The Impact of forest and non-forest cover on drinking water treatment costs : panel evidence from Ethiopia

• Empirical assessment of relationships between land use and land cover and drinking water chemical treatment cost is lacking in developing countries. This study is conducted to assess the impact of forest and non-forest cover on water purification chemical costs in Ethiopia. A panel fixed effects regression model was applied and analysed at the watershed, upstream parts of the watershed, and different buffer distances ranging from 2.5 to 30 kilometers. Findings indicated that forest cover both at watershed and upstream level has a significant effect on water treatment chemical cost. Result showed that watershed forest cover contributes significantly to reduction of treatment chemical costs as compared to non-forest cover, but the contribution to the reduction of treatment cost declines as the buffer distance increases. Thus, the findings highlighted that protecting forest enhances water quality and reduces the chemical costs incurred to treat potable water.

Ämnesord

LANTBRUKSVETENSKAPER  -- Annan lantbruksvetenskap -- Miljö- och naturvårdsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES  -- Other Agricultural Sciences -- Environmental Sciences related to Agriculture and Land-use (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Ethiopia

fixed effect

forest

land use land cover (LULC)

water purification

water treatment cost

Cost reduction

Developing countries

Forestry

Land use

Regression analysis

Surface waters

Water quality

Water treatment

Watersheds

Chemical costs

Chemical treatments

Empirical assessment

Fixed effects regression models

Forest cover

Land use and land cover

Treatment costs

Potable water

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)