Testing of a continuous monitoring system for water services and hygiene- Safely managed drinking water and sanitation systems in rural Kazakhstan
(2019) In TVVR 18/5011 VVRM05 20181Division of Water Resources Engineering
- Abstract
- The drinking water and sanitation systems (WSS) in rural Kazakhstan have since its independence in 1991 been challenged with deteriorating implemented centralized systems where the population has been forced to explore individual, decentralized options to ensure a drinking water supply. With a limited documentation and classification of current WSS operating in rural settlements, the large-scale water programmes in recent years have been unsuccessful to improve conditions. By developing and testing a continuous monitoring system, where classification of operated systems follow international criteria, progression to more efficiently identify existing WSS and possible sustainability concerns is aimed to be achieved. By introducing... (More)
- The drinking water and sanitation systems (WSS) in rural Kazakhstan have since its independence in 1991 been challenged with deteriorating implemented centralized systems where the population has been forced to explore individual, decentralized options to ensure a drinking water supply. With a limited documentation and classification of current WSS operating in rural settlements, the large-scale water programmes in recent years have been unsuccessful to improve conditions. By developing and testing a continuous monitoring system, where classification of operated systems follow international criteria, progression to more efficiently identify existing WSS and possible sustainability concerns is aimed to be achieved. By introducing classifications on decentralized systems, based on a safety level presented through the UN sustainable development goals, directly inquired by households through questionnaires administered by the local community, communication between households and institutions could be improved. The continuous monitoring system was tested in three villages during a field study to North-Eastern Kazakhstan, where 634 households (79% of total households) were successfully interviewed as well as local stakeholders and authorities. The villages visited were Chernoyarka, Novo-Chernoyarka and Sychyovka located north from the regional capital Pavlodar.
By introducing an analysis tool to assess sustainability components to households or settlements with inadequate WSS, it could further specify the limitations contributing to challenges in the community. The sustainability components tested in this thesis are environmental, socio-cultural, institutional, economic, health and technological where each component is analysed through in-depth questionnaires enquired by 50 households in the visited villages.
The results from the questionnaires showed limitations in technological implementations, where each household’s capacity and economic prerequisites determined installed WSS. Even though the majority of implemented systems meet basic levels of safety, the unregulated installation methods pose risks to operations. With limited institutional involvement, the prevailing systems are neither documented nor monitored to ensure a safely managed service or drinking water quality. By altering the approach towards rural WSS to improve already implemented decentralized systems, cost effective measures to more continuously monitor conditions and sustainability concerns could increase the trust between individual households and involved institutions. By financing drinking water analysis stations to be introduced and managed by local persons, capacity building and awareness of villagers would likely improve. Involving the community in the development and management process in rural settlements could be an initial step towards better communication with institutional improvement as well as increasing local capacity as a potential outcome. (Less) - Popular Abstract
- Would you know how to install a safe and sustainable drinking water and sanitation system in your household without guidelines or financial support? Since independence in 1991, the population of rural Kazakhstan has been increasingly challenged with the task to suffice their own needs by themselves without external aid. Through improved communication systems between the state and its people, with clearly defined implementation regulations, the population could endure current and forthcoming challenges.
Kazakhstan, situated in Central Asia, is the ninth largest country in the world consisting of 18 million people, resulting in a sparsely and wide-spread distribution of its population. Despite an urbanization to its larger cities in... (More) - Would you know how to install a safe and sustainable drinking water and sanitation system in your household without guidelines or financial support? Since independence in 1991, the population of rural Kazakhstan has been increasingly challenged with the task to suffice their own needs by themselves without external aid. Through improved communication systems between the state and its people, with clearly defined implementation regulations, the population could endure current and forthcoming challenges.
Kazakhstan, situated in Central Asia, is the ninth largest country in the world consisting of 18 million people, resulting in a sparsely and wide-spread distribution of its population. Despite an urbanization to its larger cities in recent years, about half of its population still live in smaller settlements in rural Kazakhstan.
The current conditions of the drinking water and sanitation systems are rarely classified, where the knowledge of the households to ensure safe and sustainable practices are mostly unknown. The practices for sanitation and hygiene is especially afflicted, as this type of information is nearly absent in remote areas. Without proper understanding of the situation, the many health concerns associated with unsafe water and hygiene practices can be devastating. This report explores the compatibility of a continuous monitoring system where the applications to gather information on drinking water and services for sanitation and hygiene is tested. This type of system could be a potential tool to provide a clarified foundation as well as improve communication and a sense of trust between the different stakeholders involved.
To test this method of communication and monitoring, three villages located north from the regional capital Pavlodar in north-eastern Kazakhstan were visited. With an online-based questionnaire the households were interviewed on demographic information, available drinking and sanitation facilities as well as hygiene practices. The information gathered were chosen to follow international criterions from United Nation’s sustainable development goals. Extended interviews were performed to further evaluate the present conditions and origins of potential challenges based on six produced sustainability components.
From the gathered information from household interviews and supplementary interviews from other local stakeholders, the conditions in visited villages were classified as adequately safe and sustainable for a majority of households. However, concerns arose where drinking water quality and installation methods were rarely monitored by external persons or institutions. With an individualistic approach to provide water and sanitation services, the exposed households will likely suffer, where possible improvement is limited.
The necessity to improve the rural conditions of drinking water and sanitation is paramount to ensure a sustainable and safe future for its population. To introduce a system for communication alongside clarified national regulations on household solutions could be an initial step towards a more effective development plan. Kazakhstan’s water and sanitation services for rural populations are in dire need of attention, where improved communication and trust may endure tomorrow’s challenges. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/8969130
- author
- Ljungkvist, Viktor LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- VVRM05 20181
- year
- 2019
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Kazakhstan, Drinking water, Sanitation, Hygiene, Communication, Monitoring system, Sustainable development, Classification
- publication/series
- TVVR 18/5011
- report number
- 18/5011
- ISSN
- 1101-9824
- language
- English
- additional info
- Examiner: Professor Kenneth M. Persson
- id
- 8969130
- date added to LUP
- 2019-03-05 11:51:18
- date last changed
- 2019-03-05 11:51:18
@misc{8969130,
abstract = {{The drinking water and sanitation systems (WSS) in rural Kazakhstan have since its independence in 1991 been challenged with deteriorating implemented centralized systems where the population has been forced to explore individual, decentralized options to ensure a drinking water supply. With a limited documentation and classification of current WSS operating in rural settlements, the large-scale water programmes in recent years have been unsuccessful to improve conditions. By developing and testing a continuous monitoring system, where classification of operated systems follow international criteria, progression to more efficiently identify existing WSS and possible sustainability concerns is aimed to be achieved. By introducing classifications on decentralized systems, based on a safety level presented through the UN sustainable development goals, directly inquired by households through questionnaires administered by the local community, communication between households and institutions could be improved. The continuous monitoring system was tested in three villages during a field study to North-Eastern Kazakhstan, where 634 households (79% of total households) were successfully interviewed as well as local stakeholders and authorities. The villages visited were Chernoyarka, Novo-Chernoyarka and Sychyovka located north from the regional capital Pavlodar.
By introducing an analysis tool to assess sustainability components to households or settlements with inadequate WSS, it could further specify the limitations contributing to challenges in the community. The sustainability components tested in this thesis are environmental, socio-cultural, institutional, economic, health and technological where each component is analysed through in-depth questionnaires enquired by 50 households in the visited villages.
The results from the questionnaires showed limitations in technological implementations, where each household’s capacity and economic prerequisites determined installed WSS. Even though the majority of implemented systems meet basic levels of safety, the unregulated installation methods pose risks to operations. With limited institutional involvement, the prevailing systems are neither documented nor monitored to ensure a safely managed service or drinking water quality. By altering the approach towards rural WSS to improve already implemented decentralized systems, cost effective measures to more continuously monitor conditions and sustainability concerns could increase the trust between individual households and involved institutions. By financing drinking water analysis stations to be introduced and managed by local persons, capacity building and awareness of villagers would likely improve. Involving the community in the development and management process in rural settlements could be an initial step towards better communication with institutional improvement as well as increasing local capacity as a potential outcome.}},
author = {{Ljungkvist, Viktor}},
issn = {{1101-9824}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
series = {{TVVR 18/5011}},
title = {{Testing of a continuous monitoring system for water services and hygiene- Safely managed drinking water and sanitation systems in rural Kazakhstan}},
year = {{2019}},
}