Urban sprawl and drinking water sevices in African city: the case of Bukavu in DR Congo

This study was conducted to analyze the impacts of urban sprawl on drinking water services and alternative strategies for accessing water in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo. GIS and remote sensing techniques were used to determine land use in Bukavu and the stratification of urban morphology. The city has densified at an average rate of 2.75%, growing from 19.76 km² in 1980 to 43.17 km²of inhabited space in 2023. Interviews were conducted with the technical services of the Bukavu central town hall, the water distribution authority (REGIDESO), and the state housing and urban planning services. The survey covered 655 households in the city to obtain quantitative data on water supply and land status. The results show that the conventional water supply service has been unable to keep pace with the rapid expansion of the city. Less than 55% of the population is served by the network. Even in densely populated areas that were planned in the past, this service is unreliable. As a result, the population of the city of Bukavu has developed socio-technical strategies ranging from the development of springs, rainwater harvesting, and river and lake water supply to informal connections at the end of the network to access drinking water resources. Statistical analysis revealed strong spatial relationships, notably between distance and time spent fetching water (r = 0.963), and moderate correlations between disease occurrence and both distance (r = 0.582) and time (r = 0.411), emphasizing the link between access constraints and health outcomes.