Do you want learn how to apply concepts of sustainable faecal sludge management (FSM) on a city-wide scale? This course starts with an overview of what faecal sludge is and an introduces you to the engineering fundamentals and required information for the design and selection of technologies. Sanitation solutions are prone to failure if an integrated planning approach that includes stakeholder involvement and the development of appropriate institutional, management and financial arrangements is not implemented. The course therefore dedicates a complete week to presenting the full picture, in addition to technology, that needs to be considered for sustainable solutions. It concludes with a focus on current research and innovations in technologies, to provide an understanding of the most up-to-date options. This course is one of four in the series “Sanitation, Water and Solid Waste for Development".
5.8 Innovative, adaptive and integrated case Study of Durban
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Do curso por École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Introduction to Faecal Sludge Management
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Innovations in faecal sludge management
Faecal sludge management is a relatively new and rapidly growing field. As a result, many solutions are not yet fully developed, which has to be carefully considered in technology implementation. Week 5 will focus on current research and innovations in technologies, to provide an understanding of the most up-to-date options, and what needs to be considered for further development and implementation.
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Dr. Linda StrandeGroup leader
Management of Excreta, Wastewater and Sludge (MEWS), Eawag-Sandec
In this introduction to faecal sludge management, you've
learned a lot about different elements that need to be considered
and integrated into one system.
Including treatment objectives, multiple technologies, operations
and maintenance, resource recovery, quantification and characterization,
financial considerations, legal frameworks and planning.
In this module I'm gonna provide you with an example of a city
where these aspects have all been applied in a systems level approach.
for an innovative adaptive and integrated approach
to faecal sludge management.
Following this module, you will be able to distinguish different
approaches to faecal sludge management taken in Durban.
Identify examples of what has worked in the service chain in Durban
and consider how management examples could be applied in other locations.
Now I will take you to the city of Durban, South Africa with Ethekwini
municipality that employs an approach to faecal sludge management
that is innovative, adaptive, and integrated.
We'll start the story in August 2000 when a cholera outbreak started
in the KwaZulu-Natal province where Durban is located.
During one year there were over 100 000 cases with 260 deaths.
A positive outcome of this unfortunate crisis was that
it brought funding and recognition to sanitation and lead to a policy
review and propagation of a national sanitation policy in 2001.
Also in 2001, the current Ethekwini municipality was formed
when the boundaries of the previous Durban, what is now Central Durban
were greatly expanded.
With this change the city went from 1400 sq. km to 2600 sq. km.
The new boundaries were very complex.
Demographically, geographically, and in terms of existing infrastructure.
They include urban, peri urban, and rural areas.
Of 3 million residents in 2001 it was estimated that 1 million
did not have water or sanitation services.
Another million was supplied with severely rundown services,
and 1 million had a high level of service with flush toilets
and tap water.
In addition, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis are rife.
Poverty is high. And it is a water scarce region.
In South Africa national policy states that all people have a right
to basic and free sanitation and water.
eThekwini Water and Sanitation or EWS was now faced with
fulfilling the right of basic sanitation to everyone within
new boundaries.
In addition, the new Durban metropolitan area is undergoing
rapid growth. The goal of eThekwini was to find solutions that would
satisfy everyone, but they had to act immediately
and could not wait for perfect solutions before doing anything.
Solutions needed to be developed and perfected over time.
EWS set the following wash guiding principles:
working within the boundaries of a water-scarce environment by
linking sanitation systems to water supply; following the law of ecosan
by investigating ways in which nutrients can be recovered for use
in agriculture. Ensuring that implementation is backed by sound
scientific research through creating partnerships with local
and international organisations.
Regularly interacting with the people they serve to ensure
two-way communication and awareness through an extensive
educational outreach program. And sharing of expertise with other
municipalities through the MILE initiative.
EWS also instituted a business approach to management.
First built on the basis of their own human resources to ensure
adequate capacity.
Then building on that foundation with a key focus on customer service.
If customers are happy, they will pay for their services, so you can
generate adequate revenue to run your business.
Revenue then needs to be spent on asset management and network
expansion.
EWS came up with a multi-faceted approach that included waterborne
sanitation in a dense urban center where a sewer was possible,
shown by the blue lines in this figure. Dry toilets outside of this
area where sewers would never be accessible due to the terrain and
population density.
Septic tanks were home owners wanting to take responsibility to
install them. An ablution blocks for informal settlements.
An integrated approach does not only mean multidisciplinary,
it means employing different solutions throughout an area
that are appropriate for our context into one integrated overall
management solution.
With the increased boundaries, EWS also inherited responsibility
for 35 000 pit latrines that became a management problem as they became
full. And most were in areas that are difficult to access with trucks.
An emptying model was piloted and then scaled up.
And currently the existing pit latrines are emptied by EWS
on a five years cycle.
Starting in 2002 for sanitation provision outside the area that could
be served by the sewer, EWS implemented an innovative solution
with urine diversion toilets.
These were two chamber systems with alternate usage and storage
the urine going to a soakaway.
This technology was selected as it was expected that during
containment sludge would degrade, become dry and spadable
and have reduced pathogens, so people could manage faecal sludge
themselves instead of relying on emptying services.
Most of these areas are very difficult to access by truck.
There was a massive rollout at these innovative new toilets with 1000
installations per month. And 75 000 built by 2011.
As shown in this figure, this included an intensive monitoring
and evaluation program. That included effectiveness of the
community education program. Community acceptance,
maintenance by households, and quality and durability of
construction and hygiene.
Reported problems included dissatisfaction with odors,
doors, vault covers, vent pipes and poor construction.
Problems that were all addressed by EWS.
However, following implementation 85% of respondents reported using
the urine diverting dry toilets, but only 34% reported satisfaction
with using them. One of the main reasons was that they had to empty
and manage faecal sludge themselves.
And 80% of respondents were found not to be maintaining them properly.
In addition, researchers found that viable pathogens remained in the
sludge even after the two years of storage.
It wasn't acceptable that the health risk was transferred to the homes
instead of professional collection services.
To address these realities of customers wanting the same level
of serviced pit latrines, pathogen destruction not as effective as
thought. Households that didn't empty overflowing chambers,
in densifying areas where it was no longer possible to burry the sludge.
As of 2017, EWS has started a pilot project to provide collection,
transport and off-site treatment services for the urine diverting
dry toilet faecal sludge. With service provided to households,
every two years.
Researchers are also evaluating the possibility of incorporating
pour-flush toilets.
In areas that still have older pit latrines EWS continues to provide
emptying services on a 5 year cycle
and has registered all of the locations on a municipal GIS system.
To meet sanitation needs in informal settlements within the water born
area, community ablution blocks with male and female facilities
including toilets, urinals, washing basins and showers that all
drained to the sewer have been installed to serve people within
a maximum walking distance of 100 meters.
The ablution blocks also initially encountered problems due to theft
and vandalism.
But to solve this the blocks were remanufactured with robust and
non-valuable materials.
Each block is also now allocated with a care taker to manage
the facility.
EWS provides consumables such as toilet paper and cleaning materials
and responds to water leaks, toilet blockages and vandalism.
Outside the water born urban edge, ABR followed by wet lands are
being investigated.
For treatment of faecal sludge the LaDePa Pelletizer was developed
for pit latrine sludge after discharging at waste water treatment
facilities was causing them to fail.
Deep row entranchment has been studied and currently black soldier
fly larvae are being evaluated for the urine diverting sludge.
At the same time in parallel, EWS maintains the sewer network
and 43 waste water treatment plans.
The result over a relatively short period of time has been an enourmous
improvement in sanitation.
With 74% of excreta now considered safely managed
and 26% not safely managed.
But with 16% of that due to sludge that is considered unsafely
contained in informal pit latrines.
So, what are the corner stones of this case study that could replicated
in other cities?
That produced these successes and what could have been seen as
insurmountable management challenges?
EWS has practiced solution-based thinking.
They thought outside the box, selected and implemented solutions
and then continued to learn from them and adapt.
They recognized the importance of progressive realization
building on what is in place.
There's a strong, but also dynamic regulatory framework in place to
allow for this and manage risk.
New solutions are first trialed at a pilot scale
which is an official status recognized by the municipal council
during which projects are closely monitored and include intensive
public participation.
Only after this phase can they be rolled out on a larger scale.
In this way, policy makers and sector leaders encourage calculated
risk to continue improving service delivery.
There is acknowledgement, involvement, and commitment
from the public sector, from the national and local levels
with a commitment to the need for safe management of excreta
throughout the entire service chain.
Research is a foundation of this innovative approach.
In technology, but also in understanding of community needs
and underlying factors.
EWS has a very strong collaboration and participatory process with the
universities in applied research to address solutions.
With the strong commitment to open communication and sharing of
information.
The focus is not just on building toilets or implementing technologies
operation and maintenance budgets receive equal importance.
The whole program is built on customer care.
The national principle of Batho Pele with people as the customers first.
A switch from an infrastructural approach to a service delivery
approach with a commitment to comprehensive long-term community
engagement and education for mutual trust and understanding.
Monitoring to ensure compliance for public and environmental health
but also success of the whole program.
The solutions are context specific. But can also be time specific.
What is right now will not necessarily be right tomorrow.
For example, in rural areas satisfaction with the urine
diverting toilets was higher.
Whereas close to the water born infrastructure there was much less
satisfaction.
Engagement of the private sector throughout the service chain
including construction of toilets, collection and transport of
faecal sludge, operation of treatment facilities and, importantly,
recognition of the innovation they bring.
And finally, there is no "one size fits all" approach.
EWS has a culture which encourages innovation and allows mistakes.
As long as they are learned from and not repeated.
For more information about the approach in eThekwini
I recommend these additional sources.
In summary, in this module we learned about different approaches
to faecal sludge management taken in Durban.
Examples of what has worked in the service chain.
And factors for success that could be applied in other locations.
Thanks for joining! See you next time.
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