Estimating household water consumption in Jordanian rural households: A case study

Abstract

Objectives: The study aims to measure the amount and characteristics of end-use water consumption and identify the factors influencing it in Al-Kharj village, Irbid Governorate. Methods: Primary data were collected through a structured questionnaire survey administered to 146 randomly selected households. Water consumption for each end-use was estimated using a combination of observational techniques and self-reported measures, including flow rate and usage duration. A multiple linear regression model was applied via SPSS to analyze the influencing factors. Results: The results showed that the average daily per capita water consumption was 66.73 liters, with dishwashing manually being the most consuming activity. Water consumption influenced by household size, the household head's educational level, household income (per month), and total built-up area m². The coefficient of determination (R²) for the model was 0.623, explaining 62.3% of the variance in per capita consumption. Conclusions: The study highlighted the need to develop sustainable demand management policies, given the limited available resources. It demonstrated that achieving effective demand management in Jordanian rural areas requires taking into account socio-economic characteristics, and physical characteristics, given their direct impact on daily per capita consumption rates.