How Behavioural Analysis Could Improve Global Water Security
It is no secret the world is undergoing a global water crisis, with 703 million people lacking access to clean water. Therefore, there is a growing need for governments to come together to tackle the problem to reduce the long-term problem of water scarcity.
As well as looking at physical, geographical, and scientific issues that are causing the water crisis, including climate change and its impact on extreme weather conditions, researchers are increasingly beginning to look at human behaviour and its effect on water availability.
Some believe examining this closely can uncover the relationship humans have with water, our perception of water quality, our understanding of water scarcity and our response to attractive marketing.
Analysing our water behaviour has the potential to improve policy decisions in the future that could improve access to water, so that more than 1,000 children under the age of five do not have to die every day due to a lack of safe water, hygiene or sanitation.
Additionally, 1.69 billion people would not have to live without adequate sanitation and 419 million people would not have to practise open defecation.
To find out how behavioural analysis could improve water availability, read on.
The BASIN project
The London School of Economics (LSE) has launched the BASIN project (Behavioural Adaptation for Water Security and Inclusion), which looks at how behaviour can create better governance the world over by recognising both barriers and opportunities that are available.
According to project organisers: “BASIN aims to synthesis, assess and test the application potential of multi-level behavioural and psychological science perspectives for adaptation in Africa to enhance water security for the most vulnerable.”
The initiative, which has connected three NGOs, a knowledge broker, and four universities, looks at case studies of critical climate-water challenges. By using the information gathered from these, such as the inequity from institutional practices, it hopes to improve decision-making and water security in Africa.
Researchers are looking closely at the behaviours from both organisations and individuals, examining how threats are perceived and communicated, what influences behaviour, risk perception, income and gender.
Burkina Faso, Malawi and Tanzania are being analysed first, as these three countries have experienced some of the worst floods and droughts over the last 20 years.
For example, Burkina Faso had, on average, three flood events every year since 1986 and 2016. At the same time, it experiences average temperatures of between 27C and 30C, which causes it to suffer from droughts and prolonged exposure to high temperatures.
Thanks to global warming, there is an expected increase in temperatures and drought occurrences. It is also predicted there will be a rise in rainfall variability and erratic precipitation patterns.
Therefore, it is urgent that something is done about water scarcity and poor water quality in countries such as Burkina Faso before the problem gets worse.
What behavioural analysis shows
Examining human behaviour can highlight how threats are perceived. Through Protection Motivation Therapy (PMT), researchers can see what factors influence behaviour with regards to floods and droughts.
For instance, humans tend to only take action if the threat of flooding or droughts is likely to directly affect them, and if the measures are thought to be effective, affordable and easy to adopt.
One solution to the problem of water scarcity is to recycle water, so none of it is wasted. However, there are many psychological factors that might impact water usage, including its taste, the perception of risk, previous experiences, thoughts of the water supply system, trust in water providers, and the use of chemicals.
Unless these challenging thoughts can be combated, recycled drinking water is unlikely to take off in a substantial way.
Similarly, although everyone knows the importance of sustainability and recycling, millions of people still use bottled water. In fact, 446 billion litres of bottled water are expected to be consumed in 2024, which equates to one million bottles every minute.
It is, therefore, important to understand how marketing, social influence, convenience and attractive packaging affects behaviour, despite the understanding of the importance of protecting the environment.
Looking at behavioural analysis, it is also essential to see how water insecurity, post-flood trauma, and droughts, especially for farmers, can impact mental health. Having a greater focus on its link with depression, anxiety and shame could help governments design better risk reduction measures to support communities.
How does this analysis affect water governance?
Providing authorities with information about behaviour, such as predispositions, psychological distance to water scarcity, personal experience, social influence and expectations, and perceptions of risk, can all help organisations design policies that will encourage change.
By recognising the importance between human behaviour and the global water crisis, there is the potential this analysis can provide much-needed information for politicians to have a positive impact on the global water crisis.
Together with scientific data on the environment and advancing technology, understanding human psychology with regards to water quality and scarcity can help them address water-related conflict, water security, hygiene and sanitation problems, and further action to slow down climate change.
For instance, it could force changes in the marketing of bottled water in Western countries where tap water is safe to consume; and it could raise more awareness of the water crisis to those who are distanced from it.
It could also encourage reusing water for drinking to reduce wastage; and it could promote sustainability so that extreme weather conditions, such as droughts and floods, do not worsen as quickly.
According to UNESCO, the urban population facing water scarcity is expected to rise from 930 billion in 2016 to up to 2.4 billion people by 2050, which would have a disastrous impact on human life, as well as plants and animals.
Director-general of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay said: “There is an urgent need to establish strong international mechanisms to prevent the global water crisis from spiralling out of control. Water is our common future and it is essential to act together to share it equitably and manage it sustainably.”
Behavioural analysis could be an effective way of getting people all over the world to change their actions to protect water availability for the future.
To improve the management of your company’s water usage, it could be time to switch water suppliers, as this could save you considerable costs in the long run.