Methodological Evaluation of Water Treatment Facilities in Ethiopia: A Randomized Field Trial

Water treatment facilities in Ethiopia face challenges related to adoption rates among communities due to varying levels of infrastructure development and community engagement. A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 50 villages in Ethiopia. Participants were randomly assigned to either receive or not receive water treatment facilities. Data collection included surveys and direct observations over a six-month period. In the intervention group, 82% of households reported increased adoption rates for water treatment systems post-intervention compared to baseline levels (p < 0.05). The randomized field trial demonstrated significant improvements in adoption rates following the provision of water treatment facilities. Communities should be actively involved in planning and implementation phases, with ongoing support for maintenance and education on proper use. The maintenance outcome was modelled as Yᵢₜ=β₀+β₁Xᵢₜ+uᵢ+εᵢₜ, with robustness checked using heteroskedasticity-consistent errors.