Public perception and economic implications of bottled water consumption in underprivileged urban areas
Date
2012-07
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Springer
Abstract
This paper presents a comparative assessment
of public perception of drinking water quality in
two underprivileged urban areas in Lebanon and
Jordan with nearly similar cultural and demographic
characteristics. It compares the quality of bottled water
to the quality of the drinking water supplied through the
public network and examines the economic implications
of bottled water consumption in the two study areas.
Participants' perception of the quality of drinking water
provided via the public network was generally negative,
and bottled water was perceived to be of better quality in
both areas, thus affecting drinkingwater preferences and consumption patterns. The results reveal that the quality
of bottled water is questionable in areas that lack enforcement
of water quality standards, thus adding to the
burden of an already disadvantaged community. Both
areas demonstrated a considerable cost incurred for
purchasing bottled water in low income communities
reaching up to 26 % of total income.
Description
item.page.type
Journal Article (peer-reviewed)
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Keywords
URBAN DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES, BOTTLED WATER QUALITY, PUBLIC PERCEPTION, WATER QUALITY, LEBANON, JORDAN, ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
Citation
Massoud, M.A., Maroun, R., Abdelnabi, H., Jamali, I.I., & El-Fadel, M. (2012). Public perception and economic implications of bottled water consumption in underprivileged urban areas. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 184.doi:10.1007/s10661-012-2775-x