Periodic Reporting for period 1 - INHABIT Cities (Investigating Natural, Historical, And Institutional Transformations - Cities)
Période du rapport: 2015-09-14 au 2017-09-13
The research design entailed a mixed-methods approach, to reflect on the multiple dimensions of the research problem and triangulate findings, drawing on in-depth interviews, focus groups, a household survey (Lilongwe) and a water quality assessment. Over 100 semi-structured interviews were conducted with water sector stakeholders and consumers (especially women, responsible for fetching water for the household). The household survey (n = 497) was undertaken in partnership with the project Uncovering Hidden Dynamics in Slum Environments [UNHIDE]). The survey was designed to capture perceptions of everyday risks and their relation to hygiene practices of urban dwellers living in areas suffering from high rates of discontinuity. The survey will be made available as open data set (OpenAIRE project). Further, a water quality assessment was undertaken in Maputo, with the aim improving understandings on drinking water quality in the capital city of Mozambique. Further, a videography component was developed and implemented in both cities. In Lilongwe, the videography focused on the everyday practices of distributing and accessing water in areas that are served by water kiosks and suffer from high rates of water discontinuity. In Maputo, we investigated two forms of marginalization. The first concerns customers of the water utility, living at the very end of the distribution network. These customers suffer the most from water shortages and are often supplied only during the night for a few hours. The second form of marginalization concerns people living outside the area served by the water utility.
Research outputs of INHABIT cities include publications in peer-reviewed journals (8 published, 1 accepted with revisions and 2 under review) and two research documentaries. The documentary Lilongwe Water Works?, completed in 2017 (Rusca, 2017) is available open access on Vimeo at https://vimeo.com/240647554. It premiered in July 2017 at the IHE Delft Water Movie Night. The documentary Water at the margins (Rusca, 2018) premiered in Delft in July 2018 as part of the IHE Delft Water Movie Night. The film will be on Vimeo by the end of September 2018 and the trailer is available at: https://vimeo.com/280547807. The project also engaged in several dissemination and communication activities, including participating and/or convening conference sessions, writing blogs linked to the publications, and developing two brochures. The documentary Lilongwe Water Works? was presented (together with other research outputs on the dynamics of water service provision in Lilongwe) in three different stakeholder meetings, respectively: 1) in the headquarters of a Water User Association (WUAs) in one of the informal settlements (water users and members of the water users associations were present); 2) in a school in one of the informal settlements (water users and WUA members); 3) at Lingadzi Hotel, with water stakeholders (water users, WUA members, World Bank, UNICEF, Ministry of Water, Lilongwe Water Board, Economic Justice Network, Lilongwe City Council, WASAMA) and journalists (Zodiac, Reuters, AFP, Free Expression institute, Times Group, Capital Radio, Nyasa Times). Results were translated into educational material, taught at King’s College London and IHE Delft.