| Title | Water for the urban poor : water markets, household demand, and service preferences in Kenya |
| Publication Type | Miscellaneous |
| Year of Publication | 2005 |
| Authors | Gulyani, S, Talukdar, D, Kariuki, RM |
| Secondary Title | Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Board discussion paper series |
| Volume | no. 5 |
| Pagination | iv, 32 p. : 1 box, 2 fig., 13 tab. |
| Date Published | 2005-01-01 |
| Publisher | World Bank |
| Place Published | Washington, DC, USA |
| Keywords | kenya, low-income communities, piped distribution, public standposts, sdiafr, sdiman, surveys, urban areas, water costs, water use, willingness to pay |
| Abstract | Based on a survey of 674 households, this paper examines current water use and unit costs in three Kenyan cities and also tests the willingness of the unconnected to pay for piped water, yard connections, or an improved water kiosk (standpipe) service. By examining water-use behavior of poor and non-poor households, this study brings into question a long-standing notion in the literature -that the poor are underserved, use small quantities of water, and pay a higher unit price for it. It also indicates that the standard prescription to "price water and create water markets" is in itself insufficient to improve service delivery and that without appropriate institutional arrangements, technical solutions such as water kiosks may not succeed in delivering an affordable service to the poor. |
| Notes | 28 ref. |
| Custom 1 | 264.0 |
