Abstract:
The study is theoretically grounded on the human rights approach to development
which perceives the state as constitutionally obligated to protect its citizens. Most
municipalities in Zimbabwe receive inadequate subsidy from the government
hence their inability to provide basic services such as water. The study unveiled
household water challenges experienced by residents of Harare. The results of
the study highlighted that poor subsidy from government stimulated resource
use inefficiencies and financially weak utilities which affect efforts to improve
household water service. The study employed focus group interviews, observation
and document analysis to establish the factors contributing to the poor household
water service delivery system in Harare. What is new in this study is the rights based
approach used to provide solutions to a confluence of factors contributing to poor
service delivery in Harare. This study makes a substantive contribution towards
thinking on key facets of the debate especially the distributional impact of subsidies
for urban household water supply.
