A Transdisciplinary Methodology for Introducing Solar Water Disinfection to Rural Communities in Malawi—Formative Research Findings

Morse, Tracy; Luwe, Kondwani; Lungu, Kingsley; Chiwaula, Levison; Mulwafu, Wapulumuka; Buck, Lyndon; Harlow, Richard; Fagan, G. Honor; McGuigan, Kevin G.

doi:10.1002/ieam.4249

Cited by 15 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 33 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Noticeably these practical aspects play an important role in water source preference, and it is important to address existing concerns associated with safe sources through infrastructural improvements, and health promotion initiatives. Similarly, our results support previous findings that water treatment and management promotion must be behaviour centered and context appropriate, taking into consideration the needs and wants of the community it is targeting [24,[27][28][29][30][31][32]. Capacity in households and communities to monitor drinking water quality through practical and cost-effective methods, could re-enforce these messages in a more effective manner, as has been achieved with visual behaviour change techniques (e.g., Glo Germ ™ ) used elsewhere in Malawi [33][34][35].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Perspectives and Practices on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene from a Fishing Community along Lake Malombe, Southern Malawi

Kalumbi

Thaulo

MacPherson

et al. 2020

IJERPH

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

People living in fishing communities have a high burden of preventable water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) related diseases but have often been neglected in research and policy. We explored practices and perspectives on WASH among fishing villages around Lake Malombe, Malawi. We employed a mixed methods design, and data were initially collected through participant observations (five weeks), followed by a second phase of qualitative interviews (n = 16), focus group discussions (n = 7), and quantitative surveys (n = 242). We observed that safe water sources were scarce; latrines were basic; and handwashing facilities were limited. Seventy-one percent (n = 174) of households collected water from unsafe sources (open wells and the lake). Eighty-six percent (n = 207) of households had basic short-term latrines. Twenty-four percent (n = 59) of households had handwashing facilities with soap. Qualitative data supported these observations and identified additional factors which compounded poor WASH practices including, a high transient population associated with the fishing trade, poor infrastructure design and construction which lacked consideration of the environmental factors, context and social and cultural norms. As such, fishing communities are underserved and marginalised with constrained access to WASH services, which must be addressed through behaviour-centered and context appropriate solutions.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Perspectives and Practices on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene from a Fishing Community along Lake Malombe, Southern Malawi

Kalumbi

Thaulo

MacPherson

et al. 2020

IJERPH

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This, according to the finding of the study, is an important motivator for sustained water treatment behaviors. 23 In the present study, it was found that people were more likely to adopt treatment technologies that were considered to be easy to access and use. Products deemed sluggish, for instance, emerged as examples of undesirable forms of water treatment technologies throughout FGDs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 51%

“…This, according to the finding of the study, is an important motivator for sustained water treatment behaviors. 23 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Qualitative Analysis of Factors Influencing Household Water Treatment Practices Among Consumers of Self-Supplied Water in Rural Ethiopia

Tamene¹

2021

RMHP

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: The health of a community depends greatly on the availability of sufficient and clean water. Rural households relying on self-supplied drinking water must take full responsibility for the treatment of their drinking water. Globally, not many inquiries appear to have been carried out to satisfactorily inform us regarding how and why improvements in behavior related to water treatment occur in some selected individuals and not in others. Related investigations in Ethiopia are even fewer. Methods: In the rural Aleta Wondo district of Ethiopia, a total of fifteen focus group discussions were conducted with community members. Similarly, ten key informant interviews were conducted with officers responsible for organizing water and hygiene programs. To gather data for this study, two qualitative data collection methods, viz., key informant interviews and focus group discussions, were used. Open code software 4.03 was used for thematic analysis. Results: Factors influencing household water treatment practices were categorized into individual-level factors (eg cognitive factors, emotional factors), household-level factors (household means and decision-making balance), community-level factors (the value that is given for water quality and Public resources) and, environment and context-related factors (access to products and reliance on external sources). Conclusion: Household water treatment practice has a range of multilevel influences. Beyond the model of providing ongoing safe water education by health extension workers, potential initiatives could be improved by community mobilization activities that include community leaders, women's groups, etc., in promoting water treatment at community engagements. Also, the results of the present study indicate that it could be beneficial to provide health extension staff with additional training to improve their ability to encourage community members across, a wide range of user types or levels of readiness, to treat their water.

show abstract

“…This cluster focuses on the purification of water for drinking purposes, including in this category the distinction between female and male, as well as adults, adolescent, infant or child and preschool child. It is known that gender roles need to be taken into consideration for interventions such as SODIS to be successful [55], and adverse effects observed from some toxic compounds in water are highly dependent on gender [56]. However, we have not detected any studies that address the inclusion of gender perspective into the investigation of water disinfection mediated by solar radiation.…”

Section: Yellow Clustermentioning

confidence: 84%

Worldwide Research Trends on Solar-Driven Water Disinfection

Martín

Brindley

Pérez

et al. 2021

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“Ensure access to water for all”, states Goal 6 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. This worldwide challenge requires identifying the best water disinfection method for each scenario. Traditional methods have limitations, which include low effectiveness towards certain pathogens and the formation of disinfection byproducts. Solar-driven methods, such as solar water disinfection (SODIS) or solar photocatalysis, are novel, effective, and financially and environmentally sustainable alternatives. We have conducted a critical study of publications in the field of water disinfection using solar energy and, hereby, present the first bibliometric analysis of scientific literature from Elsevier’s Scopus database within the last 20 years. Results show that in this area of growing interest USA, Spain, and China are the most productive countries in terms of publishing, yet Europe hosts the most highly recognized research groups, i.e., Spain, Switzerland, Ireland, and UK. We have also reviewed the journals in which researchers mostly publish and, using a systematic approach to determine the actual research trends and gaps, we have analyzed the capacity of these publications to answer key research questions, pinpointing six clusters of keywords in relation to the main research challenges, open areas, and new applications that lie ahead. Most publications focused on SODIS and photocatalytic nanomaterials, while a limited number focused on ensuring adequate water disinfection levels, testing regulated microbial indicators and emerging pathogens, and real-world applications, which include complex matrices, large scale processes, and exhaustive cost evaluation.

show abstract

A Transdisciplinary Methodology for Introducing Solar Water Disinfection to Rural Communities in Malawi—Formative Research Findings

Abstract: This article is part of the special series "Improving Water Security in Africa." The work is the culmination of 7 Horizon 2020 projects focused on the environmental and social challenges of improving water security in African countries.

Cited by 15 publications

References 33 publications

Perspectives and Practices on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene from a Fishing Community along Lake Malombe, Southern Malawi

Perspectives and Practices on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene from a Fishing Community along Lake Malombe, Southern Malawi

A Qualitative Analysis of Factors Influencing Household Water Treatment Practices Among Consumers of Self-Supplied Water in Rural Ethiopia

Worldwide Research Trends on Solar-Driven Water Disinfection

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About