Household Satisfaction and Drinking Water Quality in Rural Areas: A Comparison with Official Access Data

Zhanerke Bolatova, Riza Sharapatova, Kaltay Kanagat, Yerlan Kabiyev, Ronny Berndtsson and Kamshat Tussupova ()
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Zhanerke Bolatova: Department of Science, Kazakh National University of Water Management and Irrigation, Taraz 080000, Kazakhstan
Riza Sharapatova: Department of Public Health and Hygiene, Astana Medical University, Astana 010000, Kazakhstan
Kaltay Kanagat: Department of Science, Kazakh National University of Water Management and Irrigation, Taraz 080000, Kazakhstan
Yerlan Kabiyev: Faculty of Civil and Agricultural Sciences, Atyrau University Named After Kh. Dosmukhamedov, Atyrau 060000, Kazakhstan
Ronny Berndtsson: Division of Water Resources Engineering, Lund University, SE-22100 Lund, Sweden
Kamshat Tussupova: Department of Science, Kazakh National University of Water Management and Irrigation, Taraz 080000, Kazakhstan

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 15, 1-12

Abstract: Background: Access to safe and reliable water and sanitation remains a critical public health and development challenge, with rural and low-income communities being disproportionately affected by inadequate services and heightened exposure to waterborne diseases. Despite global efforts and infrastructure-based progress indicators, significant disparities persist, and these often overlook users’ perceptions of water quality, reliability, and safety. This study explores the determinants of household satisfaction with drinking water in rural areas, comparing subjective user feedback with official access data to reveal gaps in current monitoring approaches and support more equitable, user-centered water governance. Methods: This study was conducted in Kazakhstan’s Atyrau Region, where 1361 residents from 86 rural villages participated in a structured survey assessing household access to drinking water and perceptions of its quality. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regression to identify key predictors of user satisfaction, with results compared against official records to evaluate discrepancies between reported experiences and administrative data. Results: The field survey results revealed substantial discrepancies between official statistics and residents’ reports, with only 58.1% of respondents having in-house tap water access despite claims of universal coverage. Multinomial logistic regression analysis identified key predictors of user satisfaction, showing that uninterrupted supply and the absence of complaints about turbidity, odor, or taste significantly increased the likelihood of higher satisfaction levels with drinking water quality. Conclusions: This study underscores the critical need to align official water access statistics with household-level experiences, revealing that user satisfaction—strongly influenced by supply reliability and sensory water quality—is essential for achieving equitable and effective rural water governance.

Keywords: access to safe water; sanitation; rural settlements; WASH; SDGs (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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