The article analyzes water access in cities in the global South. We examine two challenges to water access from the perspective of households: intermittent services and affordability. The article analyzes primary and secondary data from 15 cities and one corresponding informal or low-income settlement in each city in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America. In 12 out of 15 cities analyzed, households connected to the municipal piped system received water intermittently, which compromises quality. In the 15 informal settlements studied, seven receive water less than 17 hours a week. Households that lack access to publicly provided water obtain water from alternative sources which can cost up to 52 times as much. In informal and low-income settlements in three cities, Cochabamba, Kampala, and Mzuzu, basic supplies of water appear unaffordable to households with average income. Our analysis points to the need for cities and water utilities to work together to extend the public piped networks, address intermittent services, and ensure adequate supplies of water are affordable. Looking forward it will be increasingly difficult for cities to keep pace with the growing demand for water, hence the urgency to change our collective ethos about water access and improve modalities of provision now.

本文分析了全球南方城市的供水情况。我们从家庭的角度研究了供水方面的两个挑战：间歇性服务和可负担性。本文分析了来自撒哈拉以南非洲、南亚和拉丁美洲的 15 个城市和每个城市的一个相应的非正规或低收入住区的主要和次要数据。在分析的 15 个城市中，有 12 个城市连接到市政管道系统的家庭断断续续地接水，这影响了水质。在所研究的 15 个非正规住区中，有 7 个每周的供水时间少于 17 小时。无法获得公共供水的家庭从替代来源获取水，其成本可能高达 52 倍。在科恰班巴、坎帕拉和姆祖祖三个城市的非正式和低收入住区，对于中等收入的家庭来说，基本的水供应似乎是负担不起的。我们的分析指出，城市和供水公司需要共同努力，以扩展公共管道网络、解决间歇性服务问题并确保负担得起的充足水供应。展望未来，城市将越来越难以跟上日益增长的用水需求，因此现在迫切需要改变我们关于水资源获取的集体精神并改善供水方式。