Systems-Based Approach to Improving Urban Water Access in Low-Income Communities
Fuad ALIPHATIC Adegoke
BSc. Systems Engineering (Undergraduate), UNILAG
Plain language
Urban water access remains a critical challenge in low-income communities, where infrastructural gaps, weak governance frameworks, and fragmented service delivery systems limit reliable access to safe water. Water insecurity persists due to interconnected relationships between infrastructure, institutions, and community-level factors. Currently, households endure 8–12 hours/day of highly intermittent service and pay a 3–5× cost premium to informal water vendors compared to utility baselines. This study reframes urban water access as a complex, multi-stakeholder system rather than an isolated infrastructural problem.
Research Objectives
Identify systemic bottlenecks limiting water access in low-income urban communities.
Map relationships between infrastructure, stakeholders, and policy mechanisms using systems thinking tools.
Propose a systems-based intervention framework that improves water access resilience and equity.
Key System Bottlenecks Identified
Supply Constraints
Infrastructure deficits leading to highly intermittent service (8–12 hrs/day average).
Pressure Drops
Hydraulic imbalances across key municipal distribution nodes.
Informal Sourcing
Relying on high-cost informal vendors due to formal grid absence (3–5× premium).
Revenue Loss
Concentrated physical leaks and non-revenue water eroding system viability.
Underlying Root Causes
Network hydraulic imbalance, fragmented governance, inadequate metering & loss detection, and socio-economic barriers to formal service uptake.
SE approach applied
Applied an Integrated Systems Engineering Approach incorporating stakeholder mapping, root-cause analysis, and systems modelling to characterise the water access ecosystem. Adopted methods include Systems Thinking to capture the complex web of interactions between social, technical, and environmental elements; Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) to define precise architecture models for intervention kiosk nodes; Causal Loop & Ishikawa Diagrams to map feedback loops, pressure drops, informal market dynamics, and structural leaks; and Feedback-Driven Design targeting a closed-loop resilient system with localized telemetry and adaptive monitoring.
Adopted Systems Methods
Captures the complex web of interactions between social, technical, and environmental elements.
Defines precise architecture models for the intervention kiosk nodes.
Maps feedback loops, pressure drops, informal market dynamics, and structural leaks.
Targets a closed-loop resilient system featuring localized telemetry and adaptive monitoring.
Disciplines Applied
Stakeholder Mapping & Functional Roles
Government Regulators
Policy, tariffs, and long-range infrastructure planning
Water Utility Providers
Supply, treatment, and distribution networks
NGOs & Donors
Interventions, financing, and community development programmes
Informal Vendors & Markets
Last-mile provisioning, pricing signals, and localized delivery
Community Households
End-users; demand patterns, affordability constraints, and local governance
4-Pillar Intervention Framework
1. Localised Modular Kiosks
Decentralised nodes equipped with storage, treatment capabilities, and smart metering.
2. Digital Monitoring & AI Diagnostics
Telemetry for pressure and quality metrics combined with anomaly detection via lightweight ML models.
3. Adaptive Governance Protocol
Shared operating agreements linking the utility provider, community water committee, and NGO funders.
4. Market Integration
Formalised vendor partnerships, dynamic pricing frameworks, and targeted pro-poor subsidies.
Impact & results
Formulated a holistic systems intervention framework presented at the WSR Conference (UNILAG). The model targets expanding reliable daily service hours, achieving WHO/UNICEF quality compliance, standardizing pricing to eliminate vendor premiums, and cutting non-revenue water losses near informal nodes. Demonstrates that implementing decentralized distribution and active feedback loops concurrently provides a far more sustainable pathway than traditional infrastructure-only designs. A 3-stage scaling roadmap is established starting with pilot MoUs and a 6-month field trial.
Core Systems Insight
"Deficiencies cut across infrastructure, institutions, and community coordination. Implementing the model's leverage points (decentralized distribution & active feedback loops) substantially improves resilience when done concurrently."
Conclusion & Next Steps Roadmap
Secure pilot funding and execute stakeholder MoUs across community & utility partners.
Deploy modular kiosk pilot with rigorous mixed-methods evaluation (6 months).
Iterate engineering models, publish empirical results, and engage state regulators for scaling.
Fuad ALIPHATIC Adegoke
BSc. Systems Engineering (Undergraduate), UNILAG
adegokefuad1@gmail.comPublished by
ASES · UNILAG
Association of Systems Engineering Students
Related · Public Sector & Policy