The making of Bottomup Innovations in Urban Water Services in Precarious Neighborhoods of Ouagadougou

Abstract

Research into the supply of drinking water in urban areas in the Global South has focused on inequalities of access in precarious  neighborhoods. The explanatory factors put forward refer to the technical deficiencies of the centralized water network (leakage rate,  continuity of service, lack of financial and human resources to maintain infrastructures, etc.) as well as to what is considered to be poor  governance. Faced with the limitations of the conventional model, local innovations, initiated by various types of stakeholders (individuals, groups), have emerged outside of the centralized network, hence the term “off-grid”. Long regarded as transitory, do-it- yourself solutions, they are now attracting particular attention and questioning the relevance of the single centralized network model  that has been promoted internationally. To what extent can we speak of innovations? While the emphasis is once again put on technical  aspects (mini-networks, adaptability of infrastructures to the structure of precarious neighborhoods, etc.) and decentralized modes of governance (proximity, delegation to local operators or associations, pricing adapted to the context, etc.), there are few works that  question local dynamics, particularly bottom-up innovations, beyond these technical and regulatory dimensions. In order to present  these dynamics of change from a different angle, we have analyzed innovatives experiences in the precarious neighborhoods of Goundrin and Boassa in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), based on qualitative surveys and case studies. First and foremost, our article  identifies the plurality of meanings conferred to the term “innovation” as applied to the drinking water sector, thus highlighting the  complexity of the processes involved, and this beyond the technical and governance dimensions. In addition, we discuss the endogenous  dimension of these bottom-up innovations, questioning their interactions with donor-funded projects from above concerning access to water in precarious neighborhoods in African cities. Then, we analyze two case studies, the Goundrin and Boassa neighborhoods, to  explain the conditions of emergence of these innovations carried out by “contextual experts” from these neighborhoods and motivated  by logics of commitment. These are Y.O., an individual informal operator, and the Yaam Solidarité association, which are helping to  improve access to water services by setting up residents’ collectives, mini-water networks, day-to-day do-it-yourself projects and different  operating methods. While the commitment of these stakeholders is initially based on a logic of action on a local scale, the  spread of these innovations generates unforeseen events that can result in a shift from a logic of cooperation and solidarity to one of  competition and profitability. Would institutionalization be a guarantee of the preservation of collective action logics with the aim of  achieving social and territorial justice? This article makes an original contribution to the literature on the “off-grid”, which has developed  strongly in water services studies in recent years.