Journal Articles

Piped water systems have become an increasing focus of global and national development goals. India is providing piped-to-premise water supplies to more than two million rural inhabitants every week. But rural piped water systems often operate intermittently and may not always provide water that is available when needed. This paper presents insights from a qualitative study that draws on 30 interviews and 11 focus group discussions investigating the extent to which piped-to-premise interventions have improved access to water supply in 6 rural hamlets in eastern Gujarat, India. Households with access to piped water revealed that the rigidity of the intermittent piped water schedules limited water availability, necessitating their use of additional water sources. Households that relied on handpumps or private wells described greater agency in how and when they collect water. Throughout the year, but particularly in monsoon season, participants reported that grid-powered and solar-powered piped water systems underperformed due to electricity blackouts (lasting as long as seven days) and cloudy weather, respectively. To mitigate the drawbacks of intermittently operated piped water systems, and to decrease the necessity for potentially harmful coping strategies, this study suggests that piped water system designs should enable operational flexibility, tailored to community needs, so that water is available when needed. To increase the resilience and reliability of rural piped systems, we recommend that systems design incorporate more storage and rely on robust and resilient energy sources.