Are piped water services reaching poor households? Empirical evidence from rural Viet Nam

Naomi Carrard; Ben Madden; Joanne Chong; Melita Grant; Tuyến Phương Nghiêm; Ly Hà Bùi; Huế Thị Thu Hà; Juliet Willetts

doi:10.1016/j.watres.2019.01.026

Are piped water services reaching poor households? Empirical evidence from rural Viet Nam

Water Res. 2019 Apr 15:153:239-250. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2019.01.026. Epub 2019 Jan 25.

Authors

Naomi Carrard¹, Ben Madden², Joanne Chong³, Melita Grant⁴, Tuyến Phương Nghiêm⁵, Ly Hà Bùi⁶, Huế Thị Thu Hà⁷, Juliet Willetts⁸

Affiliations

¹ Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, Broadway, NSW, 2007, Australia. Electronic address: Naomi.Carrard@uts.edu.au.
² Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, Broadway, NSW, 2007, Australia. Electronic address: Benjamin.Madden@uts.edu.au.
³ Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, Broadway, NSW, 2007, Australia. Electronic address: Joanne.Chong@uts.edu.au.
⁴ Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, Broadway, NSW, 2007, Australia. Electronic address: Melita.Grant@uts.edu.au.
⁵ Central Institute for Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, Viet Nam National University, 19 Lê Thánh Tông, Hanoi, Viet Nam. Electronic address: tuyennghiem_cres@yahoo.com.
⁶ Central Institute for Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, Viet Nam National University, 19 Lê Thánh Tông, Hanoi, Viet Nam. Electronic address: lybhcres@gmail.com.
⁷ Central Institute for Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, Viet Nam National University, 19 Lê Thánh Tông, Hanoi, Viet Nam. Electronic address: hathithuhue2001@yahoo.com.
⁸ Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, Broadway, NSW, 2007, Australia. Electronic address: Juliet.Willetts@uts.edu.au.

PMID: 30731339
DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2019.01.026

Abstract

The delivery of water services to the poor is lagging, yet local causes and manifestations of this are not well understood. Better data is needed to identify inequalities where they occur, explore underlying reasons, and develop strategies to achieve more equitable access. A focus on the local scale is important because this is where water services are delivered, and inequalities in access can be best observed. This paper presents a mixed-methods study of poor households' access to piped water in rural Viet Nam, providing insight into local dynamics of the water/poverty nexus. Findings pointed to lower rates of piped water access for poor households across areas served by government, private and community service providers. Connection fees were found to be the primary barrier to poor households accessing available piped services. The study also found that where financial support is provided, poor households can achieve comparable or even higher rates of access. Key implications of the study are the demonstrated value of, and yet challenges associated with, rigorous local-level monitoring to ensure equitable, quality service delivery.

Keywords: Mixed-methods; Piped water; Poverty; Viet Nam; Water services.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Family Characteristics*
Humans
Rural Population*
Socioeconomic Factors
Vietnam