Search

Water vending is frequently regarded as an indication of a piped water system failure, and it continues to be a vital source of water for a large number of urban dwellers worldwide, including those in Abuja. This study looked at the role of water vendors to urban water supply in Kwali L. G. A, Abuja. Using a survey research approach, 383 copies of questionnaire were distributed. Both systematic and purposive sampling techniques were used to select the sampled areas in the study area as well as the respondents. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed for the analysis. The study showed that majority of the vended water sources in the study area are privately owned. It was also found that 75.1% of the residents in the study area patronize the services of water vendors, with the majority (64.2%) buying their water from wheelbarrow vendors or handcarts, while 23.9% buy from tanker truck vendors, and the least patronized were head carriage vendors. The primary reasons for water vendors' involvement in domestic water supply are reliability and availability of supply, which account for 32.6% in all zones. The second most cited reason is the timely efficiency of supply compared to other sources. In the study area, there is seasonal variation in vending water demand and supply pa6erns, with the highest demand occurring during the dry season. Additionally, most supplies are made during the morning and evening hours. It's important to note that 50.8% of the survey participants found the price of water provided by water vendors to be affordable. This indicates that many residents, particularly the surveyed households, can easily afford to purchase water. It was recommended that extension of water infrastructure, including water points, to the study area by the FCT Water Board and other water stakeholders to enhance water availability and vendor services. Institutionalization of water vending by policymakers to regulate water quality and pricing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water is the second most important compound after air for the sustenance of life on our planet. It is the most abundant molecule in living cells, essential for the proper functioning of cells. It is one of the cheap vehicles that transport gastro-intestinal diseases. Therefore, water for human consumption must be free from chemical substances and microbes that may cause disease in man. This study was carried out to determine bacteriological quality of water sold in jerry cans within Katsina metropolis. Twenty different water samples (Five each from Kofar kaura, Kofar marusa, Dakitara and Filin polo) were collected and transported to the laboratory for analyses. Temperature and pH values of each sample were measured accordingly. The samples were subjected to aerobic mesophilic bacterial count, Coliform count and detection of Escherichia coli. The result showed temperature values in the range of 23oC to 26oCwhile pH measurements were in the range of 6.9 to 7.3. Samples from Kofar kaura, Kofar marusa, Daki tara and Filin polo had mean bacterial counts of1.718×106, 1.052×106, 2.042×106 and 1.612×106colony forming units per milliliter (CFU/mL) respectively, and mean coliform counts of 25.2, 122.6, 77 and 128 CFU/mL respectively. All samples from all the sampling points contained E. coli. The study stresses the need for environmental and personal hygiene by all water vendors. It is, however, recommended that water retailing by truck pushers be monitored and regulated to avoid the risk of a point-source epidemic.

In cities of the Global South, including many African cities, large segments of the population are underserved by the city's formal water regime. In these situations, informal or hybrid methods of water access emerge, often in the form of small water enterprises (SWEs). Spaces occupied, traveled through, and served by SWEs lead to new spaces of access in cities where they are present. We introduce the concept of hydrosocial routes, or pathways established by human processes involved in linking water sources to consumers. This article examines the routes created by one SWE in Niamey, Niger: that of house-to-house water delivery. It draws from the concept of hydrosocial territories, but extends the discussion to include the pathways that exist within, extend, or connect hydrosocial territories. Using participant observation and geographic information systems to map delivery routes of house-to-house water vendors, we show how cultural norms of the water delivery economy in Niamey create hydrosocial routes. We argue that while hydrosocial territories are often defined by conflict, the hydrosocial routes, in this case, help to prevent conflict and encourage equity among vendors in the hybrid system of water delivery. Understanding the context of how these routes are established and maintained helps us better understand urban water vending and water access challenges in Niamey and elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explored water pricing of small town water systems in Ghana and how households adapt to changes in pricing. Data were collected from four small towns in the Upper West Region through household survey, focus group discussions and key informant interviews. The results of the study showed that small town water systems are semi-autonomous in determining water tariffs. As a result, water tariffs vary among systems although the processes involved in setting tariffs were the same. Tariffs for domestic water use were generally low compared to commercial use. Despite high poverty levels in small towns compared to urban centres, water tariffs in the former were lower than in the latter. It also emerged that most households did not have knowledge on how tariffs were computed. Households without on-premises connections spend 166% higher on water than households with on-premises connections. The empirical analysis shows that unregulated water vending makes households without connection to pay higher tariffs for water. The paper among others recommends that tariffs at which vendors should sell water to customers should be set and closely monitored in order to ensure that households without connections have access to water at reasonable tariffs.

In Kenya, informal urban water markets serve the poor in areas where public utilities have failed to deliver. They often charge high prices, sell low-quality water and perform water transactions in a way that is unfair to the buyers. They still remain one of the most popular alternatives for water provision, as they can offer flexibility of supply arrangements and payment systems which are beyond the scope of large-scale water providers. In the major restructuring of Kenya's urban water delivery system towards commercialization and privatization, these private vendors are being regularized for better service delivery in terms of regulation of prices and quality of water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building on a recent increase in scholarly attention to the problem of tap water mistrust and resulting negative health impacts, we examine the relationship between neighborhood reliance on tap water alternatives and a range of explanatory factors. We model retail water store locations as a proxy for reliance on tap water alternatives in urbanized neighborhoods across California. Our study is unique in its inclusion of variables representing both compliance with primary and secondary water quality standards by publicly regulated drinking water systems serving particular neighborhoods, other water system attributes and the socioeconomic characteristics of neighborhoods. The location of retail water stores in urbanized neighborhoods does not appear strongly related to observed measures of water quality. Secondary contamination shows a weak relationship to tap alternative reliance, and primary contamination was not correlated with higher levels of tap alternative reliance. On the other hand, our research suggests that other socioeconomic factors, particularly country of birth, are associated with the prevalence of more water stores. Increasing reliance on tap water likely requires measuring and addressing secondary contamination found in distributional systems and premise plumbing, and more aggressive public education campaigns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Nigeria, more than 60 million people are required to meet Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) target for improved water by 2015 and is unlikely to be achieved only by public supply. To cover these water availability gaps water vendors exist and ignoring their role is potentially deceptive. The aim of this paper is to assess the role of water vendors in meeting these peoples' need and elicit household's willingness-to-pay for improved supply. The research includes cross-sectional mixed method in which questionnaire survey was performed to 218 households; and interviews and focus group discussion were conducted with water vendors. Findings reveal that water vendors supplied most households irrespective of season. Retail vendors buy 25 l at ₦4.00 ($0.013) from wholesale vendors and resale at ₦20.08 ($0.07) during dry and at ₦14.02 ($0.05) in wet season. The price is 28 and 40 times the cost of in-house connection from Kano State Water Board (KNSWB) during rainy and dry season, respectively. Vendors who buy from hand-dug wells pay ₦100.00 ($0.33) per day and draw as much water within that day. Furthermore, willingness-to-pay for in-house connection was elicited as ₦367.00 ($1.20), lower than monthly flat fixed tariff set by KNSWB. The study recommends recognizing vendors formally in form of public private partnership so that technical and financial support be given, thus their activities and charges be regulated. People's perception on water should be changed through education and enlightening. Further research should focus on estimating total volume of water supplied by water vendors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) included a target to halve the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water by 2015--a right recognised as fundamental to human needs. Small independent water vendors are often the only water supply option in periurban neighbourhoods in developing countries and fill a critical gap in the municipal system, but there is concern about the quality and price of their water. Such vendors need to be recognised and regulated due to their role in meeting basic water needs. This article reflects on the lack of regulation and discusses a recent multidisciplinary research project in Kenya and Ethiopia that considered whether there is a case for regulation of competition, price and quality. It concludes that recognising small independent water vendors as part of a regulatory framework will result in increased access to water for the poor and assist in the realisation of the MDGs, the right to water and intergenerational equity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A survey of water supply and consumption status in Nsukka Metropolis was done using questionnaires, interviews, observations and secondary data obtained from other sources. Water consumption was estimated using water balance principle. The water consumption per capita was found to be 34.9 L per day. At a cost of N̿0.81/L, this value represents 7% of average monthly income of residents. The price of water fluctuates from N̿0.45/L to N̿0.9/L during the rainy season and N̿0.9/L to N̿1.5/L in dry season, depending mostly on size of container. Those who own large water tanks ranging from 2273 L (500 gallons) upwards pay less than those who trek or drive long distance to fetch water in smaller containers. While more than 98% of the residents attain the average daily water need for survival (2.5 lpcd), only 27% attain the basic water need of 50 lpcd. The distribution of drinking water sources was as follows: boreholes (64%), sachet water (23%), rainwater (7%), tap water (3%) and bottled water (2%). It was further found that most people would prefer to drink bottled water but for its expensive cost of N̿106/L. About 55% of residents rely on rainwater for domestic use during the rainy season. However, as rain recedes, 78% rely almost exclusively on water vendors (tankers) for water supply. Key : $1.00 = N̿157.00. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In rural sub-Saharan Africa, small scale water abstraction could be described as the manual withdrawal of water usually from the banks of shallow surface water systems by people with the aid of 10- and/or 20-litre containers mainly for domestic use. The gender composition of human visitors during water abstraction at the middle and upper reaches of a predominantly rural stream (Njoro River) in Southwestern Kenya was analyzed. Abstraction started at dawn with adult females accompanied by girls. But adult males who were mostly water vendors dominated, contributing > 65% of the daily total visits on weekdays. The number of children at the stream in the morning, as well as early in the afternoon of weekdays was < 15% but they accounted for approximately 40% of the evening total and > 70% of the daily total visits on weekends. The dominance of adult males coupled with the low participation of children, especially on weekdays suggested that water abstraction in the Njoro area was not an important activity for most children. This information could be relevant for the development and/or refinement of policy and targeted programmes on water supply in the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper addresses the performance of institutions in water supply systems for improving social and economic benefits of people living in Dar es Salaam city. The methods employed in field data and information collection included interviews, questionnaire, focus group discussions and participatory observation. Kinondoni and Ilala Districts were used as case study. The study revealed that, the main water sources in the study areas are boreholes, shallow wells, rain water and water vendors. Other minor sources are piped water and natural water sources, such as rivers and streams. The supply of piped water by Dar es Salaam Water Sewerage and Sanitation Company (DAWASA/DAWASCO) meets only 45% of the total water demands. Individuals own and sell water from boreholes, shallow wells, piped water connected to their individual houses and natural wells located in their individual plots. The price of one 20l bucket of water from a water vendor depends on the availability of water and the distance walked from the water source to the customer. Majority of the respondents (77.5%) indicated that individual water delivery systems provide sufficient water as compared to five years ago in the study areas. Few of the respondents (6.3%) said individual water delivery systems have no capacity to provide sufficient water while 16.3% indicate that individual water delivery systems provide moderate water supply but are important in supplementing other water providers in the study areas. The study reveals that a majority of the local population are satisfied with the capacity of individual water delivery systems in providing water for household uses. This paper recommends some improvements to be done to water supply systems in the Dar es Salaam city. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]