In sub-Saharan Africa only 35% of the urban population has access to a piped water connection on their premises. The majority of households obtain water from public standpipes or from neighbors who are connected to the municipal network. Water resale is often prohibited, however, because of concerns about affordability and risks to public health. Using data collected from 1,377 households in Maputo, Mozambique, we compare the microbiological quality, as well as the time and money costs of water supply from individual house connections, public standpipes, and water obtained from neighbors. Households with their own water connections have better service across virtually all indicators measured, and express greater satisfaction with their service, as compared with those using other water sources. Households purchasing water from their neighbors pay lower time and money costs per liter of water, on average, as compared with those using standpipes. Resale competes favorably with standpipes along a number of service quality dimensions; however, after controlling for water supply characteristics, households purchasing water from neighbors are significantly less likely to be satisfied with their water service as compared with those using standpipes.
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Research Article|
September 07 2011
Water supply services for Africa's urban poor: the role of resale
Valentina Zuin;
Valentina Zuin
1Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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Leonard Ortolano;
Leonard Ortolano
2Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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Manuel Alvarinho;
Manuel Alvarinho
3Water Regulatory Council (CRA), Maputo, Mozambique
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Kory Russel;
Kory Russel
2Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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Anne Thebo;
Anne Thebo
2Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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Odete Muximpua;
Odete Muximpua
4Water and Sanitation Program, The World Bank, Maputo, Mozambique
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Jennifer Davis
2Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
5Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
E-mail: [email protected]
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J Water Health (2011) 9 (4): 773–784.
Article history
Received:
February 10 2011
Accepted:
June 29 2011
Citation
Valentina Zuin, Leonard Ortolano, Manuel Alvarinho, Kory Russel, Anne Thebo, Odete Muximpua, Jennifer Davis; Water supply services for Africa's urban poor: the role of resale. J Water Health 1 December 2011; 9 (4): 773–784. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wh.2011.031
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