Advancing Understanding of the Influence of Environmental Seasonality on
Household Experiences with Water: A Systematic Literature Review
Abstract
Over half of the global population experiences water scarcity for at
least one month during the year. Such situations of household water
insecurity (HWI), where household water provisioning is reduced in such
a way that affordability, adequacy, reliability, or safety is
compromised to threaten human well-being, can be the result of complex
interactions between humans and the water systems in which they live. To
advance understanding regarding the cause-and-effect relationships
between variable hydrological conditions and how humans experience
domestic water provisioning, we conduct a systematic literature review
to synthesize existing research and identify knowledge gaps of seasonal
climate and hydrological influence on HWI. We incorporate a
socio-ecological framework of drinking water services as well as
process-based hydrological information to interpret results. Following
the PRISMA 2020 systematic review guidelines, we retained 67 studies for
final analysis. Examining studies by country as well as Major Freshwater
Habitat, we find most study sites have been in sub-Saharan Africa (n=61,
89.7%) and in areas characterized by Tropical and Subtropical Coastal
Rivers (n=37, 54.4%). Discussion of seasonality has centered on bimodal
rainy/dry seasons; pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon seasons;
seasonal droughts and floods; winter snow and ice conditions; and
seasonal migration. Water infrastructure, household characteristics,
institutional factors, and water sharing practices mediate seasonal
influences, either ameliorating or exacerbating its effects. To date,
there have been few HWI seasonality studies in East Asia and the
Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, North America, and Europe and
Central Asia, and no studies in areas of Temperate Floodplain Rivers and
Wetlands and Temperate Upland Rivers. Additionally, despite efforts to
incorporate seasonality, most studies are cross-sectional, demonstrating
an urgent need for more longitudinal studies to better characterize HWI
within and between years. With climate change expected to
disproportionately affect the portion of the global population that
relies on seasonally varying environmental resources, it is critical to
address these research gaps to ensure availability and sustainable
management of water for all.