ABSTRACT
The costs and service levels in the provision of drinking water vary across the regions as well as within them (across villages), and understanding these variations is critical for policy planning. Identifying various factors and determinants of costs and service levels would help identify the policy initiatives that could enhance service levels and reduce unit costs. Besides, the analysis of the factors influencing the costs and service levels could also provide insights for future policies which need to be designed with reference to expected socioeconomic changes. However, the aggregate-level analysis at the agro-climatic zone level and in terms of technology has not been much help in identifying the factors influencing costs and service levels (Chapter 4 above). The variations mentioned could be across socio-economic groups, demographic situations, geographical locations, technologies, the source of water, etc. This chapter attempts to understand the reasons or factors influencing the variations across the villages in order to facilitate judicious allocation of resources and improved service delivery.
