Creating sustained usage of household water treatment: a case study from Kagera, Tanzania

In 2014 Basic Water Needs B.V. and South Pole Group, together with the Tanzanian NGO KADERES, developed a safe drinking water project in the Kagera region in Tanzania. The focus of the project was on sustained usage of household water treatment products. The project partners decided not to invest in the products, but in the creation of sustainable supply chain for a household water filter. This meant that filters were sold through local retailers and end-users were asked to invest the expected commercial retail price. By the end of 2016 an analysis of all monitoring data showed the percentage of households still using the household water treatment product exceeded expectations. 93,1% of households owning the product between 0-1 year were still using the product and 82,7% was still using it after 1-2 years. It seems probable that the project set up has influenced the high usage rates.