ACTUAL USE AND EVALUATION OF TAP WATER BY UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN VIETNAM: COMPARISON BETWEEN URBAN AND RURAL AREAS

Abstract

 To discuss future water supply system development in developing countries, it is important to quantitatively understand stakeholders' evaluations and demands. In this study, we conducted a questionnaire survey targeting university students in Vietnam to clarify actual use and evaluation of tap water by university students in the country. The answers obtained in the survey were analyzed using Fisher's exact test and T-test in order to examine if its use and evaluation are different between urban and rural areas. As a result, no significant differences between the two areas were found in the evaluation of tap water through five physical senses, satisfaction of tap water, demand for improvement of water supply system, evaluation of tap water charges, perception of risks associated with tap water, and trust in water supply administrator. Despite the differences in availability of tap water and its actual use between urban and rural areas, high evaluation of tap water and demand for its improvement were commonly found. The high evaluation of tap water could be attributed to the fact that the water supply has released them from the water-drawing work and reduced their health risks. On the other hand, the demand for improvement of tap water was still high owing to new problems such as the amount of water supplied, insufficient water pressure, and deterioration of water quality in the rainy season.