Household water resources and rural productivity in sub-Saharan Africa : a review of the evidence

This paper reviews and summarises the results of studies of household water use in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa that offer clues to the effects of household water resources on rural productivity. It attempts to consider all the possible ways that household water supplies could affect productivity and to present whatever evidence on these links is available. The purpose of the review is to identify which of the connections between water supply and productivity are likely to be most important for rural households in Africa and to indicate where further field research is needed most.
The first section continues with a brief description of the links between household water supplies and productivity and of the scope of the review. The next two sections summarise current data on access to safe water in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa and on household water use. The paper then discusses the health costs of rural water supplies, combining information on the burden of water-related diseases in Africa, the productivity costs of these diseases, and the impact of water supply interventions. The costs of collecting water from distant sources are examined in Section 5. Section 6 reviews the cost and cost-effectiveness of water supply interventions. The paper concludes with a summary of findings and recommendations for further research.
[authors' abstract]