Present and Future Drinking Water Security and Its Impacts on Maternities: A Multi-Scale Assessment of Sudan

Vincent Simonin, Saeid Ashraf Vaghefi, Zeinab M. Abdelgadir, Dalya Eltayeb, Mohammed Ahmed M. Sidahmed, Jean-Pierre Monet and Nicolas Ray ()
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Vincent Simonin: Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Geneva, Bd Carl-Vogt 66, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
Saeid Ashraf Vaghefi: Department of Geography, University of Zurich, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland
Zeinab M. Abdelgadir: United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), Port Sudan, Sudan
Dalya Eltayeb: Federal Ministry of Health, Khartoum, Sudan
Mohammed Ahmed M. Sidahmed: The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Khartoum, Sudan
Jean-Pierre Monet: The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Technical Division, 605 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10158, USA
Nicolas Ray: Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Geneva, Bd Carl-Vogt 66, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 3, 1-20

Abstract: Adequate access to drinking water for hydration and hygiene depends on many factors. We developed the Drinking Water Security Index (DWSI) to assess relative multifactorial drinking water security at different spatial and temporal scales. DWSI is a function of four key indicators of drinking water security: water quality, water accessibility, water continuity, and water availability. We built DWSI with a total of 10 variables and applied the new index in Sudan to assess historical and future drinking water security at state, local, and maternity levels. Analyses at the state level found that the Red Sea and River Nile states are most vulnerable, with the lowest DWSI for both historical and future periods. The 1 km 2 pixel level analysis shows large differences in water security within the major states. Analyses at the maternity level showed that nearly 18.97 million people are affected by the 10% of maternities with the lowest DWSI, a number projected to increase by 60% by 2030. Current and future DWSI of maternities providing Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care was assessed to identify those where urgent action is needed to ensure quality health care in water-secure conditions. This work provides useful information for stakeholders in the health and drinking water sectors in Sudan, to improve public health, reduce preventable mortality, and make the population more resilient to projected environmental changes.

Keywords: water security; geographic accessibility; maternal health; climate change; Sahel (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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