Key Informant Interview: City Official

Use the protocol and script below to conduct the key informant interview(s) with city official(s) in the study city. Download the City Official Data Recording Form to record responses to the questions.

Participant

The interview should be conducted with a person who is a recognized city official. This may be a public health officer, environmental officer, official of the Ministry of Health (or equivalent), member of the city water and sanitation coordinating body, etc. The participant must be knowledgeable about the city and its water and sanitation issues.

Venue

A quiet and private venue is needed to reduce interruptions.

Interview Instructions

Before starting the questionnaire we recommend that the implementing team provide a short introduction to the purpose of the Exposure Assessment Tool and implementing organization. We have provided a sample script on the following page. Before any data collection occurs, the interviewer should seek consent to take notes during the interview. Be sure to fill information within brackets appropriately. For example, if the name of the city in which the assessment will take place is Accra, the interviewer would say "Accra" wherever it says [city name] on the interview script.

A Note on Probing

In some instances, we have included instructions for probing. Probing questions are meant to allow the interviewee to think more deeply about the question. The interviewer should not impose their ideas or agenda for what they think the answer should be on the interviewee.

Data Recording and Note-Taking

The interview should be recorded on paper. Key summary points from the interview should be recorded on the data form provided. We recommend reading through the script, interview questions, as well as data forms prior to starting the interview. The data forms provide spaces to address answers to different questions that may be addressed in the key informant interview. The form is meant to facilitate recording of key points, but only the script should lead the conversation. If the interviewee did not address the answer to a specific question, you should leave the entry form blank for that question.

Script for Interviewing a City Official

Thank you for agreeing to an interview today.

My name is { name} and we are conducting an assessment on environmental conditions in {city’s name} on behalf of {organizations name}.Our project is trying to understand how and where people are exposed to fecal contamination in the environment. The goal of this interview is to determine what exposure pathways (such as surface water, drinking water, toilets, or fruits and vegetables) to study in this city, and which neighborhoods we may want to focus on. As a leader in this city your views and experience are extremely valuable to us and we appreciate your contribution to this research. In the interview we are most interested to gather information about water and sanitation in the city, as well as hear your views and concerns. The results of the research will be used to help decide what policies and programs related to sanitation are important to this city.

Your participation today is entirely voluntary. I would like to record notes during our interview. The reason for this is so that we do not miss anything that you say, and so we can capture your views correctly. The notes will be kept confidential and only used for this research project to improve environmental health. Is it okay to take notes during our meeting today? (Confirm consent).

The interview will last about 1 hour. Do you have any questions before we begin?

Opening Questions

1. How long have you lived in [city name]?

2. What is your role as a city official in [city name]? Please list any specific responsibilities.

City layout and infrastructure

3. Are there any oceans, rivers, lagoons, or ponds in this city? If so, please provide the name and the neighborhood they are located in or near.

4. Are there any public toilets in the city? When I say public toilet, I mean that more than five households share the toilet and it is available for any member of the community to use. Governments, businesses or individuals may run the toilets.

5. Do you have an estimate of how many public toilets there are in the city?

6. Are there any open drains in this city? When I say the drain is open, I mean that someone could easily reach into the drain if, for example, something were to fall in.

7. Where do people get their drinking water from in the city?

8. Where does the water people bathe in come from?

9. Are there any sections of the city that flood every year? (Probe: Where? Why do you think so?)

10. Are there farms that grow produce within the city limits?

Questions about water and waste management

11. Is there a functional sewage treatment plant in this city?

12. Is there a functional water treatment plant in this city?

13. How do you generally feel about the city’s water quality? Probe: Is there any documented evidence to your suggestions?

14. How do you generally feel about the way sewage is managed in the city? Probe: Is there any documented evidence to your suggestions?

15. Do you know if sewage is disposed of directly into any of the bodies of water or drains in the city? If so, where and how?

Questions about environmental contamination

16. Is it common for people in this city to [defecate] in the open?

17. To the best of your knowledge, is are any of the fruits or vegetables produced and /or consumed in the city irrigated with wastewater or biosolids?

18. Do you think there is fecal contamination in the piped water supply?

19. If and when it floods, is it likely that there is fecal contamination in the floodwater?

20. Are there any particular parts of this city or specific communities that are known to be contaminated or have very poor sanitation? Think about any bodies of water, large venues, or facilities, name the communities in order of poor sanitation?

Questions about potential exposure to feces

21. Is it common for people in this city to use public latrines?

22. In what ways do you think people in your city come into contact with fecal matter in [city name]?

Closing Questions

23. What do you think are the biggest environmental health or water and sanitation related problems in the city related to infrastructure, policy, and behavior?

24. Why do you think these problems are an issue here?

25. Is there a particular part of the city where you think these problems may be the worst? If so, why? (Probe for specific areas/neighborhoods)

26. For whom (what subsections of the population) do you think these problems are the worst? Why?

27. Is there any further information or data that you are able to provide? (Do you have maps of the neighborhood or water source locations or public latrines? Do you have estimates of facility usage? )

28. Are there any other environmental health issues in [city name] we have not discussed that you feel are important?

29. Would you recommend that I speak to anyone else regarding these questions?

Thank you for your cooperation!