Assessing Socio-Technical Transitions Shaping Wash Sustainability in Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia

A study on the Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia, reveals that WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) systems embedded within strong socio-technical arrangements—characterized by community ownership and appropriate technology—demonstrate significantly higher functionality rates. The research also highlights how disruptions from the Upper Omo River highlands, leading to shifts in livelihoods, increase vulnerability to waterborne diseases. However, integrated WASH interventions in 2023, combining physical rehabilitation of water schemes with hygiene promotion based on the Health Belief Model, successfully contained cholera and acute watery diarrhea. The findings underscore the importance of aligning technological solutions with the egalitarian social structures and mobility patterns of pastoralist communities for long-term resilience.

(Ed.). (2026). Assessing Socio-Technical Transitions Shaping Wash Sustainability in Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia. Texila Advanced Journal of Multidisciplinary Health Research, 06(01). https://doi.org/10.21522/tajmhr.2016.06.01.art008