Excreta management in unplanned areas

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1 Excreta management in unplanned areas Steven Sugden London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

2 Figures overview of Dar es Salaam Population 2.8 million 10% served by sewers; 70% by pit latrines $250 = cost of a traditional latrine 6 months unskilled labour to pay for a latrine 80 / 90% latrine coverage in unplanned areas $61 million = size of loan for WATSAN $3000 = annual allocation in MC health budget for excreta management for 660,000 people 60-80% of hospital admissions are due to sanitation-related diseases (MoH 2006)

3 How do unplanned areas grow? Initial settlement, 4 houses = 20 people Householders build 4m deep pit latrines

4 Plot division 9 houses = 45 people Number of people per latrine increases, fill up faster

5 As time goes by 19 houses = 95 people Pits are mainly full and need to be replaced

6 and on and on, until saturation 37 houses = 185 people

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8 Effect on densification on excreta disposal? Space to build a latrine decreases Pressure on existing latrines increases Sewers become impossible to lay Tankers cannot gain entry to empty pit Landlords prefer rooms to latrines Results in millions of tonnes of pathogenic waste staying within the community

9 Traditional latrine Nearly full $250 to replace Poor quality Liable to collapse Neighbours use it What would you do?

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11 Health improvements need more than latrine coverage 95% latrine coverage in the unplanned areas, BUT 7% of children under fives had experienced diarrhoea in last two weeks (2004 Demographic Health Survey) 60-80% of hospital admissions are due to sanitationrelated diseases (MoH 2006) 97% of out-patients attending health centres were suffering from sanitation-related diseases. (Temeke MC) Between 1998 and 2005 close to 7000 cases of cholera have been reported in the city (MoH 2006).

12 Need to remove the faeces from the community, not just the household MDG does not measure this

13 Location of unplanned area Located where the rich did not want to live High water tables, Low lying flood prone Collapsing sandy soil All characteristics which make: Low cost latrine design difficult Sewers expensive Aquifer pollution likely

14 Unsaturated zone Unconfined aquifer Confined aquifer

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18 Ground water pollution in Dar..seepage from on-site sanitation systems probably present the most widespread and serious diffuse pollution source. About 30% of the samples had nitrate values exceeding the WHO recommended levels for drinking water of 50mg/l High nitrate and bacterial levels were observed in boreholes located in high density residential area like Buguruni. Manzese, and Mabibo [these are all unplanned areas] Source: Dr Mato UCLAS Dar es Salaam

19 Solutions? Build sewers - Protects ground water, but hard to get 100 % connections and very very expensive Ban pit latrines - Protects ground water, but what about the people. Live with the polluted ground water and pipe in clean water. Health or Environment?

20 Relative Heath risks Low Demand for Emptying service Not needed Demand for smaller latrines Not needed High High High

21 Emptying

22 A tanker driver life..is not a happy one Here comes the shit man children stay inside Can you come at night so we don t have to see you People always argue about cost and payment We give the sewage works over Sh8 million per month and it pays their wages, but they do not treat us well and one man in particularly insults us and say that they are nobodies to them (Kampala exhaust tanker drivers 2005)

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26 150 Trip vs Profit - pit emptying Trips Dollars and trips Months Profit

27 Vacutug Days not used per month Days Jun- 04 Jul- 04 Aug-Sep Oct- 04 Nov-Dec- Jan Feb- 05 Mar- 05 Apr- 05 May- 05 Jun- 05 Jul- 05 Aug-Sep Oct- 05 Month

28 Summary of emptying company constraints Finance no access to loans and credit High capital cost of equipment Vulnerable to equipment damage / loss Customer demand fragmented in time and space Slow speeds of empting vehicles Lack of community status or official recognition Distance to emptying site Management and operator capacity Lack of public sector support / interest

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30 Summary of Mapet constraints Operator capacity; the emptiers living by the day Have to split profits three ways, Institutional arrangements Emptying by using a borrow pit emptiers do not try and expand their services even though there is a huge demand for their service.

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33 Summary of frogman constraints Health risks Low status Considered illegal But, They have lowest capital start up costs Most sustainable Most widely known

34 The continuum of pit emptying technologies The gap

35 Trips per household for latrine users Nos of house Series Trips

36 Understand demand PPP Develop business models Understand commercial viability

37 Design specification for improved emptying device Access without demolition Shit handling without direct contact Local manufacturing and maintenance Less than $200 Light weight, carried across the shoulder One man operation Allow for huge neglect and misuse Capable of emptying at least the top meter of the pit.

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39 Gulper Low cost, easy to maintain Easy to transport One operator Small

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41 Last thought on pollution... If the treatment plant cannot cope with additional BOD from pit sludge.. the treatment will be incomplete.. and pollution is just being moved from one source (ground water) to another (surface water)

42 THE END Thank you