Water, housing and (in)formality in Kitwe, Zambia: infrastructure, citizenship and urban belonging

Book section

Wusakile is one of the oldest and most prominent mining neighbourhoods in Kitwe, on the Zambian Copperbelt. Since the 1930s, mining companies have provided water and housing to their employees in Wusakile. By exploring the variegated dynamics between water, housing and citizenship in Kitwe, this chapter highlights the ways in which citizens’ access to water infrastructure is embedded in historical processes. It explores scholarly debates about water infrastructure, the role of the state and the market in water provision and how this influences citizenship. Water infrastructure, due to its social, economic, political and cultural significance, in addition to its importance to public health, plays a pivotal role in urban life. Nkana Water and Sewerage Company is a commercial utility which started operations in 2000. In informal settlements public water services were not provided and residents were expected to supply themselves, by resorting to shallow wells, illegal connections or the Kafue River.

Authors: Peša, I

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: CRC Press
• Host title: Citizenship and Infrastructure: Practices and Identities of Citizens and the State
• Chapter number: 6
• Series: Routledge Studies in Urbanism and the City
• Publication date: 2019-02-28
• DOI: 10.4324/9781351176156-7
• EISBN: 9781351176156
• ISBN: 9780815385974
• Language: English
• Keywords: SBTMR