Water Solutions

This book is based on the author’s PhD thesis published and submitted to the University of Birmingham in 2009. Descriptions have been revised in a reader-friendly manner. However, tables and figures have not been updated since it would not reflect the situation at the time of writing.
The study of this book aims to reveal the mechanisms by which improved water supply services are or are not ensured to customers by using the case of the Jakarta water concessions. Despite reasonably good performance in most of the standard technical indicators, experiences and views of customers revealed their difficulties in securing safe drinking water, thereby suggesting that improved service delivery has not been ensured. This study also revealed disparities in the aspect of water supply services that stakeholders value most. These disparities, together with a weak regulatory system, explain why improved water supply services are not ensured to customers. In addition to the above, factors related to the political economy of Indonesia are used to explain the reason for the concession arrangement being instituted in its form as well as the state of the performance of water supply services.