scholarly journals Faecal sludge in Accra, Ghana: problems of urban provision

2009 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 623-631 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. L. D. Boot ◽  
R. E. Scott
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Lower Cost ◽  
Sludge Management ◽  
Service Levels ◽  
Household Level ◽  
Sanitation Services ◽  
Waste Transfer ◽  
Transfer Stations ◽  
Phase Out ◽  
Faecal Sludge

Urban on-site sanitation services present challenges for emptying, transporting, disposing and treating faecal waste. Transfer stations can be used by household-level emptiers to safely dispose of faecal sludge, but they rarely exist. Accra's use of transfer stations has provided an opportunity to research their functioning, as part of broader faecal sludge management arrangements. The paper discusses the benefits offered by use of transfer stations, as well as reasons currently limiting their operation. While costs associated with operating and emptying these stations are passed to householders, an illegal sector thrives offering lower cost emptying services, typically with disposal of faecal sludge directly into the environment. At present, bucket latrines offer sanitation services to low-income households unable to afford higher service levels, such as septic tanks. The local government aims to phase-out all bucket latrines by 2010, but affordable alternatives have not been found. Where limited access to land inhibits investment in permanent facilities, families may abandon household sanitation altogether. The paper concludes that correct use of transfer stations can provide improvements for existing faecal sludge management and reduce indiscriminate dumping. They must be made available to all workers, through effective public-private arrangements for ownership and operation.

Faecal sludge management in low income areas: a case study of three districts in the Ashanti region of Ghana

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugene Appiah-Effah ◽  
Kwabena Biritwum Nyarko ◽  
Samuel Fosu Gyasi ◽  
Esi Awuah
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Sludge Management ◽  
The Public ◽  
Ashanti Region ◽  
Toilet Facility ◽  
Urban And Rural Areas ◽  
Public Toilets ◽  
Faecal Sludge

The challenge of faecal sludge management (FSM) in most developing countries is acute, particularly in low income areas. This study examined the management of faecal sludge (FS) from household latrines and public toilets in three districts in the Ashanti region of Ghana based on household surveys, key informant interviews and field observations. Communities did not have designated locations for the disposal and treatment of FS. For household toilets, about 31 and 42% of peri-urban and rural respondents, respectively, with their toilets full reported that they did not consider manual or mechanical desludging as an immediate remedy, although pits were accessible. Households rather preferred to close and abandon their toilets and use public toilets at a fee or practise open defecation. For the public toilets, desludging was manually carried out at a fee of GHC 800–1,800 and the process usually lasted 8–14 days per toilet facility. The study showed that FSM has not been adequately catered for in both peri-urban and rural areas. However, respondents from the peri-urban areas relatively manage their FS better than their rural counterparts. To address the poor FSM in the study communities, a decentralized FS composting is a potential technology that could be used.

scholarly journals Reviewing the Potential and Constraints of Modified Technology Options for Faecal Sludge Management in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 245-259
Author(s):  
Amour Selelman ◽  
Tolly S.A. Mbwette ◽  
Sara Gabrielsson ◽  
Richard Kimwaga
Keyword(s):  
Institutional Arrangement ◽  
Dar Es Salaam ◽  
Hand Tools ◽  
Sanitation Services ◽  
Safe Management ◽  
Urban Settlements ◽  
Transfer Stations ◽  
Water Seal ◽  
Faecal Sludge ◽  
Technological Options

Cities in the developing world face the challenge of safe management of faecal sludge because of rapid population growth that overwhelms the sanitation infrastructure and services. In developing countries, only 50% of faecal sludge (FS) generated is safely managed the remaining portion is haphazardly disposed of in the environment risking public health and environment. In response to the urgent need for safely managed sanitation services, technological options for containment, desludging and transportation of FS are being modified. This paper reviewed current desludging practices and the potential of modified technological options for addressing FSM at containment, desludging, and transportation in Dar es Salaam unplanned urban settlements. The paper reviewed; water seal squat pan, Urine Diversion Dry Toilet (UDDT), split slabs, pre-installed suction hose, and the container-based sanitation (CBS) for containment stage. Others are the hand tools, sludge digger, the excrevator, rammer, and the eVac for desludging; and small pick-up truck and motorized tricycle and transfer stations for transfer and transportation of FS. Based on technical feasibility, social and environmental context of Dar es Salaam, the reviewed modified technology options have the potential of addressing FSM challenges in unplanned urban settlements in Dar es Salaam. However, institutional arrangement particularly the absence of the modified technologies in the menu of recommended technological options affects their upscaling. Paradoxically, most of the technologies have not been vigorously tried in the field to inform policy choice. Improvement of FSM with the application of modified technological options will require improvement in enabling environment for their operation and continuous modification. The major research gaps have also been identified in this review.

scholarly journals Faecal Sludge Management in Botswana: A Review of Current Practices and Policies Using the Case of Gaborone Low Income Areas

2018 ◽  
Vol 09 (02) ◽  
pp. 122-139
Author(s):  
Phillimon T. Odirile ◽  
Innocent Thukwi ◽  
Ontiretse Dintwa ◽  
Bontle Mbongwe
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Sludge Management ◽  
Faecal Sludge ◽  
Current Practices

Improving management of manually emptied pit latrine waste in Nairobi’s urban informal settlements

Waterlines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-88
Author(s):  
Jordan Brands ◽  
Leandra Rhodes-Dicker ◽  
Wali Mwalugongo ◽  
Ruthie Rosenberg ◽  
Lindsay Stradley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Informal Settlements ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Sanitation Services ◽  
Pit Latrine ◽  
Urban Informal Settlements ◽  
Waste Transfer ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Faecal Sludge

Sanergy has offered reliable, non-sewered sanitation services in Nairobi, Kenya through the implementation of container-based, urine-diverting dry toilets. However, there remains a large volume of untreated faecal waste in urban informal settlements due to poorly managed pit latrines. With limited space in the settlements to bury old pits and dig new ones, management of faecal sludge requires manual pit emptying and safe discharge. Sanergy piloted the Mtaa Fresh project in the settlement of Mukuru Kwa Njenga, establishing a waste transfer station where manual pit emptiers could safely and reliably dispose of pit latrine contents. The most important factors in the successful implementation of this station were, first, the relationship established between Sanergy and the pit emptiers and, second, Sanergy’s commitment to iterating as new insights emerged. The relationship with the emptiers impacted the location, design, and adoption of the site, and aided in the formalization of a pit emptiers’ community-based organization. The commitment to iterating enabled Sanergy to respond to learnings gained from the emptiers. Additional factors that ensured the success of Mtaa Fresh included the implementation of full-time staff, security when the site is closed, support from local authorities, and an expansion to improve management of faecal sludge and trash. Improvements trialled during the expansion aim to minimize operation and maintenance costs, but sustainability will still rely on government support and external funding.

scholarly journals Fecal Sludge Management in Low Income Settlements: Case Study of Nakuru, Kenya

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheillah Simiyu ◽  
Ivy Chumo ◽  
Blessing Mberu
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Sludge Management ◽  
Sanitation Services ◽  
Fecal Sludge ◽  
Treatment And Disposal

Introduction: In order to meet the sustainable development goals targets of sanitation, countries aim to increase access to safely managed sanitation services for its citizens. Safely managed sanitation services refers to improved sanitation technologies that are not shared with other households and where excreta is treated and disposed; or stored, transported and treated off-site. In most Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries, on-site sanitation facilities such as latrines and septic tanks are common, with low-income urban settlements mainly using pit latrines. However, little is documented about the management of sludge from these facilities, especially in low income settlements in secondary and emerging cities. This lack of data is a major hindrance to public health, development and planning efforts by governments and planning agencies. This study specifically assesses practices and challenges along the sanitation value chain related to containment, emptying, transportation, treatment and recycling of fecal sludge.Methods: The study was carried out in low income settlements in Nakuru, a secondary city in Kenya. Over half the population in Nakuru live in low income areas and majority of these residents use pit latrines. A case study design was selected for this study and data was collected using qualitative methods. Data was collected through In-depth interviews and Focus Group Discussions using in depth interview guide and focus group discussion guides that had questions on sanitation practices along the value chain, challenges, opportunities available, and recommendations for improvement. Analysis was done through content analysis by reading the transcripts multiple times to gain a sense of the flow of the discussion. Thereafter, coding was done by following emergent issues and thereafter categories were identified which formed the basis for providing a picture of FWM practices in the settlements.Results: On site sanitation facilities are dominant in the settlements, but they are few and are shared by several households. These facilities were unclean, and they filled up at a fast rate because of the high number of users. The latrines were emptied by manual emptiers who used mechanized equipment but complemented with manual emptying using buckets. Sludge was transported to a central collection point using large and small scale means of transportation, before transfer to the treatment site for final treatment and disposal. Various stakeholders are involved in capacity building of emptiers as well as in the transportation, treatment and disposal of fecal sludge in the settlements. Challenges along the stages of the value chain included negative community perceptions and attitudes toward fecal sludge management.Conclusion: The results highlight the need to address the challenges along the chain by involvement of state and non-state actors. Low income areas have high populations and thus contribute huge amounts of fecal sludge. Deliberate efforts to consolidate such data from low income areas will result in availability of data, and informed decision making for stakeholders at national and international levels.

scholarly journals Health and Housing Energy Expenditures: A Two-Part Model Approach

Processes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 943
Author(s):  
Fátima Lima ◽  
Paula Ferreira ◽  
Vítor Leal
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Health Expenditures ◽  
Household Level ◽  
Energy Expenditures ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Health Gains ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Part Model ◽  
Model Approach

Interest in the interaction between energy and health within the built environment has been increasing in recent years, in the context of sustainable development. However, in order to promote health and wellbeing across all ages it is necessary to have a better understanding of the association between health and energy at household level. This study contributes to this debate by addressing the case of Portugal using data from the Household Budget Survey (HBS) microdata database. A two-part model is applied to estimate health expenditures based on energy-related expenditures, as well as socioeconomic variables. Additional statistical methods are used to enhance the perception of relevant predictors for health expenditures. Our findings suggest that given the high significance and coefficient value, energy expenditure is a relevant explanatory variable for health expenditures. This result is further validated by a dominance analysis ranking. Moreover, the results show that health gains and medical cost reductions can be a key factor to consider on the assessment of the economic viability of energy efficiency projects in buildings. This is particularly relevant for the older and low-income segments of the population.

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