Improvement of Basic Sanitation Infrastructure, Wastewater treatment and the Protection of Water Resources in poor urban Settlements in Southern Africa (SADC Region)
Project Duration: 2007-2009
Sponsored and funded by: BMZ
Background:
Among the ten countries worldwide with the lowest life expectancy, two of them, Zambia (38.5 years) and Lesotho (40 years), are BORDA partner countries in Africa. The life expectancy of the Tanzanian population averages about 51.5 years, which is about 25 years less than the average European life expectancy.
One reason for this significant difference is the devastating public health situation in these countries. The lack of basic sanitation infrastructure and appropriate wastewater treatment endangers public health and natural resources. Drinking water gets polluted with faeces from untreated wastewater and infects people with diarrhoea. Women and children are especially vulnerable to suffering severe illnesses from waterborne diseases and many die because of these circumstances.
Polluted water is only one side of the story here, the fact is that water resources are very scarce in this region, so people depend on a very limited supply. This makes adequate and efficient wastewater treatment even more important.
Project aims:
The project’s foremost objective is the improvement of public health and the protection of scarce water resources in the SADC-region. The specific target-countries are Lesotho, Zambia and Tanzania. Cooperation within the projects in these regions aims to improve basic sanitation and decentralised wastewater treatment in low-income settlements in urban and peri-urban areas.
The target groups are poor residents from these areas as well as users of public institutions (schools, hospitals etc.), who lack adequate sanitation infrastructure. Women and children in particular suffer the most from a lack of hygiene and a lack of privacy when defecating.
Further target groups are employees of specialized organizations such as water supply and wastewater treatment enterprises, specialized authorities and NGOs, which are seen as multipliers and are trained in practical capacity building measures. This will increase public awareness of the measures.
Activities:
As well as developing sanitation infrastructure that can guarantee sustainable benefits for public health and natural resources, it is important for BORDA, and its BNS partner network, to build up a framework, which supports the activities. Information for decision makers in NGOs or government agencies about the advantages of DEWATS is extremely important for the dissemination of this wastewater treatment solution.
One important part of developing sanitation infrastructure is the establishment of DEWATS services in poor settlements. In 2008, 19 CBS-DEWATS were constructed in Lesotho. This improved the sanitation situation for 550 people. During the construction 10 workers and craftsmen were trained to plan, construct and maintain DEWATS sites. Furthermore, a new DEWATS system and an outside toilet block for a disabled children’s home near Maseru were also completed.
In Zambia, 19 specialists were trained in the planning and implementation of DEWATS CBS programs. About 50 representatives of government agencies, construction companies and development-cooperation organisations were informed about DEWATS through presentations and visits of project sites. A biogas plant that uses agricultural waste was also built in Zambia by BORDA and its local cooperation partner WASAZA (Water and Sanitation Association of Zambia).
In Durban, South Africa, detailed plans for a DEWATS CBS project were introduced and handed to the city administration. Five engineers were specially trained for the implementation of the project. Through presentations and visits to project sites another 20 representatives of NGOs, construction companies and technical authorities were informed about the advantages of DEWATS.
In Tanzania, two more Engineers, from the partner organization EEPCO, were specially trained. The DEWATS concept was introduced to six different government administrations. A Tanzanian company was assigned to prepare the detailed planning for the sanitation needs of a school with 1,000 pupils. This new sanitation facility links perfectly with DEWATS.
The DEWATS concept for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) is another promising field of activities for BORDA and its BNS partner network organisations. A DEWATS SME has been completed for a girl’s boarding school with 180 students. The construction of a DEWATS SME for a guesthouse in a nature reserve has also been started. Both sites are used for learning and demonstration purposes. Eight further feasibility studies for DEWATS sites in different SME have also been completed.
The development and construction of a Shipping Container DEWATS is of special interest for BORDA in the SADC region. In regions where natural or man-made disasters have taken place, shipping containers could be used as a tool for sanitation services in emergency accommodation centres and refugee camps. These kinds of services become especially important in larger and more densely populated emergency settlements where the safe discharge of domestic wastewater beyond the settlement boundaries cannot be assured.
The immediate provision of clean water in emergency accommodation centres is essential to the health and survival of refugees and displaced people. The provision of adequate emergency sanitation is no less important to the health and survival of refugees and displaced people.
The DEWATS Emergency Sanitation Service is an essential contribution to the improvement of the health situation in emergency accommodation centres. The construction of a prototype Container DEWATS has been completed and it is now being tested in Durban.
Despite the external activities in building up infrastructure as well as informing and training stakeholders, BORDA and its BNS partner network are also actively improving their own internal structures. The level of professionalism of the cooperation project’s management has improved, due to the adoption of internal and external guidelines. This has resulted in a more efficient use of project resources.
The effectiveness and efficiency of the DEWATS programme are continuously raised. Standardised building drafts, specialised training and the optimization of building designs have made this possible. Additionally the partner organization TED (Technologies for Economic Development) has established a small wastewater laboratory for testing. In Lesotho, a three month study was conducted in cooperation with the Switzerland based SANDEC (Department Water and Sanitation in Developing Countries; a department of the “Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology” – Eawag) on biogas production, utilization and processes at DEWATS sites.
Outcomes:
Introducing the advantages of DEWATS (such as its low-cost and low-maintenance) to different decision makers in the SADC region is only the first, but very important, step to make them choose a proven solution – DEWATS.
Due to the fact that southern Africa is a relatively new project area for BORDA the outcomes are not yet as comprehensive as they are in South and South East Asia. Nevertheless, there have been several positive outcomes from project activities:
The sanitation situation for 130 people in Lesotho and 180 girls at the boarding school have been improved – thanks to BORDA and its BNS Partner Network. The skills of several local workers and craftsmen have been improved in capacity building measures led by BORDA. Further, by giving so many presentations the dissemination and awareness of DEWATS has increased.
The growing acceptance and demand of DEWATS in the SADC-countries Lesotho, Southern Africa, Tanzania and Zambia is supported by key DEWATS characteristics such as:
- Provision of biogas for cooking purposes
- Re-use of treated wastewater for mitigation
- Low-maintenance
- Use of locally available building materials
The projects that have been completed will be useful for demonstration purposes, which will be just as important as their ability to help the residents in the locations where DEWATS has been implemented.
The broad impact of successful demonstration measures completed in cooperation with communal water supply companies, treatment companies and local governments is increasing. Furthermore, local governments now benefit by having DEWATS as an option in future urban planning.
The aims of the project have not all been achieved yet, but a good start has been made. The hygiene and public health situation has been improved and scarce water resources in the SADC region are protected by the projects. More projects will be implemented soon, so the effect on the health situation and water resources generally in this region will increase over time.