Investigating Water Access Challenges for Emerging and Developing Countries: Vietnam and Kenya Case Study

Open Access
- Author:
- Cowser, Abigail J
- Area of Honors:
- Civil Engineering
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Caitlin A Grady, Thesis Supervisor
John Michael Regan, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- water
sustainable development goals
vietnam
kenya
water access
e.coli - Abstract:
- The United Nations member states outlined 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to accomplish by 2030 to better the world that cover a broad range of topics such as poverty, the environment, and infrastructure. Engineering disciplines are applicable to many if not all of these goals, since engineers often strive to develop innovative solutions to the world’s biggest problems. One of the most basic human rights is access to safe drinking water and sanitation, a responsibility which the 6th SDG strives “to ensure access to water and sanitation for all.” In order to build further understanding of the complexities that exist within international development and ensuring equal access to safe drinking water, the objective of this thesis is to investigate specific water access challenges for developing and emerging countries, specifically in Vietnam and Kenya. The questions guiding this research are: What are the current challenges that exist in ensuring equal access to safe drinking water for all? How effective are certain mitigation efforts in Vietnam and Kenya? How can engineers and policy makers contribute to improved access to drinking water? Within this thesis, Chapter 1 presents an overview of the current challenges that exist within water access. Chapter 2 and 3 are case studies detailing specific filtration techniques used in Vietnam and Kenya, respectively, to determine the presence of E.coli. After presenting these cases, Chapter 4 presents some scientific conclusions surrounding this research and next steps that can be taken. Finally, Chapter 5 outlines personal reflections and takeaways from composing this thesis. This research is valuable because if we can better understand the current state of water access in developing and emerging countries, we can better identify where research is lacking and future steps that need to be taken.