Assessment of quality and cost implications to users of water sold by street vendors in Dar es Salaam city, Tanzania

Abstract

In many cities in developing countries, a piped water supply is the norm for richer households, while poorer households struggle with a number of alternative means for accessing water. In Dar es Salaam, as the public water supply is highly deficient, households of all income classes draw upon a variety of water sources. Distribution by container using pushcarts is common in informal settlements where piped water is rationed, low pressure or non-existent. Tankers complement the public supply in wealthier areas. This paper focuses on how the water vending business complements water supply in Dar es Salaam, using Kinondoni District as a case study area. The paper shows that urban poor are the major customers of hand pushcart vendors and spend between 4 and 46 times more money per unit volume of water than people of high income, most of whom are connected to the distribution network. Quality of water sold by vendors was found to be more compromised than piped water. The results suggest that the urban poor pay more for water, which has poorer quality than high income earners. It is thus recommended that the responsible authorities should strategise means of regulating the water vending business for controlling prices of water and protection of public health. This may entail revision of water policy, laws and regulations. Improving the conventional water infrastructure system will significantly reduce the exploitation of urban poor by people who capitalise on the shortage of water.

Keywords: Pushcart vendors, Tanker truck vendors, Water quality, Urban poor, Price of water