In the last 10 years, more people have been connected to electric power than in the previous 45 years. The same cannot be said of water, which is more precious than power. So many homes have been connected to power that battery manufacturers like Eveready have suffered. Innovators were quick to come up with rechargeable torches.
Why is less invested in life-giving water than in power? Why are independent water distributors less known than independent power producers (IPPs)?
Data on the number of Kenyans connected to piped water is less trumpeted than the number of homes connected to power. Why is there no last-mile connection in water?
Water might be so familiar to us that getting it is no big deal. Scarcity creates value. Why else is gold so precious?
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The uses of water are also so familiar that there are no incentives to show off the connections.
You either drink it, wash with it or use it to prepare food. For power, you can show off with floodlights and status-related gadgets, from many-inch TVs to computers, vacuum cleaners and fridges. Who cares about your water tank, which might even be underground?
On the supply side, water distributors are too many to have any noticeable clout. The number of boreholes is a good measure of independent water distributors. Water has also attracted lots of Government attention through water and sewerage firms in the counties.
KenGen, Kenya Power and Ketraco have near monopolies in generation, distribution and transmission of power. Which Kenyan water company has such clout with national reach? Bottlers saw this gap and made lots of money .
Water distribution is often a village affair, unlike power distribution, which even crosses borders.
Maybe water doesn’t bring in as much money as electric power. Check your bills. The ease of entry into this sector takes away lots of money because of the resulting competition.
IPPs require lots of money, which keeps hustlers out. We see hustlers selling water on donkey carts. Water can be packaged into jerrycans or even tanks; power cannot. Water also lacks the flexibility of power. You can locate an IPP anywhere, while water is available only in specific places. Damming and piping are also expensive.
Higher returns
The truth is that water has higher returns to society than power in the long run. Think of the reduction in water-borne diseases through better hygiene. Think of the increase in productivity when more citizens are healthy.
Linking food security to water through irrigation makes water even more precious. We use water to generate power, too. The centrality of water to our lives has never been in doubt. Did civilisations not flourish by rivers?
The current drought reminds us of the centrality of water to our lives.
Yet, we’re still obsessed with electric power and the prestige that goes with it.
The number of homes connected to clean piped water is the best measure of economic progress; it’s better than the number of power meters. And why do rural folks pay a standing charge for water they never get from distributors?
Let me check if there is any water in my taps .... [XN Iraki; xniraki@gmail.com]
