ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the economic and non-economic factors surrounding access to water among low-income residents. Based on a survey conducted to 64 households, it attends to the ways in which low-income households perceive policies of disconnection for non-payment and the difficulties they face to pay their bills. The reasons why a household does not pay a monthly bill are multiple and complex. Unsurprisingly, according to the survey, the most common reason for non-payment of bills is inability to pay. The institutional framework governing access to water in Colombia reveals the internal tensions and contradictions inherent in the process of disconnection for non-payment. One problem for households located in low-income areas is the implementation of a sophisticated water bill format, which has proved to be too complex to understand. In 2009, the city of Medellin introduced a program called “Litres of Love” or minimum amount of water free of charge to reduce disconnection rates and prevent illegal reconnections.
