Publication: Providing Water to Poor People in African Cities Effectively: Lessons from Utility Reforms
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2016-08
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2016-10-05
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Africa's urban population will triple by 2050. People in these rapidly growing cities need safe, convenient, and reliable water supplies. However, the proportion of Africa's urban population with improved water supply has barely grown since 1990. Research shows that water piped to the premises is the standard to ensure adequate health (families who rely on water carried from shared taps often do not get enough water for basic needs). Yet the share of the urban population with water piped to their premises has declined, from 43 percent in 1990 to 33 percent in 2015. Poor families are the least likely to have water piped to their premises, and the fact is that income levels remain low for many city-dwellers. The most vulnerable, therefore, will bear the brunt of the inadequacy of water supplies.
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“Heymans, Chris; Eberhard, Rolfe; Ehrhardt, David; Riley, Shannon. 2016. Providing Water to Poor People in African Cities Effectively: Lessons from Utility Reforms. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/25115 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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