Socio-economic inequalities in access to drinking water among inhabitants of informal settlements in South Africa
OUTPUT TYPE: Journal Article
PUBLICATION YEAR: 2021
TITLE AUTHOR(S): M.J.Oskam, M.Pavlova, C.Hongoro, W.Groot
KEYWORDS: ACCESS TO WATER, INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS, SOCIO-ECONOMIC INEQUALITIES
DEPARTMENT: Developmental, Capable and Ethical State (DCES)
Web link: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/19/10528
Print: HSRC Library: shelf number 12157
HANDLE: 20.500.11910/16587
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11910/16587
If you would like to obtain a copy of this Research Output, please contact Hanlie Baudin at researchoutputs@hsrc.ac.za.
Abstract
While evidence from several developing countries suggests the existence of socio-economic inequalities in the access to safe drinking water, a limited number of studies have been conducted on this topic in informal settlements. This study assessed socio-economic inequalities in the use of drinking water among inhabitants of informal settlements in South Africa. The study used data from "The baseline study for future impact evaluation for informal settlements targeted for upgrading in South Africa. Households eligible for participation were living in informal settlements targeted for upgrading in all nine provinces of South Africa. Socio-economic inequalities were assessed by means of multinomial logistic regression analyses, concentration indices, and concentration curves. The results showed that the use of a piped tap on the property was disproportionately concentrated among households with higher socio-economic status (concentration index: +0.17), while households with lower socio-economic status were often limited to the use of other inferior (less safe or distant) sources of drinking water (concentration index for nearby public tap: 0.21; distant public tap: 0.17; no-tap water: 0.33). The use of inferior types of drinking water was significantly associated with the age, the marital status, the education status, and the employment status of the household head. Our results demonstrate that reducing these inequalities requires installing new tap water points in informal settlements to assure a more equitable distribution of water points among households. Besides, it is recommended to invest in educational interventions aimed at creating awareness about the potential health risks associated with using unsafe drinking water.-
Related Research Outputs:
- Strategy for gaining access to conduct research in the informal settlement
- Moving to an informal settlement: the Gauteng experience
- Linking universities and marginalised communities: South African case studies of innovation focused on livelihoods in informal settings
- The role of local authorities in supporting the facilitation of formal education services
- Growing up in Canaansland: children's recommendations on improving a squatter camp environment: a site report in the international project: Growing up in cities
- Baseline assessment for future impact evaluation of informal settlements targeted for upgrading: draft: final fieldwork report
- Conflict re-emerges at Crossroads: new shacklords battle the city
- 'Breaking new ground' at the grass roots: conflicts in Crossroads and their implications for new housing programmes
- Local governance and social conflict: implications for piloting South Africa's new housing plan in Cape Town's informal settlements
- Land management in Diepkloof: land shortage, participation and contestation
- Migration trends and human settlements: some implications for service centres
- Demographics and society
- Towards measuring success with human settlements delivery
- A rapid verification study on the informal settlements and backyard shacks' backlog and trends within the Eastern Cape
- A complex challenge for planners
- From informal settlements to brick structures: housing trends in post-apartheid South Africa
- Renewal after shack fires must be created by a multiple partnerships
- A successful city makes space for all
- The state of South African cities 2011
- How diverse are our diets?