Assessment of Water Supply Services and Operational Performance of Asmara Water Supply Department (AWSD) for Development of Decision Support Tools

Abstract

The available water sources in many parts of the world are becoming depleted and the problem is compounded by the rate at which populations and rate of demand are increasing. The scarcity of water for urban use is the major problem in many developing countries. With increasing pressures due to urbanisation, population growth, aging infrastructure, climate change, coupled with an unsustainable conventional water management, cities and urban areas in developing countries are facing enormous difficulties and will experience huge challenges in future to manage efficiently the scarcer and less reliable water resources. In some countries, water service quality may be low, service providers' financial capacity to deliver optimum services may be weak, and some segments of the population in most cases the poor may not receive water service at all. Piped water may be intermittent and, when available, may be unsafe for drinking. The study sought to assess the quality of water supply service delivery in Asmara, the capital of the State of Eritrea, using sample data collected from each of the thirteen local area administrations of Asmara. The objectives of the study were to assess the levels of service quality delivery of water supply and sanitation and to provide Asmara Water Supply Department (AWSD) with vital information for development of appropriate decision support tools in order to improve the services. A descriptive survey design was used and structured interviews through questionnaires were used as data collection instruments. Samples of 300 households were drawn from the population of the city using stratified systematic random sampling based on the location of the households within each local area administration, without making any category between them for instance according to the level of their income. The major findings were that the quality of water supply service delivery was generally unsatisfactory. This was mainly attributed to inadequate and non-equitable water distribution system, unreliable supply due the rationing system, and poor management of water delivery services by ASWD. It was concluded that the quality of service delivery by ASWD in Asmara and surrounding villages fell far short of residents' expectations and the level of dissatisfaction was as high as 60%. The study recommended that for effective service delivery Administration of Maekel Zone (Central Region) and AWSD should adopt management strategies through performance evaluation and procedures to effectively reduce leakage losses. The current water supply should be increased to improve both the level and coverage of water services through rehabilitation of the treatment plants, pumping stations, and the distribution network.