The main objective of this study was to determine water access and use characteristics of household in Dar es Salaam in order to determine how the integrated urban water management (IUWM) approach can be applied in solving the water crisis in the city as well as other challenges of urban water supply and sanitation. A limited household water access and use survey was carried out in all three districts of Dar es Salaam. It was found that some of the principles of IUWM such “fit for purpose use” are already being practiced informally at household level, although this is not recognized in planning by Water Authorities. The study also shows that practices geared at saving and efficient use of water are well entrenched in households; with even those with access to sufficient amounts of water practicing it. At the user level, there do not appear to be any obstacles to adoption of IUWM. The potential for IUWM application is therefore shown to exist and recommendations are made for immediate measures such as incorporation of the various water sources in use in households into the formal system as well as improvements to methods of water saving, ground water extraction and rain water harvesting. Recommendations are also provided for wider adaptation of the entire city water management system to IUWM with emphasis on context driven solutions.