Evaluating Demand for Water and Sanitation Technologies in Udaipur, India: A Mixed Methods Approach

This paper utilizes a mixed methods approach to evaluate household demand for reduced diarrhea risk through an assessment of willingness to pay (WTP) for water and sanitation technologies in Udaipur, India. Using data from a survey of 900 households, responses to a contingent valuation scenario were analyzed using multivariate logit regression to determine WTP for a water purification device. Furthermore, transcripts from 10 focus groups were analyzed for specific determinants of WTP for a ceramic filter, an open well chlorination tank, and a composting latrine by identifying preferences based on the frequency and type of responses given by group participants. The mean WTP estimated from the logit model was $1.03; this is the monthly WTP amount per person in this sample. The specific determinants for WTP include the randomized price levels, and factors like education level and household socio-economic characteristics. In addition, the qualitative work did not reveal a clear preference by all groups for any one of the three offered technologies, but demonstrated the influence of factors such as perceived health improvement and increased convenience on demand. Understanding what drives demand for these technologies could help implementers in designing more effective behavior change interventions, educational campaigns or social marketing schemes.