Solar-Powered Water Filtration in Ethiopian Rural Communities: Health and Livelihood Benefits

Solar-powered water filtration systems have been introduced to improve access to clean drinking water in rural communities of Ethiopia. A mixed-methods approach was employed, including quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews to assess system usage, user satisfaction, and perceived benefits among participants. The solar-powered systems were found to be significantly effective in reducing the incidence of diarrheal diseases by 35% (95% CI: 20-48) compared to pre-intervention levels. Solar-powered water filtration has demonstrated substantial health benefits and improved agricultural yields, particularly among households that rely on groundwater for irrigation. Communities should be encouraged to adopt solar-powered filters through community education programmes, while policymakers should consider subsidizing or providing funding for installation of these systems in underserved rural areas. Treatment effect was estimated with $\text{logit}(p_i)=\beta_0+\beta^\top X_i$, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.