Assessing the effect of irrigation on household water quality and health: A case study in rural Ethiopia.

In areas with inadequate improved water supply, irrigation water serves as an alternative water source for domestic uses in addition to its prime purpose of agricultural production. This increased water availability for the household can generate positive hygiene and health impacts, but poor irrigation water quality can be a source of domestic water contamination and can be harmful to human health. Using primary household survey data from two rural districts of Ethiopia, this study seeks to disentangle these opposite effects: the results show that irrigation is associated with poor household water quality (adjusted odds ratio 1.68, 95%, CI 1.07-2.66) and a lower risk of diarrheal disease (adjusted odds ratio 2.07, 95%, CI 1.24-3.44). Domestic use of irrigation water, however, does not further degrade the microbial quality of household water. On the other hand, the domestic use of irrigation water reduces the burden of water collection (p < 0.01). Providing education and training programs to foster behavioral change towards sustainable improvements in water resource management, such as the safe use of irrigation water for domestic purposes through appropriate point-of-use water treatment, would be crucial to maximize the benefits of the domestic use of irrigation water and to minimize adverse environmental and health risks.

Drivers of microbiological quality of household drinking water - a case study in rural Ethiopia.

This study aims at assessing the determinants of microbiological contamination of household drinking water under multiple-use water systems in rural areas of Ethiopia. For this analysis, a random sample of 454 households was surveyed between February and March 2014, and water samples from community sources and household storage containers were collected and tested for fecal contamination. The number of Escherichia coli (E. coli) colony-forming units per 100 mL water was used as an indicator of fecal contamination. The microbiological tests demonstrated that 58% of household stored water samples and 38% of protected community water sources were contaminated with E. coli. Moreover, most improved water sources often considered to provide safe water showed the presence of E. coli. The result shows that households' stored water collected from unprotected wells/springs had higher levels of E. coli than stored water from alternative sources. Distance to water sources and water collection containers are also strongly associated with stored water quality. To ensure the quality of stored water, the study suggests that there is a need to promote water safety from the point-of-source to point-of-use, with due considerations for the linkages between water and agriculture to advance the Sustainable Development Goal 6 of ensuring access to clean water for everyone.