Sustainability and scale-up of household water treatment and safe storage practices: Enablers and barriers to effective implementation. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, March 2015.
Authors: Edema Ojomo, Mark Elliott, Lorelei Goodyear, Michael Forson, Jamie Bartram
Household water treatment and safe storage (HWTS) options provide a solution, when employed correctly and consistently, for managing water safety at home. However, despite years of promotion by non-governmental organizations (NGOs), governments and others, boiling is the only method to achieve scale. Many HWTS programs have reported strong initial uptake and use that then decreases over time. This study maps out enablers and barriers to HWTS sustainability and scale-up.
Interviews were carried out with 72 HWTS practitioners who had direct experience with HWTS programs in over 25 countries. A total of 47 enablers and barriers important to sustaining and scaling up HWTS practices were identified. These were grouped into six domains: (1) user guidance on HWTS products; (2) resource availability; (3) standards, certification and regulations; (4) integration and collaboration; (5) user preferences; and (6) market strategies.
Collectively, the six domains cover the major aspects of moving products from development to the consumers. It is important that each domain is considered in all programs that aim to sustain and scale-up HWTS practices. The findings described in this paper can aid governments, NGOs, and other organizations involved in HWTS to approach programs more effectively and efficiently.
