In the peri-urban settlements of Sub-Saharan Africa, where over 70 percent of the current
urban population lives, access to water is poor, and worsening due to rapid population
growth and urbanization, and poverty, with dire consequences for health. Traditional stateled
water policies have generally failed to address growing peri-urban water needs,
creating scholarly interest in the efficacy of alternative water-delivery policies, including
decentralized, community public-private partnerships (CPPPs). However, little is
understood of the potential for CPPPs to improve water access in peri-urban settlements.
This dissertation study uses mixed research methods, including household surveys,
key-informant interviews, focus groups, participant observation, and secondary data
analysis, to examine whether and how a decentralized CPPP model based on Water User
Associations (WUAs) can improve access to potable water in peri-urban settlements while
promoting participation, empowerment, and community development. Using the case of
two major cities in Malawi—Lilongwe and Blantyre—and insights from urban political
ecology (UPE), common pool resources (CPR) theory and the community-based natural
resources management (CBNRM) literature, this dissertation: (1) investigates underlying
causes of poor water access in Malawi’s peri-urban settlements; (2) explores the key water
policies, actors, and institutional effectiveness of WUAs at delivering water and social
benefits; and (3) examines whether and under what conditions WUAs improve water
access compared to areas predominantly served by publicly-managed water kiosks.
Results demonstrate that although access to water in terms of quality (91 percent
using improved sources) and quantity (per capita mean daily water use of 29 liters) were
satisfactory based on Malawi and international standards, actual use was severely limited
by availability and irregular supply. Empirical analysis under a multidimensional wateraccess
framework encompassing time burden, water adequacy, water availability, and
affordability, showed water insecurity is due to long waiting-times from erratic water
supply, overcrowding, and high rates of water-kiosk non-functioning, suggesting the need
to incorporate waiting time as a key determinant of peri-urban water access.
Results show that while broader social goals are still important to WUAs, the supply
of reliable and safe water was more important, superseding participation, empowerment,
and broader social benefits. Hence, although the business-based WUA model enhanced
water access mainly through enhanced management, accountability and general
professionalization, trade-offs ensued between water supply and social goals of ownership,
participation, and community empowerment. This suggests flexibility in (CBNRM)
expectations, including a rethink of the notion ‘participation’ in peri-urban contexts.
Multilevel linear regression analyses revealed WUAs enhanced affordability and
reliability of water supply. However, the time burden on water fetchers (disadvantaging
women and girls) was significantly higher in WUA areas. This suggests that although WUAs
improved water access, deep-seated infrastructure problems need to be addressed.
I argue that although WUA-based decentralization can improve water-system
management and efficiency, and ultimately peri-urban water access, socio-economic
factors and biophysical conditions (weak infrastructure, low water pressure, and
commodified nature of water) undermine success, and policies should target solving them.