Africa’s Emerging Urban Water Challenges 23
Access to water and sanitation services is unequal: piped water is available primarily to upper-income residents, while the poor rely on untreated wells and surface water (see Figure 1.6). Sanitation services are also dependent on income, with upper-income groups serviced with water-borne sewers, and the poor resorting to open defecation or traditional latrines. Urban sanitation services serve fewer people than those served by piped water. A little more than half of the households with piped water also have flush toilets, which are often connected to septic tanks rather than to sewers. Namibia, Senegal, and South Africa report universal coverage by sewerage but in most other African countries, sewerage serves less than even 10 percent of urban areas (AICD, 2011). Improved latrines and septic tanks are used by the richest 20 to 40 percent of the population, but traditional pit latrines are the most common facility for most urban dwellers. While the share of urban population having to resort to open defecation is less than 10 percent (Dominguez-Torres, 2011), in peri-urban areas this figure is likely to be higher. Typically more than 40 percent of households share their toilets with others. This crowding causes maintenance problems and health issues (AICD, 2011). Only a small proportion of wastewater is collected, and an even smaller fraction is treated. Outside South Africa, few cities have functioning wastewater treatment plants. Of the 11 cities that were assessed in the background paper on wastewater (World Bank, 2012c), only half had
Figure 1.6 Coverage of Water Services, by Budget Quintile 60 50
Percent
40 30 20 10 0
Poorest
Second
Third
Fourth
Quintile
Source: AICD, 2011.
Piped water
Public standpost
Surface water
Well water
Richest