An assessment of Internet of Things (IoT) adoption readiness in water and sanitation in Zimbabwe. A Case of the City of Gweru

People have rights to water and sanitation as stated under International Law. It is believed that one billion people in the world lack access to safe drinking water, while two billion have inadequate access to sanitation facilities. Water and sanitation in developing countries face many challenges which hinder the achievement of the Millenium Development Goals and the current Sustainable Development Goals. Even though the Internet of Things (IoT) gained popularity in 2010, its adoption by Zimbabwean local authorities is dawdling. The City of Gweru has been experiencing environmental management problems, waterborne disease outbreaks, serious water shortages, and high-water losses. It is against this background that this study assesses the City of Gweru’s IoT adoption readiness in water and sanitation through the lens of the 5D TDWI IoT readiness assessment model. A positivist research philosophy guided by quantitative data collection methods is used. The results reveal that the City of Gweru’s IoT adoption readiness in water and sanitation is at its preliminary stages and it is established that employees have IoT knowledge as evidenced by their positive attitude towards its adoption. However, the City of Gweru has challenges in the dissemination of vital information to its employees about its ICT policies, goals, and strategic plan.