In some of the poorest urban communities of Nairobi, residents currently spend one-fifth of their income procuring humanity’s most basic need: water.
As the city’s low-income communities grow in size, and as inequality becomes more pronounced, so it becomes more important to tackle this most vital issue in a comprehensive fashion.
Policymakers, NGOs, the private sector, and development funding bodies must follow the path of water from the source – in Nairobi’s case in the slopes of the Tana Watershed – right through to the shared standpipes of the most vulnerable low-income communities, investing in every step along the way.
Today, on World Cities Day, WSUP and its partners The Nature Conservancy and Coca-Cola are telling this story through interactive maps, drone footage, case studies and comprehensive analysis.
Ensuring equitable water access, in the face of climate change, population growth and rising inequality is one of Africa’s most critical challenges.
This is a story about Nairobi – but its also a story about urbanisation across the continent.
Growing Nairobi, Flowing Nairobi
A journey of institutional change
Top image: Eveline runs a business selling milk and relies on clean water. Credit: Brian Otieno