Description
Water security through safe drinking water and blue spaces supports health and well-being, productivity, and community development by creating a pleasant living environment, while water insecurity and poor access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) increase water-related disease risks, harm well-being and quality of life, social relationships, and human-environment interactions. Flooding exacerbates health challenges and damages livelihoods. If both coincide, and flooding hits deficient WASH infrastructure, this creates a dual health challenge for affected communities, as seen in recent destructive floods in Nairobi. Health and well-being, in turn, affect productivity by influencing school or work attendance and performance, with poor health leading to economic losses and reduced capacity for skill development. WASH challenges and flooding disproportionately affect the well-being of low-income and disadvantaged groups, particularly in informal settlements, exacerbating poverty and hindering economic development. As urbanisation and climate risks grow, addressing water insecurity and its impacts on well-being and productivity is crucial for finding solutions. Improved health and well-being can promote educational and work outcomes, creating a positive feedback loop where productivity gains are reinvested in policies that further improve well-being through enhancing urban green and blue spaces, access to WASH, and resilience to flooding and water-related risks.This study aims to identify links between health, well-being, productivity growth, and water (in)security, with a major focus on (a) provision of safe water to prevent WASH-related diseases (e.g. COVID- 19), (b) protection from water-related threats (e.g. flooding), and (c) blue spaces. Data will be collected in planned and unplanned settlements of Nairobi, expanding previous research by adopting a subjective well-being and productivity lens in the Global South. We present the survey design, based on the Sustainable Livelihood Framework. A map-based survey identifies enablers and barriers to well-being and productivity across human, social, physical, natural, and financial capitals. Choice experiments assess preferences and trade-offs concerning WASH interventions, while focus group discussions complement quantitative data by exploring well-being perceptions beyond economic development and links
between livelihood assets and subjective well-being.
This case study is part of the Horizon Europe Funded project Wellbeing in a Sustainable Economy Revisited (WISER) (Grant number: 101094546).
| Period | 28 Feb 2025 |
|---|---|
| Event title | ISQOLS Winter Virtual Conference 2025: Advancing Well-Being and Quality of Life Studies |
| Event type | Conference |
| Location | VirtualShow on map |