Cost of services and willingness to pay for reliable urban water supply: a study from Delhi, India

2005 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 135-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Dutta ◽  
A.P. Tiwari
Keyword(s):  
Willingness To Pay ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Contingent Valuation Method ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Supply ◽  
Efficient Manner ◽  
The Cost

The provision of safe and universal water supply in an equitable and efficient manner is extremely important for urban water reform programs currently being carried out in developing countries. The sector reform not only requires a significant amount of working capital, but also people's willingness to pay for the improved infrastructure. This paper serves two purposes – first, it explains the meaning of ‘full-cost of water services’ in urban areas and attempts to provide a framework to value economic and environmental externalities for the urban water supply and use through a case study of India's capital city – Delhi. The second part uses contingent valuation method to establish people's willingness to pay from a survey of 1,100 households for water supply with better quality and reliability. Policy implications are subsequently discussed, keeping in mind cost of provision of water supplies. Also included is the assessment of the cost of unreliable supply (coping cost), which otherwise households are spending in the absence of a reliable supply. The paper shows several instances of reciprocal externality wherein the residents themselves absorb the cost of over-extraction, in terms of declining water tables, and cost of salinity in terms of decentralised treatment cost.

Willingness to pay to improve urban water supply: the case of Sucre, Bolivia

Water Policy ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 112-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salvador del Saz-Salazar ◽  
Francisco González-Gómez ◽  
Jorge Guardiola
Keyword(s):  
Willingness To Pay ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Selection Bias ◽  
Contingent Valuation Method ◽  
Sample Selection ◽  
Sample Selection Bias ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Supply ◽  
Valuation Method ◽  
Protest Responses

In this study the contingent valuation method is applied in order to estimate the willingness to pay (WTP) of the inhabitants of Sucre (Bolivia) for an improvement in the urban water supply system. The study finds that about 55 per cent of households would be willing to pay an increase in their water bill for an improvement in the service. In order to deal with the problem of protest responses and the possible presence of a sample selection bias, a Heckman two-step model was estimated. More specifically, the econometric analysis undertaken reveals that there is no evidence of sample selection bias and that WTP positively relates to the respondents' household income, their level of education, the continuity of the water supply service, and the fact of being forced to carry water to cover their basic needs of drinking, cooking and hygiene.

scholarly journals Innovative approach for achieving of sustainable urban water supply system by using of solar photovoltaic energy

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jure Margeta ◽  
Bojan Đurin
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Water Reservoir ◽  
Supply System ◽  
Water Supply System ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Solar Photovoltaic ◽  
Urban Water Supply ◽  
Pump Station

Paper describes and analyses new and innovative concept for possible integration of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy in urban water supply system (UWSS). Proposed system consists of PV generator and invertor, pump station and water reservoir. System is sized in such a manner that every his part is sized separately and after this integrated into a whole. This integration is desirable for several reasons, where the most important is the achievement of the objectives of sustainable living in urban areas i.e. achieving of sustainable urban water supply system. The biggest technological challenge associated with the use of solar, wind and other intermittent renewable energy sources RES is the realization of economically and environmentally friendly electric energy storage (EES). The paper elaborates the use of water reservoires in UWSS as EES. The proposed solution is still more expensive than the traditional and is economically acceptable today in the cases of isolated urban water system and special situations. Wider application will depend on the future trends of energy prices, construction costs of PV generators and needs for CO2 reduction by urban water infrastructure.

scholarly journals Distribution, Sources and Risk Assessment of Microplastics in Sediments of an Urban Water Supply Reservoir, China

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunzhao Liu ◽  
Zhongguan Jiang ◽  
Jiajun Wu ◽  
Xianfu Zhao ◽  
Jing Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Freshwater Ecosystems ◽  
Anthropogenic Activity ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Supply ◽  
Water Supply Reservoir ◽  
Urban Sites

Abstract In freshwater ecosystems, previous studies on microplastics have been mostly focused on natural rivers and lakes, with limited consideration of urban water source areas. Sediments, recording the steady process of microplastics accumulation during a long period of time, can act as an important sink for microplastics. In this study, we investigated the distribution, characteristics and ecological risks of microplastic contaminants in sediments of a water supply reservoir of Hefei City (the Dafangying Reservoir). Meanwhile, the differences of microplastic concentrations in sediments between the rural and urban areas were also compared. The average microplastics abundance of sediments in rural areas was 83.20 ± 32.99 n/100g dry weight (dw), and 182.67 ± 72.21 n/100g (dw) in urban areas. The total microplastic concentrations were significantly higher in sediments of urban sites than that in rural sites (p < 0.01), which can be ascribed to more complex and diverse microplastic sources triggered by intensive anthropogenic activity in cities. Specifically, we also demonstrated significantly higher microbead abundance (p < 0.01) in urban sites, which may result from the widespread use of microbead in personal care products. Our results detected five shapes (fibers, debris, films, foams and microbeads) and seven colors (white, black, transparency, red, blue, green and brown) of microplastics in sediments of the Dafangying Reservoir, with fibers and transparency accounting for the dominant shape and color, respectively. Given the complexity and diversity of microplastics in urban areas, we exhibited a relatively higher abundance of microplastics in the Dafangying Reservoir than that in other rural larger reservoirs. According to the index of geoaccumulation, the sedimentary microplastics were assessed as moderately polluted. Our study provides valuable references for microplastic contaminants in urban water supply reservoir, and highlights the importance of microplastics assessment in aquatic ecosystems.

A new paradigm for low-cost urban water supplies and sanitation in developing countries

Water Policy ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duncan Mara ◽  
Graham Alabaster
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Supply ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Sanitation Services ◽  
Poor Households ◽  
Sanitation Systems ◽  
Water Supply And Sanitation

To achieve the Millennium Development Goals for urban water supply and sanitation ∼300,000 and ∼400,000 people will have to be provided with an adequate water supply and adequate sanitation, respectively, every day during 2001–2015. The provision of urban water supply and sanitation services for these numbers of people necessitates action not only on an unprecedented scale, but also in a radically new way as “more of the same” is unlikely to achieve these goals. A “new paradigm” is proposed for low-cost urban water supply and sanitation, as follows: water supply and sanitation provision in urban areas and large villages should be to groups of households, not to individual households. Groups of households would form (even be required to form, or pay more if they do not) water and sanitation cooperatives. There would be standpipe and yard-tap cooperatives served by community-managed sanitation blocks, on-site sanitation systems or condominial sewerage, depending on space availability and costs and, for non-poor households, in-house multiple-tap cooperatives served by condominial sewerage or, in low-density areas, by septic tanks with on-site effluent disposal. Very poor households (those unable to afford to form standpipe cooperatives) would be served by community-managed standpipes and sanitation blocks.

scholarly journals Urban water supply automation – today and tomorrow

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustaf Olsson
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Integrated Management ◽  
Supply System ◽  
Water Supply System ◽  
Human Hand ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Supply ◽  
Critical Feature ◽  
Sustainable Operations

Abstract Automation is a collection of a whole set of theories and methods to make a system work automatically as intended, in our case the urban water supply system. A critical feature of automation is the feedback principle: a sensor is measuring a certain variable, e.g. a concentration; a computer tests that the measurement is valid; a computer algorithm calculates and decides what should be corrected; a pump or valve or some other device transforms the decision to action. All of this is untouched by human hand. The ‘intention’, or the goal, must be provided to the controller. The key component of automation is the system that can represent any component or process in the water supply system and even the complete system. Automation technology always must be combined with a true understanding of people at all levels. Otherwise, there is a high risk for misunderstandings and failures. Three categories of problems are highlighted, where automation can contribute: uncertainty, feedback, and complexity. A key challenge is the handling of disturbances. Integrated management of the whole urban water cycle will be required in future urban areas to acquire sustainable operations. Automation is a crucial condition to make integration possible in complex systems.

scholarly journals The cost of alternative urban water supply and efficiency options in California

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 042001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Cooley ◽  
Rapichan Phurisamban ◽  
Peter Gleick
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Supply ◽  
The Cost

Measuring willingness to pay for improved urban water supply in Offa City, Kwara State, Nigeria

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 933-941
Author(s):  
B. F. Sule ◽  
O. G. Okeola
Keyword(s):  
Willingness To Pay ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Econometric Model ◽  
Social Benefit ◽  
Level Of Service ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Supply ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The City ◽  
Private Sector Involvement

This paper is a study on financial sustainability of water supply service to the city of Offa, in Kwara State, Nigeria. The value consumers place on water supply and the willingness-to-pay (WTP) for improved service and the factors that influence their preferences were determined using an econometric model. The WTP was estimated using a double-bounded dichotomous model and the mean WTP was found to be 70% higher than the current tariff, while the expected monthly revenue from domestic customers alone was 21 million ($175,000)1. The study revealed that the consumers were not satisfied with the level of service but they were willing to pay for improved service and even support reforms that will bring about this change. The mean WTP in practical terms gives social benefit of a policy for the offered service for the affected population. The study outcome shows that the high WTP is a good incentive for private sector involvement in the management of urban water supply.

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