Conjoint assessment of rural water security and system sustainability in Nagpur, India

Purpose: In spite of the growing usage of “water security” as a policy template, the sustainable delivery of adequate quantity/quality of water remains a major challenge, specifically in the rural areas of developing countries. Focusing on the specific case of Nagpur (India), this study aims to establish a broader understanding of rural water security and (water supply) system sustainability issues at grassroots-level. Design/methodology/approach: Taking due account of the existing assessment methods and the study context of Nagpur, contextualized indicator-based frameworks have been developed for conjointly assessing both the research subjects. Within the identified eight rural clusters (comprising 72 settlements), focus group discussions (with the residents) and semi-structured interviews [with the members of village water and sanitation committees) (VWSCs)] are then conducted to methodically investigate the local stakeholder perception. Findings: Through the rural water security (state change) assessment in selected settlements, the water accessibility indicators are consistently reported to have witnessed mostly positive changes, whereas contrasting changes have been reported for various indicators of availability, quality and risks. Superimposing these findings with those of system sustainability assessment (e.g. only 56% VWSCs are reported to be actively functioning), it has been realized that the sustainability of water supply systems is imperative to attain water security goals in the long term. Originality/value: Through the conjoint assessment of water security and system sustainability issues, this research responds to the growing call for a broader consideration of these concepts. Moreover, it reports practical ground-level challenges based on primary surveys.