Document Type
Honors Project
Publication Date
6-2-2016
Abstract
This paper analyzes existing supply gaps that are impeding rural water access in Bo District, Sierra Leone. On a national and district level, Sierra Leone has failed to meet the target of 70% access to potable water inspired by the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals. This paper focuses on Bo District due to its near total inclusion in the Sewa River basin and split urban and rural population. Given the existing political and economic constraints, this paper identifies the most feasible way to sustainably increase access to potable water in Bo. To develop the recommendations, current supply gaps in rural Bo District were quantified at the village level, and the economic viability of potential delivery systems were evaluated. A series of policy recommendations were evaluated that each balanced predicted cost with greatest need in different ways. Pricing structures are viewed as a vehicle to ensure system sustainability, making certain that progress made on MDG 7 is not undone when systems need to be replaced at the end of their lifetime.
Level of Honors
cum laude
Department
Economics
Advisor
Merton Finkler
Recommended Citation
Heiring, Alissa M., "Increasing Access to Potable Water: A Question of Economics and Governance in Bo District, Sierra Leone" (2016). Lawrence University Honors Projects. 91.
https://lux.lawrence.edu/luhp/91
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