Water Provision in Urban Centres, Water Sources and Supply Institutions: A Case Study of Lubaga Division Kampala

Abstract

The study was carried out to establish the challenges faced by the formal and informal institutions of water and the extent to which people get access to this water in Rubaga division. It addresses the questions like the nature, functioning and relative importance of agents involved in provision, the mechanisms and modes of accessing water in urban areas, the challenges urban people face while trying to get water, and the adaptive strategies designed by the urban populations to sustain their water supply. The research then revealed that residents of Kampala access water sources differently and often have to combine several sources of different cost and quality. The water utility provider, National water and sewerage corporation(NW&SC) caters for most of the bulk water supplies to the city of Kampala. The research revealed that 52% of the households receive their water directly from NW&SC, 32.7% get water from underground sources, at the same time other sources play a major role in water supply in Rubaga Division.Commonly , households access water from others who have a connection to the public piped water system, or from spring well or they buy from distributing vendors that ferry water by push carts, tanker trucks or bicycles.The research reviewed the role of informal and formal providers in Rubaga Divisison and finds part of the distribution system both piped and un piped to be in private hands. To understand the relationship, the politics of provisioning were probed into. The challenges experienced while accessing water have been discussed. The people of the study area have devised coping methods some of which are deliberate, while others are done unconsciously.