Assessing the effect of irrigation on household water quality and health: A case study in rural Ethiopia

In areas with inadequate improved water supply, irrigation water serves as an alternative water source for domestic uses in addition to its prime purpose of agricultural production. This increased water availability for the household can generate positive hygiene and health impacts, but poor irrigation water quality can be a source of domestic water contamination and can be harmful to human health. Using primary household survey data from two rural districts of Ethiopia, this study seeks to disentangle these opposite effects: the results show that irrigation is associated with poor household water quality (adjusted odds ratio 1.68, 95%, CI 1.07-2.66) and a lower risk of diarrheal disease (adjusted odds ratio 2.07, 95%, CI 1.24-3.44). Domestic use of irrigation water, however, does not further degrade the microbial quality of household water. On the other hand, the domestic use of irrigation water reduces the burden of water collection (p 0.01). Providing education and training programs to foster behavioral change towards sustainable improvements in water resource management, such as the safe use of irrigation water for domestic purposes through appropriate point-of-use water treatment, would be crucial to maximize the benefits of the domestic use of irrigation water and to minimize adverse environmental and health risks.