Understanding household self-supply use and management using a mixed-methods approach in urban Indonesia

Abstract

In urban Indonesia, 40 million people rely on groundwater self-supply, however the role of self-supply in securing household water provision remains unexplored. This study used a mixed-methods approach to understand the use and management of household self-supply in the Indonesian cities of Bekasi and Metro, where a high proportion of households rely on private wells for water supply. Self-supply was the preferred drinking water source because of its perceived safety, taste and appearance at both study sites. The most important attributes influencing choice of domestic water source were appearance, reliability and safety in Bekasi, and safety followed by convenience and reliability in Metro. Coping strategies to overcome quality and availability problems of self-supply included water treatment, switching from dug wells to deeper boreholes and the use of multiple water sources. All households reported boiling self-supplied water, however, the labor involved was tiring for some households, leading them to resort to alternative water sources. Reasons for non-use of alternative water sources such as refill water and public piped systems included a lack of trust in water quality and perceived poor taste. Regarding self-supply management, responsibilities and decision-making varied across households, but cooperation between men and women concerning workload was common. Women were mostly responsible for household water management, and men were mostly responsible for maintenance and repairs, cleanliness of the water source and financing. To support and regulate self-supply towards a safely managed water service, strategies for improvements should be considered not only at the source, but also at point-of-use, including promotion of safe household water treatment and management. Although self-supply was the main water source at these study sites, alternative sources such as refill water and public piped systems played an important role in supplementing inadequate supplies, and hence their safety and reliability should be considered when establishing support strategies.