The Difference of Household Connections
Alli Hamis Ulaya, 44 years old, a husband to two wives and father of six children, lives in Lindwandwali village.
Three of his children are primary school pupils. For years his family endured the daily struggle of walking nearly 3 kilometres to fetch water from unsafe valleys.
The burden was heavy, children arrived late to school, missed classes and were often too tired to concentrate. Even basic hygiene, drinking, cooking, washing clothes, cleaning dishes and maintaining a clean home was a challenge.
The family also relied on a hand-dug well to collect rainwater but the water was neither clean nor safe for consumption. During the dry season the well would run dry, forcing them to walk long distances again in search for water.
Ally Hamis Ulaya’s underground water well
Before Water Came Home
His wives used about more than 2 hrs to fetch water leading to lateness of children to school, fatigue and limiting the use of water at home.
Failing to engage in productivity effectively as the days for fetching water becomes less productive by not going to farms.
Clothes were washed in distant valleys, exposing the family to health risks.
The family paid extra for water delivery by motorbike or bicycle.
Home hygiene suffered due to limited water and exhaustion.
A Bold Decision
Ally Hamis Ulaya’s first wife fetching water from the tap at their home.
When the DMDO extended water services to Mandwanga ward in 2023 and began promoting in-house water connections, Alli Ulaya saw an opportunity to change his family’s life. At first, he used the water smartcard walking 100 meters which still limited the use of water at home.
Then he invested 162 USD to bring clean and safe water directly into his home, paid for pipes, fittings and trench digging then Community Based Water Supply Organisation (CBWSO) provided the inhouse prepaid water meter from DMDO.
“I didn’t see the cost as a burden,” says Ulaya. “I saw it as a gateway to a better life for my wives and children.”
His decision reflects a growing readiness among Lindwandwali residents to invest in household water access. With DMDO’s continued support more families are expected to follow suit where most of families are able to contribute the cost but failing to cover the whole costs of both prepaid water meter, pipes and fittings.
The Impact of In-House Water
Health & Hygiene: The family now enjoys drinking clean and safe water, clean surroundings, safe water for cooking, cleaning and improved sanitation.
Education: Children attend school on time, energized and focused.
Financial Relief: No more paying for water delivery. Time and money are saved paying for only water bills which is affordable.
As the family now, plans and daily routines are not distracted by the absence of water.
His wives and children feel proud and empowered. The home is peaceful and organised.
Water Usage Patterns: From Scarcity to Confidence
Water usage data from Alli Ulaya’s household reveals a significant seasonal shift shaped by digitalized access to safe and clean water. During the rainy season (February to June), the household averaged just 83 litres of tap water consumption per day relying mainly on stored rainwater from their private well.
Piped water was only used for drinking, cooking and washing white clothes but there is a high increase in the use of piped water during the dry season (July-September) whereby the household average is about 822 litres per day.
Through DMDO’s initiatives by supporting access to inhouse prepaid water meter has sparked Ally’s family from depending on unsafe water to total use of piped water at home as the graph of piped water use from February to September shows. This also indicated how bringing water closer to homes provides a chance for all household members to use clean and safe water as per their demand.
With household connection prepaid water meters, the DMDO makes water access to home more digitalized providing interactive cloud platform for knowing daily household water consumption and water bill payments, which is the game changer.
Prepaid Water meter, Lasting Impact: Ulaya’s Story Reflects a Sustainable Future
While DMDO’s public distribution points have brought relief to Lindwandwali residents, Alli’s story shows that in-house water connection is the true game-changer, a gateway to health, education and sufficient productive time. Alli Ulaya’s decision to install an in-house water connection using a prepaid meter aligns with DMDO’s broader vision for sustainable water access.
Through our Water Reinvestment Programme, the DMDO ensures that every shilling invested in water infrastructure is recovered and reinvested into expanding services to other underserved areas. Prepaid meters guarantee reliable access to water at home 24hrs a day, reliable revenue collection, enabling CBWSOs to maintain infrastructure efficiently, deliver consistent, high-quality water services and provides them ability to recover the investment cost. Ulaya’s household is a living example of how this model works. Clean water at home with unlimited uses, improved family wellbeing and a system that sustains itself.
