Household's willingness to pay for arsenic safe drinking water in Bangladesh

• Published in: Journal of environmental management Vol. 143; pp. 151 - 161
• Main Authors: Khan, Nasreen Islam, Brouwer, Roy, Yang, Hong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01-10-2014; Elsevier; Academic Press Ltd
• Subjects: Adult; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Arsenic; Arsenic - analysis; Arsenic content; Arsenic Poisoning - prevention & control; Bangladesh; Biological and medical sciences; Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife; Contingent valuation; Data Collection; Drinking; Drinking Water; Family Characteristics; Family income; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Health risks; Households; Humans; Income; Male; Models, Statistical; Models, Theoretical; Public Opinion; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water Pollutants, Chemical - economics; Water Pollution; Water supply; Water Supply - economics; Willingness to pay; Bangladesh; Asia; Indian Peninsula; South Asia; Drinking water; Bangladesh; Arsenic; Willingness to pay; Health risks; Contingent valuation; Contingent valuation method; Tropical zone; Water quality; Health hazards; Environmental management
• ISSN: 0301-4797; 1095-8630
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2014.04.018

This study examines willingness to pay (WTP) in Bangladesh for arsenic (As) safe drinking water across different As-risk zones, applying a double bound discrete choice value elicitation approach. The study aims to provide a robust estimate of the benefits of As safe drinking water supply, which is compared to the results from a similar study published almost 10 years ago using a single bound estimation procedure. Tests show that the double bound valuation design does not suffer from anchoring or incentive incompatibility effects. Health risk awareness levels are high and households are willing to pay on average about 5 percent of their disposable average annual household income for As safe drinking water. Important factors influencing WTP include the bid amount to construct communal deep tubewell for As safe water supply, the risk zone where respondents live, household income, water consumption, awareness of water source contamination, whether household members are affected by As contamination, and whether they already take mitigation measures.
•Awareness levels of the health risk related to As contamination are very high across all risk zones.•A significant relationship exists between poverty and the risk of As exposure.•Households are willing to pay 5% of their average annual income for As safe drinking water.•Predictors of WTP are income, risk zone, awareness, arsenicosis patient and mitigation measures.•The hypothetical context proves to be incentive compatible.