From Insecurity to Strategy: Making Community Water Solutions Legible in Freetown, Sierra Leone

Centralized municipal water systems are a vital form of infrastructure, but they are not appropriate in all places or at all times. In many contexts, governments lack the capacity or resources to operate and maintain them. In such cases, communities must develop their own systems. These locally managed systems are often sustainable and resilient, with potential to scale cost-effectively, yet they are frequently dismissed as illegitimate because of their informality.
This research will document and analyze community-owned water systems in Freetown, Sierra Leone. It will examine the physical components of these systems and the environmental factors that shape their performance. It will then investigate the managerial practices and community organizations that sustain them. Using household surveys, interviews, and focus groups, the project will assess the social dimension by capturing the lived experiences of residents and leaders. Institutional actors will be interviewed to address concerns around communication, engineering, and policy. The findings will identify the conditions that make these systems successful and share lessons with policymakers and researchers. For both Canada and Sierra Leone, this project advances the development of a robust methodology for community-based research and policy design, focusing on human-centered water systems in contexts of severe water insecurity.

Faculty Supervisor:

Martin Bunch

Student:

Partner:

Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Public Service, Policy, and Governance; Water; Energy and Utilities

University:

York University

Program: