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Evaluating the viability of establishing container-based sanitation in low-income settlements
01.07.2019
Container-based sanitation (CBS) services operate in a number of low-income urban settlements across the globe, providing sanitation services where other on-site and off-site sanitation systems face logistical and environmental restrictions. The viability of each CBS service is influenced by a number of location-specific factors. Drawing on an initial review of existing CBS services, this paper identifies and evaluates these factors in relation to establishing CBS in a new service location. By applying a weighted scoring matrix to these factors, the potential viability of CBS services has been assessed for urban informal settlements in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. The viability of CBS services in these settlements was found to be most influenced by the current availability of basic sanitation facilities, the unfamiliarity with paying for sanitation services, and the universally adopted practice of anal cleansing with water. The process and scoring matrix developed and subsequently applied in Nepal are recommended as part of the pre-feasibility stage assessment where a CBS service is being considered as a sanitation option in new locations. -
Can a citizen-science approach to collecting data assist the management of intermittent water supply in low-income and data-scarce settings?
01.10.2022
Intermittent water supplies (IWS) can be both a public health threat and an expensive challenge to address for households, requiring reliance on either costly water storage solutions or alternative water supplies. Despite the fact that IWS are present all over the world, there remains a persistent lack of data on the operation and failures of urban water supply infrastructure in low-income countries. Local government and water utilities tend to be blamed for the poor management of the water supply, and yet there is no established method for reporting or measuring the continuity, reliability, or hours of supply of pipe water delivery. This makes it difficult for water utilities to estimate real economic losses or the investment needed to improve the water supply. Lack of evidence and data on the behaviour of IWS also impedes the development of tailored water management policies, leading to inefficient decision-making from the top down. This paper therefore proposes a method to address the knowledge and data gap on IWS in low-income settings, using citizen science coupled with mobile phone technology to collect data on IWS in a bottom-up approach. The approach was trialled in Kathmandu, Nepal and has since been adopted by the local water supply company.