Navigating Scarcity: Social Determinants of Water Awareness and Conservation Behaviors in Rawalpindi

1593 Publisher: EDUCATION GENIUS SOLUTIONS Review Type: Double Blind Peer Review Vol. 3 No.4 2025 Research Consortium Archive P(ISSN) : 3007-0031 E(ISSN) : 3007-004X https://rc-archive.com/index.php/Journal/about Navigating Scarcity: Social Determinants of Water Awareness and Conservation Behaviors in Rawalpindi Saira Sajjad Lecturer, Department of Sociology, GC Women University, Sialkot Email Address: Sairasajjad1[email protected] Shanza Qaiser* MS Scholar at the Department Of Sociology, GC Women University, Sialkot Minahil Ansir Ali BS Scholar at Department of Criminology, GC Women University, Sialkot Hafiza Asma BS Scholar at Department of Sociology, GC Women University, Sialkot 1594 The issue of water scarcity is a burning environmental and social problem in Pakistan, which is determined by knowledge, socioeconomic status, and community practices. The study is quantitative research that determined the level of awareness and conservation behavior of the 150 people chosen in Rawalpindi by conducting a structured survey and a Likert scale survey. Descriptive statistics showed that there was moderate to high awareness of water scarcity (mean = 3.87), and lower actual household water-saving behavior (mean = 3.42), which shows a gap between knowledge and practices. Chi-square analysis revealed that education was a significant predictor of awareness (2 = 22.45, p = 0.001), whereas household income was a moderate predictor of conservation behaviors (r = 0.42, p = 0.01). Regression analysis revealed that awareness was a significant predictor of behavior (0.35, p < 0.001) but that structural, cultural, and social factors mediated the association. Also, it was observed that community norms and peer practices had a significant impact on the practices in households, thus indicating the role of subjective norms. The results indicate that sustainable water management is entailed in multi-level interventions, such as education, infrastructure, community participation, and culturally sensitive behavioral interventions. The study focuses on the necessity to incorporate policy in urban water management to attain fair access, enhance conservation, and overcome social and structural limitations. The study will lead to the comprehension of the social determinants of water use in Pakistan and offer practical solutions to policymakers and urban planners. Keywords: Water Scarcity, Burning Environment, Social Problem, Conservation Behavior, Awareness, Water Management INTRODUCTION One of the most topical issues of the urban population in Pakistan is the water shortage, where the high rate of population growth, urbanization, and climate change have aggravated the situation in the water market (Hassan, Qadir, & Ahmad, 2025; Sultana & Mostafa, 2023). The Pakistan Water Forum (2021) reveals that Rawalpindi and Islamabad urban cities experience acute water pressure because of their populations, ageing infrastructure, and an inefficient water distribution network. In addition to being an environmentally oriented problem, water scarcity is a social issue, which is influenced by awareness of people, traditions, domesticity, and the institutional environment (UNESCO, 2021). The knowledge of people related to water conservation, the way people think about managing the resources, and their daily activities are the most crucial factors that define the sustainable use of water (Gleick, P. H. 2019; (Franco-Torres, Kvålshaugen, & Ugarelli, 2021)). Although in Pakistan, technical solutions, including metering, rehabilitation of pipelines, and leakages, have been studied, the social and behavioral aspects are relatively unexplored (Nasar-u-Minallah, Jabbar, Zia, & Perveen, 2024). Water awareness goes beyond a limited understanding of scarcity and includes knowing the environmental, social, and economic consequences of how water is used and the realization of an individual and societal duty to conserve water (Russell & Knoeri, 2020). Research shows that various social factors influence water-use behaviors, and these are education, socioeconomic status, gender, household size, and cultural norms (Franco-Torres, Kvålshaugen, & Ugarelli, 2021); Gleick, P. H., 2019). As an illustration, better educational levels are always associated with an increased level of environmental awareness and active water-saving habits (Kumar, Kumari, ABSTRACT 1595 Kumar, Tunio, & Sassanelli, 2023). Such strategies as rainwater harvesting, waterefficient taps, and greywater reuse have a higher chance of being adopted by educated people who are a product of knowledge and practical agency (Sajjad, A. et al., 2025). Conversely, less educated and less-informed families are also more likely to be affected by higher structural constraints of behavioral adoption, including poor water supply, excessive reliance on alternative water sources, e.g., boreholes or personal tankers, and the inability to access water-saving technologies (Nasar-u-Minallah, Jabbar, Zia, & Perveen, 2024). The social economic status, in particular, household income level is also a key determinant of water behaviors. The richer households are able to purchase waterefficient appliances and storage tanks as well as filtration systems, and reduce the wastage therefore ensure continuity (Khalid, Hafeez, & Aqib, 2024). On the contrary, low-income communities are often constrained by a small sum of money and a shared water infrastructure, both of which affect not only the quantity of water used but also the perception of conservation and responsibility(Aziz, Naseeb, & Rashid, 2024). These discrepancies demonstrate that the structural inequality experience and the environmental issues overlap and that the water shortage cannot be addressed through the assistance of the strictly technical intervention, yet a socially oriented policy that takes into consideration the economic and cultural realities must be considered. The water-related practices in question are also associated with gender relations, namely the Pakistani families where the water management on the domestic level has historically been the task of women (Khalid, Hafeez, & Aqib, 2024). The consciousness, will, and power of decision-making of women have a direct effect on the water use practices in the household. Similar studies conducted on an international level also highlight those gendered roles and responsibility are critical factors in regulating water conservation behavior, with women tending to be more inclined toward sustainability practices because of their daily experience with water resources (Franco-Torres, Kvålshaugen, & Ugarelli, 2021). Nevertheless, gender norms can restrict the agency of women as well because the decisions taken concerning the infrastructural changes or investments in water-saving devices can be dictated by other male members of the household (Kumar, Kumari, Kumar, Tunio, & Sassanelli, 2023). A special challenge as far as conserving water is concerned is the city of Rawalpindi. Urbanization, slums, and lack of an equal supply network in the cities have resulted in unequal water access with the people having to resort to other sources of water including personal tankers, boreholes, and ground water drilling (Pakistan Water Forum, 2021). All this patchwork of waters leads to diversity in domestic practices and pressures to examine the structural and social determinants in the formation of water practices. To the extent that a very conscious household would find it hard to develop sustainable practices in case of infrastructural unreliability or high cost of water Conversely, the community-based work, such as local water committees, the neighborhood-level sensitization, and peer surveillance, was also identified to positively influence the conservation behaviors, which proves the role of social norms and the collective responsibility in the sustainable actions (Aziz, Naseeb, & Rashid, 2024; Russell & Knoeri, 2020). One of the theories that can be employed in explaining these dynamics is the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). According to TPB, behavior of an individual is influenced by attitudes, subjective norms and the perceived behavioral control (Ajzen, 1991). When it comes to the conservation of water, awareness affects attitudes whereas the subjective pressures are affected by social expectations and community 1596 norms which dictate behavior. Perceived behavioral control is reflected in structural factors such as income, access to infrastructures or household resources which define whether or not people can follow the knowledge they had. The application of this framework to Rawalpindi can be applied to understand a knowledge-practice gap that has been identified to prevail within the area since awareness cannot suffice in ensuring that the individuals become consistent in their conservation habits. The fact that very few quantitative studies have been conducted on the correlation between awareness and behaviors and social determinants as far as water scarcity in Pakistan is concerned is despite increasing awareness to the issue. The majority of the previous studies have been either technique-oriented (Hassan, Qadir, & Ahmad, 2025) or were based on general awareness surveys without their connections to demographic and social factors (Nasar-u-Minallah, Jabbar, Zia, & Perveen, 2024). The identified research gap suggests that more comprehensive research that takes into account education, income, household structure, gender relations, and cultural patterns is necessary. These considerations are important when developing interventions that are effective and socially acceptable, especially in the urban Pakistani context, where structural inequalities and cultural expectations and norms overlap with environmental issues. To address this gap, the present study will be based on the cross-sectional quantitative design in which the information will be gathered among 150 individuals in different neighborhoods in Rawalpindi. This paper delves into the awareness trends, domestic water consumption and the impact of the social determinants in it i.e., education, income, household size and social standards in the community. By employing the combination of demographic, behavioral and attitudinal variables, the research will aim at providing an advanced understanding of variables that affect water conservation behavior. It is hoped that the findings will prove useful to the policy makers, city officials and also the civil society organizations to guide utilization of community based and socially grounded water management strategies. In such a way, the given research paper would contribute to the existing theoretical knowledge and practical solutions to the issues of urban water conservation in Pakistan, whereby the outcomes are not reduced to the technical intervention but go to the behavioral and socio-cultural ones. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES To assess the level of public awareness regarding water scarcity and its environmental and social implications in Rawalpindi To examine household water-use behaviors and identify factors influencing conservation practices. To investigate the relationship between social determinants (education, socioeconomic status, cultural norms) and water conservation behaviors RESEARCH QUESTIONS What is the current level of awareness about water scarcity among residents of Rawalpindi? How do households in Rawalpindi manage water use, and what are their typical conservation behaviors? How are social determinants such as education, income, and cultural norms associated with water conservation behaviors? 1597 LITERATURE REVIEW Water shortage is becoming a clear-cut environmental and social issue, with urban areas struggling with critical issues because of the increase in population, climate change, and insufficient infrastructure (Gleick, P. H. 2019: Hassan, Qadir, & Ahmad, 2025). The importance of social determinants of water conservation arises in order to devise sustainable management measures. The literature on water use highlights that knowledge does not necessarily lead to changes in behaviors, but, in contrast, the water-related behaviors depend on a set of factors: awareness, social norms, perceived control, and structural factors (Ajzen, 1991; Russell & Knoeri, 2020). The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was used extensively to explain environmental behaviors, such as in the conservation of water (Ajzen, 1991). TPB suggests that there are three elements that impact behavior, which are attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. Attitudes, the subjective norms, and the perceived behavioral control represent the personal assessment of the conservation behavior; perceived social pressure, and the perceived behavioral control, respectively. The studies show that the subjective norms and perceived behavioral control have a close relationship with the water conservation behavior, in particular in urban settings where access to resources and overall practices in the community influence daily behavior (Russell & Knoeri, 2020; Eichelberger, L. 2018). The other schools of thought of theory focus on the role those social determinants play in the environmental practices. Strategies of education, income, gender, household size, and cultural norms include cultural norms, knowledge, attitudes and practices. The social capital theory also emphasizes the importance of community networks, collective participation and peer surveillance in sustainable use of water (Franco-Torres, Kvålshaugen, & Ugarelli, 2021). These theories offer some foundation to examine the water awareness and conservation practices among Pakistani cities, where social and cultural values play a crucial role. According to the world research, there is always a gap between knowledge and watersaving behavior. Indicatively, a survey of a large-scale survey involving (Russell & Knoeri, 2020) in Australia revealed that people were generally aware of the problem of water scarcity, but they had skewed household conservation methods. Perceived social norms and household resource control had a powerful change on behavioral engagement. In a comparative study conducted in Latin America and Africa, Eichelberger, L. (2018). discovered that the mediation of awareness-to-practice translation was done through access to water infrastructure, community engagement, and household income. (Khalid, Hafeez, & Aqib, 2024) emphasized the importance of socioeconomic capacity in conserving water and indicated that more affluent households, in turn, will have access to water-efficient technologies and keep their conservation practices regular. The results are consistent with Gleick, P. H. (2019),who believed that managing water sustainably involves incorporating all three dimensions of behavior, social, and economic aspects, instead of using technical interventions. It was also demonstrated that behavioral interventions, including nudges, incentives, and information campaigns, are likely to have a positive impact on water conservation. Research in Europe and North America shows that social comparisons, peer recognition, and feedback systems prompt households to use less water (Russell & Knoeri, 2020). Nevertheless, these interventions are relative to the context, and their performance is mediated by the cultural norms, belief in institutions, and existing infrastructure. Education comes out as the key factor in water knowledge and conservation. As 1598 demonstrated by (Kumar, Kumari, Kumar, Tunio, & Sassanelli, 2023), the more educated people are aware of the problem of water shortage and can implement watersaving habits more. Through education, cognitive knowledge and critical thinking, as well as long-term environmental effects, are advanced. Household income is also prominent because, with it, it is possible to access water-efficient appliances and infrastructure, and the costs of low-income households are structural, which restricts the adoption of the behavior ((Khalid, Hafeez, & Aqib, 2024); (Nasar-u-Minallah, Jabbar, Zia, & Perveen, 2024). In both urban and rural settings, gender relations have a role to play in water management practices. Women are key household managers of domestic water, and their knowledge, attitudes, and decision-making control have a direct effect on household practices in numerous societies (Khalid, Hafeez, & Aqib, 2024 :FrancoTorres, Kvålshaugen, & Ugarelli, 2021). Nonetheless, social norms can constrain women's agency, especially in making decisions on how to invest in the infrastructure or take up water-saving technology. The household size and composition also influence water behaviors, as more people will use more water in a household and may not be able to organize in terms of conservation. Sustainable practices can be supported by culture (such as collective responsibility and the expectations of the community) or impeded(Aziz, Naseeb, & Rashid, 2024). These factors support the importance of studying the issue of water consumption beyond personal knowledge and considering the complicated social, economic, and cultural background. Research on the awareness and behavior related to urban water conservation and awareness in Pakistan is also sparse and increasing. A survey Nasar-u-Minallah, Jabbar, Zia, & Perveen, (2024) carried out in Lahore and Rawalpindi discovered that the level of water scarcity awareness was average, but the actual habits of conservation were not consistent. One of the major obstacles was financial limitations, an untrustworthy supply system at the municipality, and the inaccessibility of watersaving appliances. In the same way, Sajjad, A., et al (2025) found that the more income and education levels a family had, the more likely they were to implement sustainable practices, which underscored the importance of socioeconomic factors. Gendered aspects of water management among Pakistani urban households, Khalid, Hafeez, & Aqib, (2024) pointed out that women in households tend to bear the burden of household domestic water collection and management, whereas male household members make the decisions on investments in water-saving infrastructure. (Kumar, Kumari, Kumar, Tunio, & Sassanelli, 2023), also noted that community influence and peer practices are very important factors that determine the behavior of an individual, which aligns with the subjective norms of TPB. In the local literature, the structural issues of urban inhabitants are outlined. Water supply in Rawalpindi becomes intermittent regularly, and residents are forced to use boreholes, private tankers, or storage options to access water and create disparities in the water accessibility (Pakistan Water Forum, 2021; Aziz, Naseeb, & Rashid, 2024). Even highly-awarded households could not conserve water because of these infrastructural constraints, implying the observed importance of the perceived behavioral control in forecasting water-use behavior (Ajzen, 1991). Moreover, the Pakistani scholarship is emphasizing the significance of social and cultural norms. The dynamics of the neighborhood, family expectations, and communal responsibility have a bearing on conservation practices. Aziz, Naseeb, & Rashid, (2024) established that community norms would moderate the relationship between the use of water-saving practices and households where peers and neighbors 1599 had the same behavior. This is in line with the international studies that focus on social influence as a major determinant of water behavior (Russell & Knoeri, 2020). All the literature points to the fact that water awareness and conservation are influenced by the interaction of knowledge, socioeconomic status, gender, household composition, and social norms moderated by structural factors in the form of municipal supply and access to technology. These determinants, combined with infrastructural constraints and cultural values, initiate a knowledge-practice gap in the Pakistani urban environment, meaning that awareness cannot necessarily be translated into a sustainable behavior (Nasar-u-Minallah, Jabbar, Zia, & Perveen, 2024; Sajjad, A., et al (2025)). These dynamics can be seen through the prism of theoretical frameworks, especially TPB. Awareness also determines attitudes, which in turn affect intentions; however, the perceived behavioral control limits the actual behavior (Ajzen, 1991). In Rawalpindi, families might be aware of the significance of conserving water, but they are not able to do this due to the unreliable supply of water, high prices, or the absence of supportive facilities. Behavior is also determined by social norms, where the community expectation, peer practice, and cultural beliefs influence residents on how they use water (Aziz, Naseeb, & Rashid, 2024; Khalid, Hafeez, & Aqib, 2024). These findings are supported by international studies. (Russell & Knoeri, 2020: Eichelberger, L. 2018) prove that conservation behavior depends on socioeconomic capacity, community influence, and behavioral control, which are indeed universal social and structural factors but allow variations depending on the context. Overall, the literature on sustainable water management produced by Pakistani and international authors certifies that the implementation of sustainable water management should be multi-level, involving the integration of awareness, behavior support, infrastructural facilitation, and community participation. The effective solution of water scarcity requires more than technical solutions since it presupposes unique strategies that take into consideration the social determinants of household practice. This literature review provides a conceptual and empirical background to the current quantitative study by providing the basis of the study through the awareness and conservation behaviors in Rawalpindi. Methodology The quantitative cross-sectional research design was the research design employed in this study to explore the social determinants of water awareness and conservation behavior of urban households in the Rawalpindi District in Pakistan. The rationale behind adopting the quantitative approach was to systematically obtain the level of the degree of awareness, the behavioral pattern, and the influence of social and demographic factors in such a manner that the extent of the determinants and water conservation practices can be tested statistically. The population under study consisted of the residents of the city of Rawalpindi and were aged 18 years and more. Stratified random sampling was used to select one hundred and fifty-one respondents to represent all the socioeconomic strata i.e., low, middle and high-income neighborhoods. This approach enabled the study to reflect the disparities in knowledge and practices related to water in terms of education, household situation, and income, which can be compared to the past research, which stated the importance of social variables in the development of water practices (Kumar, Kumari, Kumar, Tunio, & Sassanelli, 2023; Sajjad, A., et al (2025)). The tool used in collecting data was a structured questionnaire that had four parts. The demographic data were collected in the first section, which consisted of age, gender, 1600 education, household income, and household size. To determine the level of awareness of water scarcity, the second section entailed the use of a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree) to measure the level of awareness regarding causes, effects, and significance of water scarcity conservation. The third part evaluated homes in terms of household water-use, such as how often they practice water saving, how they adopt and use water-efficient technologies, and whether they adhere to community or municipal suggestions. The last part examined the perception of social and community responsibility and the response to collective conservation activities, as well as institutional communication. A pre-test with 10 respondents was conducted to clarify, make relevant, and reliable the items in the questionnaire. Face-to-face survey data collection among respondents was done in their homes and community centers in Rawalpindi. All the participants were informed and given consent, and confidentiality was maintained by anonymity. The respondents were made aware that it was a voluntary session and that they could skip or withdraw at any moment. The analysis of data was performed with SPSS 26. Frequency distributions, percentages, and means were the descriptive statistics used to summarize awareness levels and household behaviors. Chi-square tests identified relationships between categorical social determinants (education, income, gender) and water-use behaviors, and Pearson correlation and regression analysis were applied to observe the correlations between awareness level and conservation practices. The Likert-scale items were tested with the help of Cronbach's alpha, which guaranteed internal consistency within the constructs. This study was based on ethical considerations. The study followed guidelines of free will, informed consent, confidentiality, and privacy of the participants. No personal identifiable data was gathered, and the data were locked to avoid third-party access. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS In this section, the authors summaries the findings of the study on the publicity awareness and household practices in conservation of water in Rawalpindi. The research is based on the findings of the survey of 150 participants who had represented various socioeconomic groups, education, and family sizes. The former aimed to investigate socially constructed determinants of awareness of water, translation of knowledge into life-conservation behaviors in the real life, and the influence of community norms on the household water-use behavior. The descriptive statistics, cross-tabulations, chi-square tests, Pearson correlations, and regression tests were used to analyze the relationship between the key variables. The demographic characteristics that will be discussed to provide the descriptive analysis will be gender, education, income, and household size. This provides a context in which changes in the mindset and behavior of the different groups of the population are understood. The following sections will identify the level of water awareness by questions that will be based on the Likert scale, the conservation behavior of the household will be also measured after that, thus demonstrating the extent of understanding converted into action. The preliminary results suggest that there is a knowledge-practice gap, i.e., the respondents demonstrate moderate-high awareness of water scarcity but take lesser conservation measures. The inferential test is used to test the relationship between the major independent variables, including the levels of education, household income, and community norms, as well as the dependent variables, including awareness and water-use behavior. The 1601 chi-square tests are aimed at developing a clue regarding the relations between the variables of the categories, and correlation analysis and regression analysis aim at the determination of predictive value of awareness on the actual conservation behavior. Besides, the qualitative data derived based on the open-ended survey findings would complement quantitative findings and describe the situational factors to shape the water-use behavior in urban Pakistani households based on structural limitations, cultural constraints, and social expectations. Overall, the results of the study suggest the complex interdependence of knowledge, socioeconomic capacity, and social influence to establish water conservation practice. This section is a mixture of statistical information and the interpretation process and the findings will be related to the rest of the literature concerning water management and the social determinants. When the results are put in the Pakistani context and the research is put in the international research, the research provides a comprehensive understanding of the impediments and the enablers of sustainable water use in Rawalpindi. Sample Demographics Table 1: Gender Distribution Gender Frequency Percent Male 78 52.0 Female 72 48.0 Total 150 100.0 The sample was equally balanced in terms of both males and female therefore providing diversity in perspective regarding the use of water at home. The inclusion of women in Pakistan is important because they frequently gather and utilize water at home (Khalid, Hafeez, & Aqib, 2024). Gendered processes in water-specific operations are also noted in the study of international affairs with knowledge of women potentially having a significant role in the construction of household (FrancoTorres, Kvålshaugen, & Ugarelli, 2021). Table 2: Education Level Education Level Frequency Percent Primary 30 20.0 Secondary/High School 68 45.3 Bachelor or Higher 52 34.7 Total 150 100.0 The sample included respondents of secondary or higher education, that is, the sample can understand the questions in the surveys, as it was literate. Other past research