Water distribution at marketplaces within urban environments in Kenya

Abstract

In Kisumu, Kenya, there it is not a lack of water. There is not even a lack of safe drinking water. There is, however, a lack of affordable safe drinking water. The only safe drinking water available in Kisumu is bottled water, and the price of this is too high for the people of Kisumu to afford. To make investments on a private level is hard for the local people since most of them have a very limited economy. This is the reason why a new form of service is needed in Kisumu. A service that provides safe drinking water at a price that makes it economically accessible for the local residents. The service developed in this project consists of a ground water harnessing hand pump for public spaces. The pump has a visible water cleaning process, to make the people more aware and trust the water they consume. To access the water people pay a fee using sms. The service is owned by the 29 economical unions at the Jubilee Market and the fees paid are used by these unions to locally maintain the system. The most relevant keywords for this project are: waterdistribution, servicedesign, developing countries, Lifesaver systems and groundwater