Keywords
distrust
household coping strategies
water governance
Kinshasa
How to Cite
Abstract
Introduction
In Kinshasa, access to safe drinking water remains a major public health challenge. Aging infrastructure and limited institutional communication contribute to widespread distrust of tap water supplied by the state utility, REGIDESO.
Purpose
To assess household perceptions of tap water quality and the coping strategies adopted in response to public distrust.
Methods
A cross-sectional mixed-methods survey was conducted among REGIDESO subscribers using a structured questionnaire. An initial sample of 378 responses was collected; following data cleaning, 96 complete observations were retained for final analytical processing. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Fisher’s exact test, Spearman’s rank correlation, and binary logistic regression, while open-ended qualitative responses underwent thematic analysis.
Results
Overall, 65.3% of respondents reported distrusting tap water quality (N = 378), primarily driven by organoleptic factors—specifically chlorine taste and odor (47.4%)—and inadequate institutional communication. Households adopted several alternative coping strategies, including bottled water consumption (30.4% among adults; 63.0% for infants) and domestic rechlorination (34.7%). These adaptive practices generate additional financial burdens and risk exacerbating socioeconomic inequalities. Bivariate and multivariate analyses revealed no statistically significant association between tap water distrust and age, sex, or educational level (ρ ≈ 0; p > .05).
Conclusion
Distrust in public water infrastructure has shifted the burden of water safety assurance onto individual households, potentially exposing them to secondary health risks from unmonitored domestic treatment methods. Rebuilding public confidence requires transparent water-quality communication and enhanced regulatory oversight of alternative water supplies.
References
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