Water Insecurity and Water Governance in Urban Kenya: Policy and Practice

by Anindita Sarkar

Overview

This book explores water service provisions of the urban poor in the cities of Africa with particular emphasis on Kenya and its capital city of Nairobi. In particular the book addresses the insecurity of tenure, and how the colonial segregation of land continues to shape water access and service provision even today in Nairobi. The book seeks to understand how urban water management entails the “production of thirst” among the urban poor and documents how cultural norms, political commitments and seemingly mundane practices of water managers combine to exclude the poor from accessing water. Supporters of privatization argue that private companies may succeed where governments have failed in supplying water to the urban poor. The author takes a closer look at this argument, demonstrating the limitations of some of the current reforms whilst also exploring alternatives and solutions. This book will be an invaluable reference for students, researchers and practitioners working in this field.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783031155390
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan
Publication date:	10/22/2022
Series:	Global Challenges in Water Governance
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	13 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

​Dr. Anindita Sarkar is an Associate Professor at the Department of Geography at Miranda House, University of Delhi, where she has been teaching since 2005. Her research is anchored at the intersection of development and environment and how technologies and policies of resource use and access shape spaces. 

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“With more than 50% of the world’s population already living in urban areas, urban water management has emerged as an urgent issue, especially in the Global South. This book by Professor Sarkar looks at urban water governance in low income neighbourhoods in Kenya. She contextualises her study of the water ATMs within the broader history of evolution of different models of urban water supply networks in Africa. This is an important piece of work for urban and water scholars who are interested in the issue of equitable water access in the Global South.”

Aditi Mukherji, Principal Researcher, International Water Management Institute (IWMI), India

“The book offers an historic overview of the water supply policies and institutions in Kenya, supported by empirical research on the water ATMs. The macro and micro perspective and the methodological richness makes a substantial contribution for graduates on African water studies.”

Saravanan Subramanian, Senior Researcher, German Institute of Development and Sustainability, Bonn, Germany