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Pumps, Germs And Storage: The Impact Of Improved Water Containers On Water Quality And Health

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  • Isabel Günther
  • Youdi Schipper

Abstract

Applying a randomized controlled trial, we study the impact of improved water transport and storage containers on the water quality and health of poor rural households. The results indicate that improved household water infrastructure improves water quality and health outcomes in an environment where point‐of‐source water quality is good but where recontamination is widespread, leading to unsafe point‐of‐use drinking water. Moreover, usage rates of 88% after 7 months are encouraging with regard to sustainable adoption. Our estimates suggest that the provision of improved household water infrastructure could ‘keep clean water clean’ at a cost of only 5% of the costs of providing households with improved public water supply. Given the general consensus in the literature that recontamination of water from improved public sources is a severe public health problem, improved transport and storage technologies appear to be an effective low‐cost supplement to the current standard of financing public water supply for poor rural communities. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Suggested Citation

  • Isabel Günther & Youdi Schipper, 2013. "Pumps, Germs And Storage: The Impact Of Improved Water Containers On Water Quality And Health," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 22(7), pages 757-774, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:hlthec:v:22:y:2013:i:7:p:757-774
    DOI: 10.1002/hec.2852
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Charles Yaw Okyere, 2020. "Environmental quality, gender and health outcomes in Southern Ghana," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(8), pages 7865-7886, December.
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    4. Jennifer Trudeau & Anna-Maria Aksan & William F. Vásquez, 2018. "Water system unreliability and diarrhea incidence among children in Guatemala," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 63(2), pages 241-250, March.
    5. Yasuharu Shimamura & Satoshi Shimizutani & Shimpei Taguchi & Hiroyuki Yamada, 2020. "The Impact of Improved Access to Safe Water on Childhood Health, Schooling and Time Allocation in Rural Zambia," Keio-IES Discussion Paper Series 2020-022, Institute for Economics Studies, Keio University.
    6. Okyere, Charles Yaw & Pangaribowo, Evita Hanie & Asante, Felix Ankomah & von Braun, Joachim, "undated". "The Impacts of Household Water Quality Testing and Information on Safe Water Behaviors: Evidence from a Randomized Experiment in Ghana," Discussion Papers 256216, University of Bonn, Center for Development Research (ZEF).
    7. Alexandra Huttinger & Robert Dreibelbis & Kristin Roha & Fidel Ngabo & Felix Kayigamba & Leodomir Mfura & Christine Moe, 2015. "Evaluation of Membrane Ultrafiltration and Residual Chlorination as a Decentralized Water Treatment Strategy for Ten Rural Healthcare Facilities in Rwanda," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-22, October.
    8. Awaworyi Churchill, Sefa & Ocloo, Janet Exornam & Siawor-Robertson, Diana, 2015. "Ethnic diversity makes me sick! An examination of ethnic diversity’s effect on health outcomes," EconStor Preprints 123721, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    9. Yasuharu Shimamura & Satoshi Shimizutani & Shimpei Taguchi & Hiroyuki Yamada, 2025. "Improved access to safe water: effects on adult health and time allocation in rural Zambia," Journal of Development Effectiveness, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(3), pages 362-381, July.
    10. Charles Yaw Okyere & Evita Hanie Pangaribowo & Nicolas Gerber, 2019. "Household Water Quality Testing and Information: Identifying Impacts on Health Outcomes and Sanitation- and Hygiene-Related Risk-Mitigating Behaviors," Evaluation Review, , vol. 43(6), pages 370-395, December.
    11. Camille Boudot‐Reddy & Anita Mukherjee, 2021. "Improving the adoption of household health products: A sales experiment with chlorine tablets," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(3), pages 623-641, March.
    12. Yasuharu SHIMAMURA & Hiroshi NISHINO & Hirofumi TSURUTA & Keitaro AOYAGI, 2017. "Effect of Groundwater Development Project on Diarrhea Incidence in Rural Zambia," GSICS Working Paper Series 31, Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies, Kobe University.
    13. Sefa Awaworyi Churchill & Janet Exornam Ocloo & Diana Siawor-Robertson, 2017. "Ethnic Diversity and Health Outcomes," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 134(3), pages 1077-1112, December.
    14. Rafi Amir‐ud‐Din & Muhammad Khan & Zahra Murad & Irene Mussio, 2025. "Clear Waters, Bright Futures: Do Low‐Cost Information Interventions Increase Health Preventive Behaviors," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(9), pages 1578-1594, September.
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