Jones.pdf (550.17 kB)
Download fileWhy traditional approaches to on-site sanitation provision are failing poor households
conference contribution
posted on 2018-02-12, 15:08 authored by David JonesTowns and cities across Africa are growing fast and poor settlements are under increasing pressure. The numbers without
adequate sanitation continue to grow. Health and hygiene education and social marketing aim to address this, persuading
poor communities to change behaviours and invest in household-level sanitation. However, recent BPD work on ‘sanitation
partnerships’ in five African cities highlighted two worrying issues. Firstly, many urban poor are tenants rather than
owners, whose incentives to invest in sanitation are weak at best. Secondly, to the detriment of many poor communities,
the emptying of latrines is often overlooked. This note discusses the impact of these two issues and goes on to propose
how ‘mapping the territory’ and the linkages of a ‘sanitation service’ can help external agencies. We also suggest a short
checklist for those working with on-site sanitation.
History
School
- Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering
Research Unit
- Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC)