Making more water available, for example through the construction of public boreholes, can make a big difference to rural people in developing countries. In many places the poor lack reliable supplies of drinking water. But the better-off may also benefit from an improved water supply, using it to water more cattle and cultivate bigger gardens. Therefore competition over water often intensifies rather than weakens when more water becomes available.
This video report takes us to the Namwala district in Zambia. It shows how local power relations rather than the need for water are what determine who gets access and who draws the benefits when more water is made available through new public infrastructure. This project is funded by DIIS and Danish Development Research Council.
More info: www.diis.dk/water/videoreports
Produced by: DIIS & Sten Rehder
Year: 2010
Language: English
