Surveyed from Afar: Household water security, emotional well-being, and the reliability of water supply in the Ethiopian lowlands

Almost half of the world's population is expected to experience water stress in their daily lives by 2050. The impacts of water scarcity on physical and psychosocial health are especially felt in arid regions of Ethiopia where semi-nomadic pastoralist populations are heavily reliant on groundwater for domestic and livestock needs. However, functional water supply infrastructure and reliable service delivery remain a challenge. A cross-sectional water security household survey of 469 heads of households and borehole runtime sensor data in Afar Region, Ethiopia, has three main findings. First, higher levels of household water insecurity experiences (HWISE) and water-related emotional distress (WRED) are positively correlated (0.57, p<0.01) and are significantly associated with “limited” water service levels, the non-use of boreholes, and more vulnerable household demographics (female-headed households and lower household incomes). Lower HWISE scores are associated with increased borehole pump usage and reliability, with a cut-off point of 6 h of pump usage per day measured with electronic sensors. Adding additional water points to the dry lowlands of Afar have led to overcrowding and rangeland degradation in the past, highlighting a need to balance increased production for human consumption with livestock use. When it comes to climate resilience and adaptation, ensuring the reliability of what has already been constructed is a top priority for the regional government. Our findings suggest that increasing the reliability and daily usage of existing water supply systems over the short-sighted expansion of sources is worth the investment in services it will take to reach even the most far-flung communities.