In this study, Lazarus Jambadu examines the maintenance and repair practices of water supply systems in the rapidly growing African cities of Accra and Dar es Salaam. These cities face significant challenges in water access, quality, quantity, and reliability, largely due to inadequate maintenance and aging infrastructures.
Jambadu’s research focuses on how sociotechnical arrangements, both within and beyond formal water networks, influence maintenance and repair practices. The study highlights the dynamics of labor relations between public and private workers, the impact of donor funding schemes, and how these factors collectively affect the resilience of urban water systems. A key insight from this study is the contrast between Accra’s centralized approach and Dar es Salaam’s decentralized approaches to maintenance and repair in terms of their organisation and implementation. However, both cities struggle with a dependency on expensive imported parts and inadequate maintenance practices due to the effects of donor funding conditionalities. The study concludes that both maintenance and repair are essential not only for technical functionality but also for the sustainability and resilience of urban water systems. He advocates for policy reforms that combine centralized and decentralized approaches, promote collaboration between public and private sectors, and encourage decentralized strategies to enhance the effectiveness of maintenance and repair in African cities.
This book provides essential insights for academics, policymakers, and practitioners working towards sustainable and resilient urban water solutions in Africa and other regions of the Global South.
Lazarus Jambadu, born in Kojokperi, Ghana, holds a BA and MPhil from the University for Development Studies. He earned a Joint PhD from Utrecht University and TU Darmstadt, focusing on urban water infrastructure in Accra and Dar es Salaam. He has published six scientific articles and consulted for many NGOs and donors on WASH, gender, and social inclusion in Ghana, Togo, and Malawi.
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