Economic Impacts, Equity and Sustainability for a Drinking Water Service Improvement: The Case of Hubli-Dharwad

Abstract

Zach will discuss his work estimating household impacts and user preferences for a piped-water, public-private-partnership, pilot project in Hubli-Dharwad, India. This research draws on data collected in the field, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative sources, and looks at the tension between resource management, net-benefits for households and equity of access in the context of a major utility service upgrade. The contrast between household perspectives and global water policy will be used to explore the complex impacts of water management practices in a tier-2 Indian city.

About the speaker

Zachary Burt is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Climate and Health Group at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, New York, USA. He got his PhD from the Energy and Resources Group at UC Berkeley. His research focuses on access to safe drinking water and sanitation. He draws on data collected in the field, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative sources. His research includes issues of access, through user preferences, willingness-to-pay and total net benefits of on the ground drinking water intervention projects, across incomes, genders and marginalized groups. Zach is ultimately interested in the balance between sustainable resource management, and the efficient, effective and equitable delivery of public services.