Water and Sanitation Poverty in Informal Settlements of Sub-Saharan Africa

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Bernard Thole
Keyword(s):  
Informal Settlements ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Water And Sanitation ◽  
Sub Saharan

Community-Centred Infrastructure Design Process for Resilience Building in South African Informal Settlements: The “Genius of Space” Solid Waste and Greywater Infrastructure Project

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Lauren Hermanus ◽  
Sean Andrew
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Informal Settlements ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Wastewater Management ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Water And Sanitation ◽  
Public And Private Sector

Due to a lack of adequate water and sanitation infrastructure, growing, unplanned urban settlements in South Africa and elsewhere have been linked to pollution of critical river systems. The same dynamics undermine local resilience, understood as the capacity to adapt and develop in response to changes, persistent social and ecological risks, and disasters. Water and sanitation challenges undermine resilience by causing and compounding risks to individuals, and to household and community health and livelihoods, in a complex context in which communities and local governments have limited capacity and resources to respond appropriately. Household and community resilience in informal settlements is drawing increasing policy focus, given the persistence of these kinds of neighbourhoods in cities and towns in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Africa, in particular. This case considers whether bottom-up responses that combine public and private sector resources, including community participation, and use an interdisciplinary approach can support the production of novel resilience-fostering solutions. This article presents an analysis of the case of Genius of Space waste and wastewater management infrastructure in the Western Cape, South Africa. While the process has been imperfect and slow to show results, this analysis reflects on the gains, lessons and potential for replication that this work has produced. The Genius of Space approach adds to a growing area of practice-based experimentation focussed on incrementalism and adaptive development practices in urban environments, particularly in developing countries.

Utility-small water enterprise partnerships: serving informal urban settlements in Africa

Water Policy ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 443-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cyrus Njiru
Keyword(s):  
Water Utilities ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Water Services ◽  
Water And Sanitation ◽  
Sanitation Services ◽  
Small Water ◽  
Urban Settlements ◽  
Quality Water ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Informal Urban Settlements

Sustainable development cannot be realised when a large proportion of people do not have access to improved water services. Indeed, despite concerted international effort and publicity made in the last two decades to increase coverage of improved water and sanitation services, the number of people without improved water and sanitation services continues to increase. Water utilities are not serving a large proportion of the urban population and small water enterprises (SWEs) have moved to fill the gap. This paper looks at the growing urban water problem and outlines the role played by SWEs in providing water services to those un-served or under-served by water utilities. Typical constraints faced by SWEs are outlined and the rationale for developing utility–SWE partnerships for the benefit of water consumers (customers) is provided. Potential opportunities for developing utility-SWE partnerships are discussed. The paper argues that utility-SWE partnerships can enable SWEs to provide affordable good quality water services to customers, while providing benefit to the utility and thus also assisting the utility to meet its mandate. The paper proposes win–win utility-SWEs partnerships aimed at achieving the objectives of utilities and SWEs while improving water services to customers in informal urban settlements of developing countries, with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa.

scholarly journals Access to improved sanitation facilities in low-income informal settlements of East African cities

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Okurut ◽  
R. N. Kulabako ◽  
P. Abbott ◽  
J. M. Adogo ◽  
J. Chenoweth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Informal Settlement ◽  
Informal Settlements ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
East African ◽  
Basic Sanitation ◽  
Improved Sanitation ◽  
Joint Monitoring ◽  
Sub Saharan

Throughout Africa, the population in urban areas is increasing rapidly, often exceeding the capacity and the resources of the cities and towns to accommodate the people. In sub-Saharan Africa, the majority of urban dwellers live in informal settlements served by inadequate sanitation facilities. These settlements present unique challenges to the provision of sustainable and hygienic sanitation, and there is insufficient information on access to improved facilities. This paper reports findings of a study undertaken in low-income informal settlements using a mixed methods approach to assess access to sanitation and identify the barriers to household uptake of improved sanitation facilities. More than half of the respondents (59.7%) reported using sanitation facilities that are included in the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme definition of improved sanitation. However, a high proportion of these facilities did not provide access to basic sanitation. Less than 5% of all the respondents did not report problems related to sustainable access to basic sanitation. The findings highlight the urgent need to develop specific and strategic interventions for each low-income informal settlement, to upscale the sustainable access and use of improved sanitation in urban centres.

scholarly journals Transition Management for Improving the Sustainability of WASH Services in Informal Settlements in Sub-Saharan Africa—An Exploration

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 4052 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giorgia Silvestri ◽  
Julia Wittmayer ◽  
Karlijn Schipper ◽  
Robinah Kulabako ◽  
Sampson Oduro-Kwarteng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Informal Settlements ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Management Process ◽  
Transition Management ◽  
Management Processes ◽  
Sanitation And Hygiene ◽  
Sub Saharan

This paper explores how transition management processes can be designed to address the unsustainability of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services in informal settlements in cities in Sub-Saharan Africa. The unsustainability of services related to WASH in informal settlements in Sub-Saharan Africa is deeply embedded in current societal and governance structures, cultures, and practices; it is context-dependent and involves numerous actors with different interests. Based on a literature review and empirical work in Arusha (Tanzania), Dodowa (Ghana), and Kampala (Uganda), we identify five context dimensions that account for the unsustainability of WASH services: (a) multiplicity of WASH practices, structures, and arrangements; (b) governance capacities for WASH services and maintenance; (c) landownership for sustainable access to WASH; (d) public participation in decision-making related to WASH; and (e) socio-economic inequalities governing access to WASH. These dimensions pose numerous conceptual and application challenges for transition management. Based on these challenges, recommendations are formulated for the design of a contextualized, participatory transition management process that is not only functional, but also emancipatory.

scholarly journals Access to improved water and sanitation in sub-Saharan Africa in a quarter century

Heliyon ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (11) ◽  
pp. e00931 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederick Ato Armah ◽  
Bernard Ekumah ◽  
David Oscar Yawson ◽  
Justice O. Odoi ◽  
Abdul-Rahaman Afitiri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Water And Sanitation ◽  
Quarter Century ◽  
Sub Saharan

Increasing Functional Sustainability of Water and Sanitation Supplies in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa

2009 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 1017-1023 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maggie A. Montgomery ◽  
Jamie Bartram ◽  
Menachem Elimelech
Keyword(s):  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Water And Sanitation ◽  
Sub Saharan
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