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Other Publications
Thakur, B. K., Gupta, V., Bhattacharya, P., & Chakraborty, T.
(2022). Impact of socioeconomic factors on households’
willingness to pay for arsenic-free safe drinking water-A
case study of Bihar, India. Groundwater for Sustainable
Development, 19, 100837.
The paper studies the impact of socioeconomic factors
on households’ willingness-to-pay (WTP) for drinking
water in Bihar, India. The data were collected from
420 households through a primary survey from two
arsenic affected districts. A linear regression model
was used to examine the causal relationship among
various socioeconomic factors and their influence on
household decision to pay for water services. Around
84% of the surveyed respondents were willing to pay
for better-quality water sources. Households value
the good water quality, which resulted in good health,
and, therefore, influenced the household decision to
pay and opt for the services. Average concentration water sources from poor quality to safer one. WTP for better-
levels were found to be 130.4 ug/L and 115.2 ug/L in quality drinking water were estimated through Contingent
2013 and 2019, respectively. The results found that Valuation Method (CVM). The annual WTP for the individual
socioeconomic factors that influence overall WTP households and for the study area were estimated at INR 240
are households’ income, age, education, awareness, ($4.13) and INR 17.1 ($0.29) million, respectively. The inference
arsenic concentration levels, and visit to the doctor. of the results may be used in implementing new policies for
Education of the household’s head and awareness providing arsenic free drinking water in the affected areas.
are interlinked, and more education causes a shift in
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