Voluntary Management of Residential Water Demand in Low and Middle-Low Income Homes: A Pilot Study of Soacha (Colombia)

Abstract

The efficient use of water in urban contexts becomes a priority in the face of population growth and the potential vulnerability of water supply as a result of the impacts of climate change. This pilot study focuses on the use of educational strategies to promote the voluntary management of residential water demand. Three schools in the municipality of Soacha (Colombia) were involved, where students from 12 to 15 years old participated as promoters of water consumption educational campaigns within their families, covering a total of 120 low and middle-income families. Three intervention strategies (that is, a virtual platform, learning activities, and graphical tools) were carried out. The effects of these intervention strategies on changes in the water consumption were analyzed to establish the dependence of this variable with socio-demographic, economic, environmental and quality of life factors. Different information gathering tools were used, such as validated local water utility bills, surveys and self-reports. The graphical tools reduced consumption by 14%, but other strategies did not show significant reductions. However, according to self-reported data, all educational campaigns did have positive outcomes on the participants' behavior. It was found that socioeconomic factors, such as type of housing, socioeconomic strata, living in a rented home, and quality of life variables (such as enjoying nature and culture, good and fluid family relationships, and material possessions) significantly affected the changes in water consumption behavior.

A teaching proposal on the new water culture for students aged 14–15: design, application and evaluation in a Colombian context

“…Something worth drawing attention to is the high scores given by students in task 8, in which they took part in water analysis practicals. On this point we coincide with experiences such as those of Acosta et al (2019), Pallant et al (2020), Peckenham et al (2012) and Raviv et al (2019), among others, which show the preference of students towards practical classes.…”

A Continental Assessment of Reservoir Storage and Water Availability in South America

“…In order to provide a better understanding of the impact of reservoirs in the availability of water in South America, we examined the relationship between water availability and the estimated water consumption (WC) in the continent. Despite the fact that many authors have studied water consumption on the continent [82][83][84][85][86][87], the majority of the research conducted to date is focused on local areas within the different countries of the continent. Furthermore, estimates of water consumption vary greatly for each country in South America due to the region's great climatic diversity, different social customs, and different levels of economic income.…”