Everyday Realities and Practices in Accessing Water and Sanitation in Peri-Urban Settlements in Greater Harare

Abstract

This article examines the magnitude of water and sanitation
challenges in peri-urban areas of Greater Harare and the coping
mechanisms and strategies residents have adapted to survive in times
of scarcity and structural failure. It employed fieldwork backed by
observations and a survey-based case study approach, with Caledonia
and Hatcliffe Extension as case studies. One hundred questionnaires
were distributed in Hatcliffe Extension and 350 in Caledonia.
Twenty (20) interviews were also done with residents in each
residential area. The article, therefore, adopts a phenomenological
approach which helps in bringing out the lived experiences of periurban dwellers. The study revealed the day-to-day struggles of the
residents which include travelling long distances to water sources,
unsafe water sources, compromised water quality, sanitation
practices that affect the disabled and females and sewer mechanisms
that do not ensure safe containment of excreta, hence pose a threat to
human health. Overall, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
of 2015 set some targets for water and sanitation to be achieved by
2030. Progress in improved water supply and sanitation coverage in
cities of developing countries has, however, remained extremely slow
and the situation is worse in peri-urban areas of major cities.