Ouaga focus, no. 4, 2014 / Access to water in informal settlements : the hidden reality

Abstract

The Ouagadougou Health and Demographic Surveillance (Ouaga-HDSS) selected areas to study problems of the urban poor, and to test innovative programs aiming to promote their well-being. This study focuses on urban populations’ access to water, including distance covered to fetch water. In three informal settlements monitored by the project, one in five households did not have access to an improved water source. Among households supplied through a collective water source such as a stand pipe or borehole, approximately half of the populations surveyed did not have access to basic minimum requirements.