Assessing The Feasibility Of Public Private Community Partnerships As A Panacea For The Current Water Crisis In Budiriro, Harare, Zimbabwe

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to assess the feasibility of PPCP model as a panacea to the water crisis in Harare. Despite having been authorized to provide sanitation services to the residents of Harare for the past two decades, the City of Harare has not delivered those services to the residents of Harare. In Harare, water shortages have been a serious problem for over two decades, resulting in unsafe water supplies for residents. As a result, the city has been plagued by recurrence of diarrheal diseases. Public-private-community-partnerships (PPCPs) can be used to solve the water crisis by bringing together various stakeholders. Data from stakeholders was collected using a mixed-methods approach involving literature reviews, semi-structured interviews, and survey questionnaires. In order to comprehend the study's subject matter, an interpretivist approach was employed. A sample of knowledgeable people as well as members of the community were included in the study as respondents. Purposive sampling was used to select research participants. The study findings reveal that PPCPs have the potential to improve access to safe water for Harare residents as the community is ready to embrace PPCPs for water and sanitation services. Despite the readiness of the community, the success of the PPCP depends on a number of factors which include the business environment as well as political stability. As part of the study, potential challenges were identified, such as political risk, currency risk, regulatory challenges, lack of will of private players, incapacitated community, and corruption, that could hinder the successful implementation of PPCPs. Nevertheless, stakeholders need to forge a way forward in addressing the challenges ascertained and instituting a transparent and clear framework to facilitate PPCPs' successful implementation. PPCPs can address the water crisis in Harare, according to the study's findings, provided appropriate measures are taken to address the challenges identified. Water supply challenges in urban areas can also be addressed collaboratively by policymakers and other stakeholders in the water sector based on the study's findings.