Understanding heterogeneity in adaptation to intermittent water supply: Clustering household types in Amman, Jordan

More than a billion people around the world experience intermittence in their water supply, where piped water is delivered for less than 24 h per day or less than 7 days per week. This prompts water users to adapt by installing storage tanks or accessing alternative water services to balance service deficits, which poses challenges for urban households, especially in Global South cities. Adaptation and its impacts can vary across urban households and have been shown to be largely unaccounted for by local water managers. Most studies on household adaptation to intermittent water supply (IWS) assume income-based differences in household water use and management strategies and do not account for the multiple factors that influence adaptation. There is thus a need for a standardized methodology for understanding responses to IWS that acknowledges a set of heterogeneous household characteristics influencing adaptation to IWS. Here, we apply an analysis pipeline using hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) in combination with the Welch-two-sample t-test on household survey data from Amman, Jordan. We identify three clusters of households distinguished by a set of characteristics including income, water social network, supply duration, relocation and water quality problems and identify their group-specific adaptive strategies such as contacting the utility or accessing alternative water sources. Our results reveal the link between household characteristics and unequal adaptation in Amman, leading to differential resilience against IWS. Our standardized method is suitable for application across different settings, which can provide valuable insights for revising urban water management policies towards greater equity in cities with IWS.