Sustainability in sanitation

Despite a large amount of focus on improving sanitation for the unserved, targets set in both the millennium and sustainable development goals are yet to be achieved. There has been a significant lack of a sustainable approach to sanitation. Montgomery, Bartram and Elimelech (2009) note that efforts made in the past twenty years of development in sanitation have been poor due to two factors, lack of maintenance and a disregard of sustainable approaches.

Montgomery, Bartram and Elimelech (2009) present three key components of sustainability that are needed to make sanitation successful. The components hinge upon the involvement of community, therefore creating demand for sanitation services, cost effective schemes that are funded through locality and maintenance. Their use of community is one that resonates with many other community led projects, where the key lies upon the involvement of local people to express their needs, to create effective demand. Sanitation can be successful in developing countries if the needs of local people are catered for and are the priority of projects at stake. If projects are situated within local context, sanitation can be appropriately provided for individual communities that suit their requirements, but are also based upon their financial capabilities.

Carter, Tyrrel and Howsam (1999) also present a key chain to sustainability shown in figure 1, which resonates with Montgomery, Bartram and Elimelech (2009).  

 

 

 

 

 

    

Figure 1. Sustainability chain. Carter, Tyrrel and Howsam (1999).

For sustainable projects, motivation is required to develop demand for sanitation. Motivation can be provided by presenting the benefits sanitation brings to communities. If communities can understand the available benefits, motivation of locals to achieve sanitation is likely. However, it is hard to overcome the fact that sanitation and water will come at a cost (1999: 294), but if the benefits are clearly presented people should be willing to take part in these projects to benefit their health. The second part of the chain includes maintenance, which is essential to sanitation. Communities need to understand the importance of maintenance as without it, projects will be unsustainable. The third element of the chain is cost recovery. To make a project successful it is likely that it will require funding, however cost must be determined by the community (1999:295), which provides a platform for appropriate technology that will suit the capabilities of communities. Despite a decentralised system which is likely to be put in place, the sustainability of the project in the long term will require input from local authorities or NGOs to continue with a follow up of the project, to maintain motivation and maintenance.

Projects will more than likely have to be decentralised. A lot of projects require large amounts of funding, such as centralised waste management and often fail because people cannot afford to pay for them, projects are not financially viable and maintenance and upkeep of these projects are likely to be disregarded (Patterson, Mara and Curtis, 2007). Context specific projects will promote pro-poor sanitation (2007:901). If these projects can take into account income and peoples willingness to pay for services, a more appropriate technology can be implemented which will be sustainable.