematically examined. Therefore, we tested whether water borrowing occurs across diverse global contexts with varying water problems. Second, we tested if household water borrowing is associated with unmet water needs, perceived socio-economic status (SES), and/or water-related system failures, and if water access moderated (or changed) these relationships. Using survey data from the Household Water Insecurity Experiences (HWISE) study from 21 sites in 19 low- and middle-income countries (n = 5495 households), we found that household-to-household water borrowing was practiced in all 21 sites, with 44.7% (11.4-85.4%) of households borrowing water at least once the previous month. Multilevel mixed-effect logistic regression models demonstrate that high unmet water needs (odds ratio [OR] = 2.86], 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.09-3.91), low perceived SES (OR = 1.09; 95% CI = 1.05-1.13), and water-related system failures (23-258%) were all significantly associated with higher odds of water borrowing. Significant interactions (all p < 0.01) between water access, unmet water needs, and water-related system failures on water borrowing indicate that water access moderates these relationships. These data are the first to demonstrate that borrowing water is commonly used by households around the world to cope with water insecurity. Due to how prevalent water borrowing is, its implications for social dynamics, resource allocation, and health and well-being are likely vast but severely under-recognized.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Asher Y. Rosinger
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Corresponding author at: 219 Biobehavioral Health Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA. (A.Y. Rosinger)
| | - Alexandra Brewis
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Phoenix, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Amber Wutich
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Phoenix, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Wendy Jepson
- Department of Geography, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Chad Staddon
- Centre for Water, Communities and Resilience, University of the West of England, Bistol BS161QY, UK
| | - Justin Stoler
- Department of Geography, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
| | - Sera L. Young
- Department of Anthropology & Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Brewis A, Workman C, Wutich A, Jepson W, Young S, Ahmed JF, Alexander M, Balogun M, Boivin M, Carrillo G, Chapman K, Cole S, Collins S, Figueroa L, Freeman M, Gershim A, Ghattas H, Hagaman A, Jamaluddine Z, Jepson W, Tshala‐Katumbay D, Krishnakumar D, Maes K, Mathad J, Maupin J, Mbullo P, Miller J, Muslin IM, Niesluchowski M, Omidvar N, Pearson A, Melgar‐Quiñonez H, Sanchez‐Rodríguez C, Rosinger A, Santoso MV, Schuster R, Srivastava S, Staddon C, Stoler J, Sullivan A, Tesfaye Y, Triviño N, Trowell A, Tutu R, Escobar‐Vargar J, Zinab H. Household water insecurity is strongly associated with food insecurity: Evidence from 27 sites in low- and middle-income countries. Am J Hum Biol 2020; 32:e23309. [PMID: 31444940 PMCID: PMC9942689 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2019] [Revised: 07/18/2019] [Accepted: 08/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Food and water insecurity have both been demonstrated as acute and chronic stressors and undermine human health and development. A basic untested proposition is that they chronically coexist, and that household water insecurity is a fundamental driver of household food insecurity. METHODS We provide a preliminary assessment of their association using cross-sectional data from 27 sites with highly diverse forms of water insecurity in 21 low- and middle-income countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and the Americas (N = 6691 households). Household food insecurity and its subdomains (food quantity, food quality, and anxiety around food) were estimated using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale; water insecurity and subdomains (quantity, quality, and opportunity costs) were estimated based on similar self-reported data. RESULTS In multilevel generalized linear mixed-effect modeling (GLMM), composite water insecurity scores were associated with higher scores for all subdomains of food insecurity. Rural households were better buffered against water insecurity effects on food quantity and urban ones for food quality. Similarly, higher scores for all subdomains of water insecurity were associated with greater household food insecurity. CONCLUSIONS Considering the diversity of sites included in the modeling, the patterning supports a basic theory: household water insecurity chronically coexists with household food insecurity. Water insecurity is a more plausible driver of food insecurity than the converse. These findings directly challenge development practices in which household food security interventions are often enacted discretely from water security ones.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Cassandra Workman
- University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina
| | | | | | - Sera Young
- Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
6
|
Wutich A, Rosinger AY, Stoler J, Jepson W, Brewis A. Measuring Human Water Needs. Am J Hum Biol 2019; 32:e23350. [PMID: 31702101 PMCID: PMC7050503 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Revised: 10/02/2019] [Accepted: 10/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Water connects the environment, culture, and biology, yet only recently has it emerged as a major focus for research in human biology. To facilitate such research, we describe methods to measure biological, environmental, and perceptual indicators of human water needs. This toolkit provides an overview of methods for assessing different dimensions of human water need, both well‐established and newly‐developed. These include: (a) markers of hydration (eg, urine specific gravity, doubly labeled water) important for measuring the impacts of water need on human biological functioning; (b) methods for measuring water quality (eg, digital colorimeter, membrane filtration) essential for understanding the health risks associated with exposure to microbiological, organic, metal, inorganic nonmental, and other contaminants; and (c) assessments of household water insecurity status that track aspects of unmet water needs (eg, inadequate water service, unaffordability, and experiences of water insecurity) that are directly relevant to human health and biology. Together, these methods can advance new research about the role of water in human biology and health, including the ways that insufficient, unsafe, or insecure water produces negative biological and health outcomes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Asher Y Rosinger
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania.,Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
| | - Justin Stoler
- Department of Geography, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida.,Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Miami, Miami, Florida
| | - Wendy Jepson
- Department of Geography, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
| | | |
Collapse
|
7
|
Wutich A, Budds J, Jepson W, Harris L, Adams E, Brewis A, Cronk L, DeMyers C, Maes K, Marley T, Miller J, Pearson A, Rosinger A, Schuster R, Stoler J, Staddon C, Wiessner P, Workman C, Young S. Household water sharing: A review of water gifts, exchanges, and transfers across cultures. WIREs Water 2018; 5:e1309. [PMID: 30858971 PMCID: PMC6407694 DOI: 10.1002/wat2.1309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Water sharing offers insight into the everyday and, at times, invisible ties that bind people and households with water and to one another. Water sharing can take many forms, including so-called "pure gifts," balanced exchanges, and negative reciprocity. In this paper, we examine water sharing between households as a culturally-embedded practice that may be both need-based and symbolically meaningful. Drawing on a wide-ranging review of diverse literatures, we describe how households practice water sharing cross-culturally in the context of four livelihood strategies (hunter-gatherer, pastoralist, agricultural, and urban). We then explore how cross-cutting material conditions (risks and costs/benefits, infrastructure and technologies), socio-economic processes (social and political power, water entitlements, ethnicity and gender, territorial sovereignty), and cultural norms (moral economies of water, water ontologies, and religious beliefs) shape water sharing practices. Finally, we identify five new directions for future research on water sharing: conceptualization of water sharing; exploitation and status accumulation through water sharing, biocultural approaches to the health risks and benefits of water sharing, cultural meanings and socio-economic values of waters shared; and water sharing as a way to enact resistance and build alternative economies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Ellis Adams
- PO Box 872402 Tempe 85287-2402, United States
| | | | - Lee Cronk
- PO Box 872402 Tempe 85287-2402, United States
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Sera Young
- PO Box 872402 Tempe 85287-2402, United States
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Wutich A, Budds J, Eichelberger L, Geere J, Harris L, Horney J, Jepson W, Norman E, O'Reilly K, Pearson A, Shah S, Shinn J, Simpson K, Staddon C, Stoler J, Teodoro MP, Young S. Advancing methods for research on household water insecurity: Studying entitlements and capabilities, socio-cultural dynamics, and political processes, institutions and governance. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017. [PMID: 29532811 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasec.2017.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Household water insecurity has serious implications for the health, livelihoods and wellbeing of people around the world. Existing methods to assess the state of household water insecurity focus largely on water quality, quantity or adequacy, source or reliability, and affordability. These methods have significant advantages in terms of their simplicity and comparability, but are widely recognized to oversimplify and underestimate the global burden of household water insecurity. In contrast, a broader definition of household water insecurity should include entitlements and human capabilities, sociocultural dynamics, and political institutions and processes. This paper proposes a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods that can be widely adopted across cultural, geographic, and demographic contexts to assess hard-to-measure dimensions of household water insecurity. In doing so, it critically evaluates existing methods for assessing household water insecurity and suggests ways in which methodological innovations advance a broader definition of household water insecurity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amber Wutich
- School of Human Evolution & Social Change and Center for Global Health, Arizona State University
| | - Jessica Budds
- School of International Development, University of East Anglia
| | | | - Jo Geere
- School of Allied Health Professions, University of East Anglia
| | - Leila Harris
- Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia
| | - Jennifer Horney
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Texas A&M University
| | | | - Emma Norman
- Native Environmental Science Program, Northwest Indian College
| | | | - Amber Pearson
- Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences, Michigan State University
| | - Sameer Shah
- Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia
| | - Jamie Shinn
- Department of Geology & Geography, West Virginia University
| | - Karen Simpson
- Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of West England Bristol
| | - Chad Staddon
- Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of West England Bristol
| | - Justin Stoler
- Department of Geography and Regional Studies, University of Miami
| | | | - Sera Young
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
|
10
|
|
11
|
|
12
|
|
13
|
Jepson W. V. A Means of Regulating Inflation of the Bladder preliminary to Suprapubic Cystotomy. Ann Surg 1898; 28:358-65. [PMID: 17860624 PMCID: PMC1427067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
|