Domestic freshwater usage under the final user perception. Evaluation of the metropolitan zone of Guadalajara

Abstract : Water management in urban agglomerations is a task normally handled by either public or private water supply companies, with civil society participation being almost forgotten during the decision-making process. In big cities such a Guadalajara in Mexico around 70% of the total freshwater delivered are consumed by households. From this, 7% are offered by private providers and 93% by public suppliers. However, the opinion of final consumers about the quality of water provision services is not considered. This paper presents the results of a field research carried out in the metropolitan zone of Guadalajara (MZG), which focused on analyzing the characteristics of domestic water consumption and final user's opinions about water supply services. A survey of 300 randomly selected houses was performed in MZG. Selected significant findings to be discussed include water consumption per capita distribution and the perception about water related problems.