Access to Drinking Water in Akmola Oblast Rural Settlements

Abstract

Access to drinking water remains one of the main social and infrastructural problems in the rural settlements of Kazakhstan, despite the continuous implementation of state policies and official high indicators of water availability in Kazakhstan regions. This study is dedicated to the analysis of real access to drinking water by households in rural settlements of Akmola Oblast based on the example of such villages as Damsa and Talapker. The goal of the research was an effort to reveal whether there are any gaps between the official and household understanding of the concept of "access to drinking water". The research methodology is based on the qualitative exploratory case study design. The qualitative approach is based on triangulation of three different data collection methods, including surveys of 70 village households. The approach included semi-structured interviews with the representatives of state and regional government authorities, and field observation in Talaker and Damsa villages. The study included descriptive statistics for analysis of survey data and thematic analysis for interpretation of interviews and field observation. The results of the research indicate that the majority of the households rate drinking water as the most important basic need, however real access to drinking water often is supplied via alternative and paid sources (water distribution points/modules, bottled water). It was revealed that there is a big gap between the official understanding of access to water as the presence of water infrastructure and the public perspective, linking access to water with quality, reliability and household convenient access to water. The research concludes that there is a necessity for systematic evaluation of water supply programs, taking into account household practices and local conditions.