Saqayti: For greater rationalization of tapstand water supplies

• Main Authors: T. Hascoet, O. Gilbert, M. Yassine
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Institut Veolia Environnement 2011-04-01
• Series: Field Actions Science Reports
• Subjects: piped water; prepayment; saqayti; subsidized connections; Tapstand; water delivery
• Online Access: http://journals.openedition.org/factsreports/743

In Morocco, considerable progress has been made in connecting users to water and sanitation. However, some households, particularly in urban and surrounding areas, currently cannot be given an individual connection to the drinking water network due to a lack of equipment and/or financial reasons. To ensure that they have access to this essential service, these households are generally supplied by means of communal tapstands (CTs) where water is made available to them free of charges by the local authorities. While these open access CTs provide a temporary connection solution, they do not enable the resource to be optimally managed nor equitably shared. Free and open access to all has lead to over-consumption, wastage, and use of the resource by consumers outside the intended beneficiary group. This results in heavy costs for the municipalities concerned and jeopardizes the sustainability of the utility. In response to this situation, and in accordance with the recommendations of the international community and of civil society, a new type of tapstand “Saqayti” has been developed to distribute prepaid water to beneficiaries in Rabat, Tangier and Tetouan. Saqaytis allow for targeted distribution of the utility to the intended beneficiaries as they are accessible by means of a chip card distributed to users on a case-by-case basis by the municipal authority. These users benefit from free access to the tapstand up to a monthly limit equivalent to their basic needs. This paper aims at demonstrating how Saqayti has shown itself to be an innovative addition to the provision of individual utility connections, providing the poorest with access to a water and sanitation service which meets international standards of quality, and fulfills a threefold goal of economic, social and environmental progress.