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Quality dimensions of public water services in Abuja, Nigeria

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  • Abubakar, Ismaila Rimi

Abstract

In developing countries, access to public water services does not ensure clean or reliable supply; nor does it indicate equitable delivery. Further, concentrating on accessibility offers a biased picture of performance and exaggerates the level of accomplishment, while concealing the presence of major challenges to further progress. Through a qualitative study, this article explores the quality dimension of water supply services in Abuja city, Nigeria. Data were obtained from in-depth interviews with residents and city officials, supplemented by personal observations. Lack of reliability, low water pressure, inefficient billing systems, inadequate facility maintenance, spatial inequality in service delivery, and lack of public involvement were found to immensely undermine the delivery of water services in the city. The paper concludes by suggesting ways of enhancing the quality of water services in Abuja and other developing areas.

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  • Abubakar, Ismaila Rimi, 2016. "Quality dimensions of public water services in Abuja, Nigeria," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 43-51.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:juipol:v:38:y:2016:i:c:p:43-51
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jup.2015.12.003
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Gazzeh, Karim & Abubakar, Ismaila Rimi, 2018. "Regional disparity in access to basic public services in Saudi Arabia: A sustainability challenge," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 70-80.
    3. Ismaila Rimi Abubakar, 2017. "Access to Sanitation Facilities among Nigerian Households: Determinants and Sustainability Implications," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-17, April.
    4. Vilarinho, Hermilio & Pereira, Miguel Alves & D’Inverno, Giovanna & Nóvoa, Henriqueta & Camanho, Ana S., 2024. "Water Utility Service Quality Index: A customer-centred approach for assessing the quality of service in the water sector," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    5. Behera, Bhagirath & Rahut, Dil Bahadur & Sethi, Narayan, 2020. "Analysis of household access to drinking water, sanitation, and waste disposal services in urban areas of Nepal," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    6. Curran, Franziska & Smart, Simon & Lacey, Justine & Greig, Chris & Lant, Paul, 2018. "Learning from experience in the water sector to improve access to energy services," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 41-50.
    7. Abramovsky,Laura Fernanda & Andres,Luis Alberto & Joseph,George & Rud,Juan Pablo & Sember,German Eduardo & Thibert,Michael David, 2020. "Study of the Distributional Performance of Piped Water Consumption Subsidies in 10 Developing Countries," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9245, The World Bank.

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