Understanding water accessibility for more effective water supply design and planning****

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Although recognized as a human right, access to drinking water remains one of the most important global issues. In 2015, it was estimated that 42.5% of the world's population did not have access to an improved water source on their premises and thus needed to fetch water. Lack of access to water of good quality and of sufficient quantity have significant impacts on health and well-being, particularly for women typically responsible for water fetching. Currently, there is a gap in practice (as identified by industrial collaborator) and academic knowledge (as identified by literature) with regard to how best measure water accessibility and its potential impacts for the design and monitoring of water supply projects. This research aims to provided evidence based knowledge to assess the impacts of water supply accessibility on water quantity and quality in low-and middle-income rural settings. Results are expected to optimize design and evaluation of water supply related interventions. Understanding the impact of water accessibility will help to ensure suitable interventions and appropriate responses to needs. This will be valuable in efforts to characterize and increase water security and equity, reduce the burden of fetching water and prevent water-related infectious diseases. This is a timely exercise to reach universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all by 2030 as set in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).****