资源环境科技发展态势分析平台

Around 2 million people in the Pacific depend on rainwater collection for their drinking water, however these systems often struggle to provide sufficient quantities of water year-round. This study examined the performance of 1,879 rainwater tanks across 19 islands in Vanuatu to assess whether the likelihood of a sufficient, year-round supply of drinking water differed between village-level rainwater tanks used communally and private rainwater tanks owned by individual households (i.e. self-supply). More than half of the tanks assessed failed to provide a sufficient supply of water year round. Compared with communal rainwater tanks, private rainwater tanks had significantly increased odds of a sufficient, year-round supply of water (adjusted odds ratio 1.61, 95% confidence interval 1.24-2.09, p<0.001). This relationship was evident when adjusting for village-level clustering, year of installation, presence of other improved water sources, tank volume, number of users and a proxy indicator for rainfall. Private rainwater tanks outperformed communal rainwater tanks irrespective of whether communal tanks were managed by a community-based committee. The findings support the notion that in some circumstances private property rights can help avert resource depletion, and that household self-supply is capable of delivering a more reliable water supply than community-based management. However, the study design was unable to rule out differences in roof catchment area as a factor influencing the results. Further work is needed to confirm and elucidate the mechanisms by which private ownership facilitates a year-round supply and understand the wider advantages and disadvantages of self-supply.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.