Can community water user groups manage urban sanitation and solid waste? Evidence from water user associations in Lilongwe, Malawi

In cities and informal settlements across the Global South, poor sanitation and solid waste management are pressing challenges with severe public health consequences. Centralized state-led approaches, privatization, and public-private partnerships have failed to address these challenges, prompting interest in community-based alternatives. This paper uses the case of water user associations (WUAs) in Lilongwe, Malawi, to examine whether urban water user groups can effectively advance sanitation, hygiene, and solid waste management without compromising their water-provision objectives. Using qualitative methods—including interviews with WUA executives, community leaders, government officials, and residents; field observations; and document review—we investigate WUAs' motivations for broadening service provision to sanitation and waste management and the opportunities for and obstacles to scaling these efforts. Findings reveal that WUAs engage in varied sanitation activities: water point maintenance (most common), garbage collection, community hygiene education, and toilet provision (least common), with scope varying considerably. Revenue generation was the primary motivation, suggesting a testable hypothesis that urban water user groups will invest in sanitation and solid waste management when they anticipate sufficient financial returns. While WUAs represent a promising model for urban sanitation and waste management, scale-up is constrained by financial challenges, expertise gaps, policy incoherence, socio-cultural barriers, and competition from private enterprises. These findings contribute new insights into utilities governance, urban development, and community-based service provision in low-income countries.