The urban poor and water demand management

The provision of adequate water supply and sanitation to the rapidly growing urban populations is increasingly becoming a problem throughout the world. It has been demonstrated in many countries that saving water rather than the development of new sources may be the best solution, both from an economic and from an environmental point of view. Instruments for water demand management and current water provision patterns are discussed. This paper emphasizes the need for water and sanitation utilities to consider demand responsive approaches especially for low-income communities. It is argued that effective information and communication are the most prominent requirements on which demand responsive approaches should be based. The paper concludes that governments and utilities that want to promote water demand management should embark on a process of community involvement and consultation and apply demand responsive approaches to water supply in low-income urban areas. (author's abstract)