Small Water Enterprises

Serving the un-served urban poor

By Mohammed Abdul-Nashiru - WaterAid Ghana

Small-scale private water providers, usually referred to as Small Water Enterprises (SWEs), play an important role in fulfilling the critical water needs of a high proportion of the urban poor. However, they are almost completely unregulated and struggle for official recognition as their activities are deemed illegal.

Currently the un-served urban poor are buying water at extortionate prices from tankers, carts and even vendors. Regulating this section of the economy would make it easier for prices to be set at reasonable rates at the final delivery point.

To trigger and stimulate national interest and acknowledgment for SWEs, WaterAid is making tremendous commitment towards deepening understanding of the environment under which they operate. Research has been initiated in five countries in Africa including Ghana.

In Ghana, WaterAid is collaborating with Water Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC) of University of Loughborough, and the Ghana water Company Limited (GWCL) to identify constraints, opportunities and strategies for enabling Small Water Enterprises to deliver an acceptable water service to poor urban consumers.

Fortunately, the Ministry of Works of Housing and Public Utilities Regulatory Commission are increasingly recognising the key role played by SWEs and currently working toward making their services more useful. The PURC undertook a survey in 2002/03 that revealed 60% of poor people receive their water from tanker and cart operators and vendors including neighbour sellers. Services from tankers and vendors are often more reliable than some of the areas served by the GWCL mains. It is therefore developing guidelines and mechanisms for the provision of quality service to the urban poor through tankers.

Read more about the issues in Mohammed Abdul-Nashiru's full report on Small Water Enterprises ( PDF 267Kb)