Water for all: determinants of household water access in Nouakchott, Mauritania

Access to water and sanitation are major issues for many West African cities, especially for low- and middle-income nations like Mauritania. This study investigates the socioeconomic, demographic, and geographical factors influencing household water access in Nouakchott. It explores the latest and most relevant findings of previous studies and related works in developing regions and African contexts. Furthermore, we presented a detailed contextualization of water access in Nouakchott. We described the critical water accessibility challenges, highlighting disparities in infrastructure, reliance on alternative supply methods like donkey carts and cisterns, and the social and economic inequalities that aggravate these issues. Using data from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, we applied a logistic regression model to determine the key predictors of household water access. The results show that access to water is significantly influenced by access to electricity, the education level of the household head, the municipality of residence, and housing characteristics, including the number of rooms, house surface, and type of house. In contrast, age, gender, and employment status were not significant predictors of household water access. Finally, research findings offer valuable insights to policymakers to help them better identify and target households with limited water access to reduce inequality and expand infrastructure to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals 6.1.