Low-cost urban sanitation in Nigeria

Lack of adequate and safe water supply and sanitation remain two of the main transmitters of disease in the world’s developing countries. Water and Sanitation inadequacies also hinder economic and social development, constitute a major impediment to poverty alleviation, and inevitably lead to environmental degradation. Under these conditions, a large proportion of the population in the developing countries has little if any chance for social and/ or economic development, and a poverty spiral is established for which poor basic sanitation conditions are one of the main foundations. The sanitation system which is by far the most convenient to the user is the conventional water-borne sewerage system found in most European communities. However, water-borne sanitation system is inappropriate for most urban centers in developing countries on the ground of high capital construction cost, usage of large volume of potable water merely to transport wastes along pipes, complex technology and blockage among others.