Examining factors influencing household participation in rural community based potable water supply projects in Becho woreda, Central Ethiopia

The access to clean and safe potable water supply is considered vital for alleviating water-borne diseases. It also helps reduce drudgery of women arising from water shortages as rural women often have to travel long distances to fetch water. Studies have shown that household participation in community potable water supply is critical for better management and sustainability of such projects. However, few empirical analyses have focused on the determinants of household participation for the sustainability of rural potable water supply projects. We fill the knowledge gap by examining the factors that influence household participation in potable water supply projects by focusing on Becho woreda located in Oromia Region in Central Ethiopia. For this, we surveyed 284 household heads out of which 108 households were participants in community water supply projects and the rest 176 were non-participants. We applied the binary logistic regression model to analyze the socioeconomic determinants of household's participation decision. We find that wealthy households and households headed by educated individuals are more likely to participate in potable water supply projects. We also find that the marital status of the head (being married), household size, membership in informal community-based institutions such as iqub, and attendance of regular meetings by head of family significantly and positively contribute to household participation decisions. In contrast, distance to the potable water supply projects was found to reduce the probability of participation. Therefore, to promote the participation of the local community in the effective supply of potable water, the governments and development agencies should alleviate poverty, enhance adult education and raise awareness among households.