Towards improving water management through a comparative assessment of social perceptions with actual network and groundwater quality in coastal urban areas -

Abstract

This paper targets the identification of key factors that affect the public’s perception of an urban coastal population experiencing water shortages and accelerated saltwater intrusion induced by groundwater exploitation to meet increasing water demand. For this purpose, a household survey was developed and administered to capture views and perceptions on received water. Concomitantly, groundwater and network water samples were collected and analyzed for comparison with perceived water quality. Statistical differences between people’s rating of water quality and the actual water quality across seasons were examined. Logistic regression models were developed to predict perception based on salient variables. The results indicated that the majority of the population was not satisfied with their well water quality, particularly in summer. Moreover, people’s perception of their water quality varied as a function of the actual water quality, the respondent’s age, and home ownership.