Environmental implications of water as a natural resource based business: The case of non-revenue water in Kisumu City, Kenya
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Date
2022-12
Authors
Onyango, Teresa Aoko
Nyamai, Daniel Odinde
Okeyo, -Owuor
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
International Journal of Vocational and Technical Education
Abstract
Most water utilities lose significant amounts of water in their distribution systems due to leakages,
illegal consumption or accounting errors. These water losses are referred to as Non-Revenue Water
(NWR) by the International Water Association. Efforts to reduce water loss levels are centered on the
socioeconomic aspect (efficient water provision and profit maximization) while overlooking the
environmental aspects because the effects are subtle; hence it is difficult to quantify or ascertain. This
study examined the effects of non-revenue water on water quality, quantity and the general
environment through purposive sampling of Key informants, Focus Group Discussion and desk review
methods. The findings indicated a significant positive correlation between physical water losses and
water quality parameters (p-value <0.05, rho=0.872); commercial losses had a moderate but positive
correlation at P < 0.05, rho=0.432. Further results revealed that from May through October 2019, Kisumu
Water and Sewerage Company lost approximately 158,500 cm3
equivalent to 31.17% water loss. Water
loss was found to also affect environmental components such as land and soil leading to pollution and
degradation. The study recommends the need for bridging the gap between the existing water
resources management strategies and their implementation through further studies, capacity building
and technological advancements.
Description
Keywords
Non-revenue water, water quality, water quantity, water loss, environmental effect