Internalising a Crisis? Household Level Response to Water Scarcity in the City of Harare, Zimbabwe

Abstract

In the last quarter of 2008, Zimbabwe grabbed international news headlines because of a cholera outbreak that was said to be the worst in Africa in 15 years. The outbreak was attributed to inadequate and poor quality of domestic water at household level. This paper examines how households from different socioeconomic backgrounds responded to the water crisis between 2008 and 2011. The paper’s analysis of the extent of the water shortage in Harare and the resultant household responses is based on information gleaned from household level surveys that were undertaken in 2008 and 2010/2011. This was complemented by interviews held with key informants and focus group discussions with residents of the city of Harare. The study established that, in the absence of clear prospects for changing water governance arrangements in the city, households had resorted to ‘internalising the crisis’. The ability to adequately respond depended on the socioeconomic status of the household, with poorer households showing less ability to cope. The paper argues that internalisation of the crisis by households cannot be said to represent a sustainable and long-term solution to the water crisis, and that the perseverance on the part of the households to engage with the water situation. It however, concludes that, this perseverance can be used as a base for forging meaningful partnership between the city and its residents in the quest for finding a lasting solution to the water crisis.