Climate variability and accessibility to water: factors of water security in informal settlements in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)

Stéphanie Dos Santos, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) et Institut Superieur des Sciences de la Population (ISSP)
Yves Landry Bambara, Université de Ouagadougou
François Ouédraogo, Université de Ouagadougou
Bassiahi Abdramane Soura, Université de Ouagadougou

In many ways, water scarcity is the first component of the food security. Nevertheless, in terms of water access, sub-Saharan African cities are some of the worst off in the world, with 20 % of their populations supplied by an unimproved water source. Urban growth of African cities is leading to the development of informal settlements that do not have access to basic services, including access to water. Changes in both water supply (because of climatic variability) and demand (because of the increase of urban populations and economic growth) have caused many African urban dwellers to experience difficulties in meeting daily water needs. The aim of this communication is to document the difficulties, the diversity and the variability of access to water depending on the variability of the climate (across seasons) in Ouagadougou, the capital-city of Burkina Faso. We specifically want to analyze factors that can affect the water scarcity in households living in informal settlements.