Connectedness to Water as a Predictor of Household Participation in Water Resources Conservation in Singida Municipality, Tanzania

Lunango Gabriel Muwelu; Christina Mwivei Shitima; Harold Martin Utouh

doi:10.51867/ajernet.5.1.28

Authors

Lunango Gabriel Muwelu Mzumbe University, Economics Department, P.O Box 5, Mzumbe – Tanzania
Christina Mwivei Shitima Mzumbe University, Economics Department, P.O Box 5, Mzumbe – Tanzania
Harold Martin Utouh Mzumbe University, Economics Department, P.O Box 5, Mzumbe – Tanzania https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9355-4349

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51867/ajernet.5.1.28

Keywords:

Households, Singida Municipality, Structural Equation Modelling, Water accessibility, Water Resources Conservation

Abstract

A low level of household participation in conserving water resources threatens the future of human survival because water is a unique substance with no substitutes. In addition, despite diverse discussions regarding water accessibility and the need for conservation, the literature is even scarce on the linkage between these two important constructs. Therefore, this paper examines connectedness to water and its influence on household participation in water resources conservation in Singida Municipality, Tanzania. Using a quantitative study approach with a cross-sectional survey, primary data were collected from 391 households in Singida Municipality to investigate water accessibility, considering the aspects of physical access, economic access, and cultural acceptability, as well as the number of water conservation practices households engages in. The Structural Equation Model (SEM) analysis reveals a positive relationship between water accessibility and participation in water conservation practices (WCPs) at 1% (Z=7.34, p<0.01). The study recommends that policymakers, agencies, and water sector stakeholders need to enhance their efforts to provide clean and safe water services to all community members to uphold the right to water for everyone and increase the level of participation in water resource conservation.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Addo, I. B., Thoms, M. C., & Parsons, M. (2018). Barriers and drivers of household water-conservation behavior: A profiling approach. Water (Switzerland), 10(12). https://doi.org/10.3390/w10121794 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/w10121794

Aiga, H., & Umenai, T. (2003). Standardisation of the definition of access to safe water [2]. Lancet, 361(9375), 2156. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(03)13703-8 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(03)13703-8

Ajzen, I. (1991). Theory of Planned Behaviour. Organizational Behaviour and Human Decision Process, 50, 179-211. https://doi.org/10.47985/dcidj.475 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T

Ajzen, I. (2020). The theory of planned behavior: Frequently asked questions. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbe2.195 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/hbe2.195

Andualem, Z., Dagne, H., Azene, Z. N., Taddese, A. A., Dagnew, B., Fisseha, R., Muluneh, A. G., & Yeshaw, Y. (2021). Households access to improved drinking water sources and toilet facilities in Ethiopia: A multilevel analysis based on 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey. BMJ Open, 11(3). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-042071 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-042071

Angoua, E. L. E., Dongo, K., Templeton, M. R., Zinsstag, J., & Bonfoh, B. (2018). Barriers to access improved water and sanitation in poor peri-urban settlements of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. PLoS ONE, 13(8), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0202928 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0202928

Araya, F., Osman, K., Spearing, L., & Faust, K. M. (2019). Water conservation in the household: The implications of metrics and the association between characteristics and presence of conservation. Growing With Youth.

Barrera-Hernández, L. F., Sotelo-Castillo, M. A., Echeverría-Castro, S. B., & Tapia-Fonllem, C. O. (2020). Connectedness to Nature: Its Impact on Sustainable Behaviors and Happiness in Children. Frontiers in Psychology, 11(February), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00276 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00276

Bidaisee, S. (2018). The Importance of Clean Water. Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research, 8(5). https://doi.org/10.26717/bjstr.2018.08.001719 DOI: https://doi.org/10.26717/BJSTR.2018.08.001719

Boretti, A., & Rosa, L. (2019). Reassessing the projections of the World Water Development Report. Npj Clean Water, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-019-0039-9 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-019-0039-9

Bosnjak, M., Ajzen, I., & Schmidt, P. (2020). The Theory of Planned Behavior : Selected Recent Advances and Applications. Europe's Journal of Psychology, 16(3), 352-356. https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v16i3.3107 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v16i3.3107

Demie, G., Bekele, M., & Seyoum, B. (2016). Water accessibility impact on girl and women's participation in education and other development activities: the case of Wuchale and Jidda Woreda, Ethiopia. Environmental Systems Research, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40068-016-0061-6 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40068-016-0061-6

Diakite, H., & Amadou, T. (2020). Comparative Study Between Gender Bias in Household Water Conservation and Management in Commune of Pelengana. Journal of Resources Development and Management, April, 37-47. https://doi.org/10.7176/jrdm/63-05

Dinka, M. O. (2018). Safe Drinking Water: Concepts, Benefits, Principles and Standards. Water Challenges of an Urbanizing World. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.71352 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.71352

Feitelson, E. (2012). What is water? a normative perspective. In Water Policy (Vol. 14, Issue SUPPL. 1, pp. 52-64). IWA Publishing. https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2012.003b DOI: https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2012.003b

Garcia-Cuerva, L., Berglund, E. Z., & Binder, A. R. (2016). Public perceptions of water shortages, conservation behaviors, and support for water reuse in the U.S. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 113, 106-115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2016.06.006 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2016.06.006

Gavrilescu, M. (2021). Water, soil, and plants interactions in a threatened environment. In Water (Switzerland) (Vol. 13, Issue 19). MDPI. https://doi.org/10.3390/w13192746 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/w13192746

Gilbertson, M., Hurlimann, A., & Dolnicar, S. (2011). Does water context influence behaviour and attitudes to water conservation? Australasian Journal of Environmental Management, 18(1), 47-60. https://doi.org/10.1080/14486563.2011.566160 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14486563.2011.566160

Gleick, P. H. (1998). The human right to water. 487-503. www.elsevier.com/locate/watpol DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1366-7017(99)00008-2

https://doi.org/10.1016/S1366-7017(99)00008-2

Hannibal, B., Sansom, L., & E. Portney, K. (2019). The effect of local water scarcity and drought on water conservation behaviors. Environmental Sociology, 5(3), 294-307. https://doi.org/10.1080/23251042.2018.1519882 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23251042.2018.1519882

Iftikhar, A., Farid, N., & Nawaz, S. (2021). Water Conservation Attitude of Residents of Rawalpindi. Global Social Sciences Review, VI(II), 38-53. https://doi.org/10.31703/gssr.2021(vi-ii).05 DOI: https://doi.org/10.31703/gssr.2021(VI-II).05

Juma, M., Nuhu, S., & Juma, F. B. (2018). Challenges of water accessibility in peri-urban areas in Tanzania: A case of Kigamboni Dar es Salaam. The Journal of Social Sciences Research, 4(3), 47-54. doi: 10.32861/jssr.43.47.54

Khan, M. I., & Naaz, S. (2018). The role of water and hygiene project of Integrated Regional Support Programme (IRSP) in district swabi, khyber pakhtunkhwa. Sociology International Journal, 2(4), 327-333. https://doi.org/10.15406/sij.2018.02.00066 DOI: https://doi.org/10.15406/sij.2018.02.00066

Kimaro, J. (2019). A Review on Managing Agroecosystems for Improved Water Use Efficiency in the Face of Changing Climate in Tanzania. Advances in Meteorology, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/9178136 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/9178136

Kılıç, Z. (2020). The importance of water and conscious use of water. International Journal of Hydrology, 4(5), 239-241. https://doi.org/10.15406/ijh.2020.04.00250 DOI: https://doi.org/10.15406/ijh.2020.04.00250

Kitole, F. A., & Utouh, H. M. (2023). Foreign direct investment and industrialization in Tanzania admixture time series forecast analysis 1960-2020. Applied Economics Letters, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504851.2023.2211324 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13504851.2023.2211324

Koop, S. H. A., Van Dorssen, A. J., & Brouwer, S. (2019). Enhancing domestic water conservation behaviour: A review of empirical studies on influencing tactics. Journal of Environmental Management, 247(June), 867-876. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.06.126 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.06.126

Kumari, M., & Singh, D. (2016). Water conservation: Strategies and solutions. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312525328

Kusena, W., Desai, S., Heinz, B., & Abel, C. (2016). Assessing public participation in water conservation and water demand management in water stressed urban areas: Insights from the City of Gweru, Zimbabwe. Review of Social Sciences, 1(8), 30. https://doi.org/10.18533/rss.v1i8.51 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18533/rss.v1i8.51

Lameck, E., Sesabo, J., & Mkuna, E. (2021). Household behaviour towards water conservation activities in Mvomero District in Tanzania: a convergent parallel mixed approach. Sustainable Water Resources Management, 7(3). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40899-021-00514-y DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40899-021-00514-y

Leopold, A. (1949). A Sand County Almanac and Sketches here and there. Oxford University Press.

Manríquez-Betanzos, J. C., Corral-Verdugo, V., Vanegas-Rico, M. C., Fraijo-Sing, B. S., & Tapia-Fonllem, C. O. (2016). Positive (gratitude, eudaimonia) and negative (scarcity, costs) determinants of water conservation behaviour. Psyecology, 7(2), 178-200. https://doi.org/10.1080/21711976.2016.1149986 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/21711976.2016.1149986

MoW-URT. (2002). National Water Policy (NAWAPO). MoW-URT.

Omotayo, A. O., Olagunju, K. O., Omotoso, A. B., Ogunniyi, A. I., Otekunrin, O. A., & Daud, A. S. (2021). Clean water, sanitation and under-five children diarrhea incidence: Empirical evidence from the South Africa's General Household Survey. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28(44), 63150-63162. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-15182-w DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-15182-w

Rasoulkhani, K., Logasa, B., Reyes, M. P., & Mostafavi, A. (2018). Understanding fundamental phenomena affecting the water conservation technology adoption of residential consumers using agent-based modeling. Water (Switzerland), 10(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/w10080993 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/w10080993

Rodriguez-Sanchez, C., & Sarabia-Sanchez, F. J. (2020). Does water context matter in water conservation decision behaviour? Sustainability (Switzerland), 12(3026), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12073026 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su12073026

Rosinger, A. Y., & Young, S. L. (2020). The toll of household water insecurity on health and human biology: Current understandings and future directions. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Water, 7(6), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1468 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1468

Russell, S. V., & Knoeri, C. (2020). Exploring the psychosocial and behavioural determinants of household water conservation and intention. International Journal of Water Resources Development, 36(6), 940-955. https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2019.1638230 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2019.1638230

Rutter, D. R., & Bunce, D. J. (1989). The theory of reasoned action of Fishbein and Ajzen: A test of Towriss's amended procedure for measuring beliefs. British Journal of Social Psychology, 28(1), 39-46. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8309.1989.tb00844.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8309.1989.tb00844.x

Sani, Y., & Scholz, M. (2021). Water-energy-food accessibility and tracking progress towards achieving sustainable development goals in the savannah region of katsina state, nigeria. Water (Switzerland), 13(24). https://doi.org/10.3390/w13243595 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/w13243595

Simelane, M. S., Shongwe, M. C., Vermaak, K., & Zwane, E. (2020). Determinants of Households' Access to Improved Drinking Water Sources: A Secondary Analysis of Eswatini 2010 and 2014 Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys. Advances in Public Health, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/6758513 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/6758513

Smiley, S. L. (2013). Complexities of water access in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Applied Geography, 41, 132-138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2013.03.019 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2013.03.019

Smiley, S. L. (2017). Defining and measuring water access: lessons from Tanzania for moving forward in the post-Millennium Development Goal era. African Geographical Review, 36(2), 168-182. https://doi.org/10.1080/19376812.2016.1171154 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/19376812.2016.1171154

Sorenson, S. B., Morssink, C., & Campos, P. A. (2011). Safe access to safe water in low income countries: Water fetching in current times. Social Science and Medicine, 72(9), 1522-1526. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.03.010 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.03.010

Spellman, F. R. (2015). The science of water : concepts and applications (3rd Edition). Taylor & Francis Group.

Thiam, D. R., Dinar, A., & Ntuli, H. (2021). Promotion of residential water conservation measures in South Africa: the role of water-saving equipment. In Environmental Economics and Policy Studies (Vol. 23, Issue 1). Springer Japan. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10018-020-00286-3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10018-020-00286-3

Trafimow, D. (2009). The Theory of Reasoned Action: A Case Study of Falsification in Psychology. Theory & Psychology, 19(4), 501-518. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959354309336319 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0959354309336319

Uakarn, C. (2021). Sample size estimation using Yamane and Cochran and Krejcie and Morgan and Green formulas and Cohen statistical power analysis by G*power and comparisons. Apheit International Journal, 10(2), 76-88.

Ullman, J. B., & Bentler, P. M. (2013). Structural Equation Modeling in Handbook of Psychology. In Handbook of Psychology, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118133880.hop202023 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118133880.hop202023

UN. (2016). Integrated Monitoring Guide for SDG 6 Targets and global indicators. United Nations.

United Nations. (2016). The Sustainable Development Goals. United Nations.

Utouh, H., & Tile, A. (2023). The Nexus between Foreign Direct Investment and Nominal Exchange Rate, Real GDP, and Capital Stock In Tanzania. Acta Scientiarum Polonorum. Oeconomia, 22(1), 73-87. https://doi.org/10.22630/ASPE.2023.22.1.7 DOI: https://doi.org/10.22630/ASPE.2023.22.1.7

Warner, L. A., & Diaz, J. M. (2021). Amplifying the Theory of Planned behavior with connectedness to water to inform impactful water conservation program planning and evaluation. Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, 27(2), 229-253. https://doi.org/10.1080/1389224X.2020.1844771 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1389224X.2020.1844771

WHO/UNICEF. (2021). Global Progress Report on Wash in Health Care Facilities: Fundamentals first. WHO/UNICEF.

Young, S. L. (2021). Viewpoint: The measurement of water access and use is key for more effective food and nutrition policy. Food Policy, 104, 102138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2021.102138 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2021.102138

Zylstra, M. J., Knight, A. T., Esler, K. J., & Le Grange, L. L. L. (2014). Connectedness as a Core Conservation Concern: An Interdisciplinary Review of Theory and a Call for Practice. Springer Science Reviews, 2(1-2), 119-143. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40362-014-0021-3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40362-014-0021-3