Your browser doesn't support javascript.
An examination of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) accessibility and opportunity in urban informal settlements during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from Nairobi, Kenya.
Kim, Junghwan; Hagen, Erica; Muindi, Zacharia; Mbonglou, Gaston; Laituri, Melinda.
  • Kim J; Center for Geographic Analysis, Institute for Quantitative Social Science, Harvard University, USA. Electronic address: junghwan_kim@fas.harvard.edu.
  • Hagen E; GroundTruth Initiative, USA. Electronic address: erica.hagen@gmail.com.
  • Muindi Z; Map Kibera Trust, Kenya. Electronic address: muindre@gmail.com.
  • Mbonglou G; UASG Advisors, USA. Electronic address: gaston.mbonglou@uasgadvisors.com.
  • Laituri M; Center for Geographic Analysis, Institute for Quantitative Social Science, Harvard University, USA; Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, Colorado State University, USA. Electronic address: melinda.laituri@colostate.edu.
Sci Total Environ ; 823: 153398, 2022 Jun 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1655143
ABSTRACT
This research examines water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) accessibility and opportunity in Kibera and Mathare during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. Kibera and Mathare are two of the largest urban informal settlements in Nairobi (the capital city of Kenya) as well as Sub-Saharan Africa. Accessibility indicates how easily a person can reach WASH facilities from their home by walking. Opportunity represents how many WASH options a person has near their home. We utilize the data on water and toilet facilities collected by GroundTruth Initiative in partnership with Map Kibera Trust (local community partners) between February and April 2021 - amid the COVID-19 pandemic. By conducting quantitative geospatial analysis, we illustrate WASH accessibility and related issues that were not evident in previous studies (1) 77.4% of people living in Kibera have limited WASH facility accessibility or opportunity; (2) 60.6% of people living in Mathare have limited WASH facility accessibility or opportunity; (3) there is a clear geographic pattern in WASH facility accessibility and opportunity; and (4) overall accessibility and opportunity is better in Mathare than in Kibera. This study is one of the first studies to examine WASH accessibility and opportunity in urban informal settlements during the COVID-19 pandemic by utilizing the current data and quantitative geospatial methods. Based on the results, we discuss important public health policy implications for people living in urban informal settlements to improve their WASH facility accessibility and opportunity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Subject(s)
Keywords

Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Sanitation / COVID-19 Type of study: Observational study Limits: Humans Country/Region as subject: Africa Language: English Journal: Sci Total Environ Year: 2022 Document Type: Article

Similar

MEDLINE

...
LILACS

LIS


Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Sanitation / COVID-19 Type of study: Observational study Limits: Humans Country/Region as subject: Africa Language: English Journal: Sci Total Environ Year: 2022 Document Type: Article