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Tackling Water Scarcity in Kuwait: Promoting sustainable household consumption

Co-Principal Investigators: Professor Susana Mourato and Dr Ganga Shreedhar
Duration: September 2020 to December 2022

Row of water meters @Shutterstock.

A holistic approach is essential to curb unsustainable water demand and reduce unnecessary expenditure for water infrastructure. Water conservation and demand management policies are dependent on a range of factors including consumer behaviour, and sensitivity to water and broader environmental issues. Investigating public views and preferences is crucial to design policies and communication strategies that encourage pro-environmental actions. Despite water scarcity being one of the most pressing issues facing Kuwait – and indeed other Gulf Cooperation Countries – there is remarkably scant information on the topic.

This project aims to provide a robust assessment of attitudes, beliefs (including faith), and willingness to pay related to water conservation in Kuwait by employing a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods, including real time measurement of water consumption. It also aims - within this framework - to test the effectiveness of different behavioural interventions to encourage water conservation in the region, and to investigate the heterogeneity of preferences between different population groups. The results will inform major policy actors, primarily the Ministry of Energy and Water, in time to contribute towards Kuwait Vision 2035, and its Sustainable Living Environment plan.

Co-Principal Investigators:

  • Susana Mourato

    Susana Mourato | Principal Investigator

    Susana is Pro-Director of Research (LSE Directorate), Professor of Environmental Economics and Associate of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.

  • Ganga Shreedhar profile photo

    Ganga Shreedhar | Assistant Professor

    Ganga is Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science. She is interested in how, when and why people take action - or fail - to address complex global environmental social dilemmas.

Researchers:

  • Davide Contu

    Davide Contu | Co-Principal Investigator

    Davide is Assistant Professor at Canadian University Dubai.

  • Patricia Freitag

    Patricia Freitag | Research Assistant

    Patricia is Research Assistant on the projects 'Incentivising Acceptability of Climate Change Mitigation Measures in the GCC' and 'Public Preferences towards Policies to Address the Water-Energy-Nature Nexus in Kuwait'.