Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Developing a sustainable water resource management strategy for a fluoride-affected area: a contingent valuation approach

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A membrane-based water treatment scheme was techno-economically investigated for evolving a sustainable water resource management strategy for the people of a fluoride-affected and water-stressed area in eastern India. Contingent valuation method was applied in cost–benefit analysis and for assessing the economic viability and sustainability of the strategy. The study based on willingness to pay (WTP) revealed that the treatment of contaminated groundwater by highly selective membranes in a fouling-free module could be one of the best options. Determinants of WTP were found out through multivariate regression analysis. The selected variables were found to have direct relation with the WTP amount. The coefficients were statistically significant at 5 % level. The households’ real financial situation was found to have significant and positive influences on their desire to contribute for better water services. Through open-end choice bidding format, the study revealed that the affected people were desperately seeking safe drinking water even paying for the same, though currently they were receiving drinking water almost free of cost. The most striking among the findings is that an advanced water treatment scheme may not necessarily be an expensive proposition. It could very much be affordable to the ordinary citizens of a developing country.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alberini A (1995) Optimal designs for discrete choice Contingent Valuation Surveys: single-bound, double-bound, and bivariate models. J Environ Econ Manage 28(3):287–306

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Ghuraiz Y, Enshassi A (2005) Ability and willingness to pay for water supply service in the Gaza Strip. Bus Environ 40:1093–1102

    Google Scholar 

  • Bhattacharya HN, Chakrabarti S (2011) Incidence of fluoride in the groundwater of Purulia district, West Bengal: a geo-environmental appraisal. Curr Sci 101:152–155

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Birol E, Karousakis K, Koundouri P (2006) Using economic valuation techniques to inform water resources management: a survey and critical appraisal of available techniques and application. Sci Total Environ 365:105–122

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Briscoe JF, Castro P, Griffin C, North J, Olsen O (1990) Toward equitable and sustainable rural water supplies: a contingent valuation study in Brazil. World Bank Econ Rev 4(2):115–134

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bruggen VD, Everaert D, Wilms D, Vandecasteele C (2001) Application of nano-filtration for removal of pesticides, nitrate and hardness from ground water: rejection properties and economic evaluation. J Membr Sci 193(2):239–248

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cameron T, Quiggin J (1994) Estimation using contingent valuation data from dichotomous choice with follow up questionnaire. J Environ Econ Manage 27:218–234

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carson R, Hanemann T (2005) Contingent valuation. In: Maler KG, Vincent JR (eds.) Handbook of environmental economics, chap 17. Elsevier, Amsterdam, p. 822–920

  • Casey JF, Kahn JR, Rivas A (2006) Willingness to pay for improved water services in Manaus. Amazon Brazil Ecol Econ 58:365–372

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chakrabortty S, Roy M, Pal P (2013) Removal of fluoride from contaminated groundwater by cross flow nano-filtration: transport modeling and economic evaluation. Desalination 313:115–124

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cromwell JE (1988) Higher water rates and consumer willingness to pay. Water Eng Manage 135:8–15

    Google Scholar 

  • Ghosh S, Chakraborty S, Roy B, Banerjee P, Bagchi A (2010) Assessment of health risks associated with fluoride- contaminated groundwater in Birbhum district of West Bengal, India. J Environ Prot Sci 4:13–21

    Google Scholar 

  • Griffin C, Briscoe L, Singh B, Ramasubban R, Bhatia R (1995) Contingent valuation and actual behavior: predicting connections to new water systems in the state of Kerala, India. World Bank Econ Rev 9(3):373–393

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gupta S, Banerjee S, Saha R, Datta JK, Mondal N (2006) Fluoride Geochemistry of groundwater in Nalhati-1 block of the Birbhum district. West Bengal Res Rep Fluoride 39(4):318–320

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jain R (2012) Providing safe drinking water: a challenge for humanity. Clean Technol Environ Policy 14:1–4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Markandya A, Murty M (2000) Cleaning-up Ganges: the cost–benefit analysis of Ganga action plan. Oxford University Press, New Delhi

    Google Scholar 

  • Matthew R, Isabella V, James S, Famiglietti A (2009) Satellite-based estimates of groundwater depletion in India. Nature 460(20):999–1002

    Google Scholar 

  • Pal P, Chakrabortty S, Roy M (2012) Arsenic separation by a membrane-integrated hybrid treatment system: modeling simulation, and techno-economic evaluation. Sep Sci Technol 47:1091–1101

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Raje R, Dhobe PS, Deshpande AW (2002) Consumer’s willingness to pay more for municipal supplied water: a case study. Ecol Econ 42:391–400

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roy M (2010) Managing the village level open access water resources in a region facing rapidly declining water availability. Environ Dev Sustain 12(6):999–1012

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roy M, Nilsson L, Pal P (2008) Development of groundwater resources in a region with high population density: a study of environmental sustainability. J Integr Environ Sci 5(4):251–267

    Google Scholar 

  • Serageldin I (1994) Water supply, sanitation and environmental sustainability. World Bank, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  • Whittington D, Pattanayek SK, Yang J, Bal Kumar KC (2002) Household demand for improved piped water services: evidence from Kathmandu, Nepal. Water Policy 4:531–556

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India for financial support through DST-INSPIRE fellowship program (DST/INSPIRE Fellowship/2012/271) and DST-FIST program.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Management Studies, National Institute of Technology Durgapur, Durgapur, 713209, India

    M. Roy

  2. Environment and Membrane Technology Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Durgapur, Durgapur, 713209, India

    S. Chakraborty

Authors
  1. M. Roy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. S. Chakraborty
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. Roy.

Appendix

Appendix

Sample questionnaire

  1. 1.

    How many members are there in the family?

  2. 2.

    How many are adult?

  3. 3.

    What is the highest level of education in the family?

  4. 4.

    What are the levels of education of the other family members?

  5. 5.

    What is the average monthly income of the household?

  6. 6.

    What are the major health-related problems?

  7. 7.

    Do you think that some of the health problems are due to quality of water?

  8. 8.

    What is your idea on the groundwater fluoride contamination problem of your area?

  9. 9.

    What is the present source of drinking water?

  10. 10.

    Are you satisfied with the quality and quantity of water that you get presently?

  11. 11.

    If not satisfied with the quality of water then do you want improvement?

  12. 12.

    Will you agree to pay for improvement of water quality?

  13. 13.

    Can you pay INR 25 per month for safe drinking water for the whole family? Based on positive reply to question 13, the next question was:

  14. 14.

    Could you pay INR 50 per month? And based on positive reply amounts were increased up to INR 200 per month otherwise it was stopped where there was negative reply.

  15. 15.

    What is the highest amount of money that your family can pay for this per month?

  16. 16.

    What is the lowest amount that you would like to pay most gladly for this purpose?

  17. 17.

    Do you think that the water quality problem should be taken care of immediately?

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Roy, M., Chakraborty, S. Developing a sustainable water resource management strategy for a fluoride-affected area: a contingent valuation approach. Clean Techn Environ Policy 16, 341–349 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-013-0624-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-013-0624-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation