Evaluating a Water Quality Assurance Fund Intervention in Ghana and Kenya
- Conditions
- Water QualityKnowledgeWater TreatmentSatisfaction
- Interventions
- Other: Water Quality Assurance Fund
- Registration Number
- NCT06570005
- Lead Sponsor
- The Aquaya Institute
- Brief Summary
The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of a novel financial and capacity strengthening intervention (the 'Water Quality Assurance Fund' program) on water safety management in rural Ghana and Kenya. The investigators hypothesize the intervention will improve water system operator knowledge, chlorination practices, and water quality at the point of collection, as well as improve consumer satisfaction, awareness, and willingness-to-pay for water that is tested and treated.
- Detailed Description
Regular water quality monitoring by water suppliers is essential for maintaining adequate treatment processes and verifying safe water quality to protect public health. Yet, many small water suppliers are unable to conduct regular water quality tests due to financial, logistical, and capacity constraints. The goals of the Water Quality Assurance Fund program are to address these constraints by incentivizing established laboratories to extend their services to these smaller water systems and, in parallel, promote the use of water quality data for better water safety management.
The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of a novel financial and capacity strengthening intervention (the 'Water Quality Assurance Fund' program) on water safety management in rural Ghana and Kenya. As part of the intervention, written legal agreements between water systems, centralized laboratories, and the organization facilitating the Assurance Fund will provide water systems with regular water quality testing and provide laboratories a guarantee of payments if water systems fail to pay for testing services on time. The Assurance Fund program will also deliver capacity strengthening, technical guidance, and community sensitization activities.
The investigators hypothesize the intervention will improve water system operator knowledge, chlorination practices, and water quality at the point of collection, as well as improve consumer satisfaction, awareness, and willingness-to-pay for water that is tested and treated. A secondary aim is to assess implementation challenges and enabling factors associated with the expansion of water testing services by existing professional water quality laboratories to rural water suppliers.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- RECRUITING
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 4800
- The district or county government was interested in participating in the Assurance Fund program and water systems within the district/county were accessible to a partner central laboratory that was able to provide water sample collection and testing services for a fee.
- Water systems were functional.
- Water systems were piped water systems (Kenya, Ghana) or mechanized boreholes with a single tapstand (Ghana).
- Water systems could afford regular water quality testing from the selected laboratory.
- Water systems did not meet above inclusion criteria.
To be eligible to participate in household surveys, participants need to be at least 18 years of age and a customer of a eligible water system.
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- SEQUENTIAL
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description Assurance Fund Intervention Arm 1 Water Quality Assurance Fund In this study arm, intervention activities will start after initial baseline data collection. Assurance Fund Intervention Arm 3 Water Quality Assurance Fund The intervention activities are the same as those described in Arm 1. However, in this study arm, the intervention activities will start 12 months later than those in Arm 1. This arm will serve as a controlled comparison during those initial 12 months. Non-randomized Arm Water Quality Assurance Fund In Ghana only, there is a fourth study arm that will receive the intervention one month prior to Arm 1. This group was non-randomly selected and will primarily serve to support qualitative lessons learned from the Assurance Fund program. Assurance Fund Intervention Arm 2 Water Quality Assurance Fund The intervention activities are the same as those described in Arm 1. However, in this study arm, the intervention activities will start 6 months later than those in Arm 1. This arm will serve as a controlled comparison during those initial 6 months.
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Adequate free chlorine residual in water at the point of collection Baseline, 6-months, 12-months, 18-months, 24-months Free chlorine residual in water at the point of collection above targeted levels of 0.2 mg/L.
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Water system operator knowledge Baseline, 12-months, 24-months Water system operator knowledge related to water quality (score out of 32 points on a knowledge assessment).
Consumer awareness Baseline, 12-months, 24-months Household respondent is aware enrolled water is tested or treated
Consumer satisfaction Baseline, 12-months, 24-months Household respondent is satisfied with water supplier. They will be considered satisfied if they report they are either very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the water supplier. They will be considered dissatisfied if they report they are either very dissatisfied or somewhat dissatisfied with the water supplier.
E. coli in water at the point of collection Baseline, 6-months, 12-months, 18-months, 24-months E. coli in water at point of collection (binary and categorical).
Detectable free chlorine residual in water at the point of collection Baseline, 6-months, 12-months, 18-months, 24-months Free chlorine residual in water at the point of collection above detectable levels of 0.1 mg/L.
Detectable free chlorine residual in household stored water Baseline, 12-months, 24-months Free chlorine residual in household stored water above detectable levels of 0.1 mg/L.
E. coli in household stored water Baseline, 12-months, 24-months E. coli in household stored water (binary and categorical).
Adequate free chlorine residual in household stored water Baseline, 12-months, 24-months Free chlorine residual in household stored water above targeted levels of 0.2 mg/L.
Willingness-to-pay Baseline, 12-months, 24-months Stated willingness-to-pay for treated and tested water for standpipe and private tap users (% increase and absolute increase in local currency).
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
The Aquaya Institute
🇰🇪Nairobi, Kenya