Economie de la distribution d'eau aux populations urbaines a faible revenu dans les pays en developpement

The scope of the UN Water Decade was generally not extended to water distribution systems already existing in African towns and villages. This study targets French West African water systems, and is illustrated by case studies from Brazzaville, Kigali, Ouagadougou, Abidjan and many other major African cities. It provides an in-depth economic analysis of present water distribution systems and a parallel "water distribution network" of water vendors. The resale of water to urban areas not served by urban water networks and generally populated by lower income families has become an increasingly greater problem. The poor are resold water by water vendors at prices highly inflated from those paid by more affluent city dwellers with access to governmentally regulated distribution systems. The costs of new water source development and transport networks is not justified by the foreseen revenues. Existing urban systems are often not repaired when broken down, and yearly maintenance is rarely performed. Development of different lower cost systems, a redistribution of responsibility for existing systems, legalization and regulation of water vendors and increased technical input from distributors are among the suggestions for improvement presented.