Research addressing Sanitation

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Research addressing Sanitation the poor

• JN Bhagwan

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Introduction

• WRC strategy recognises sanitation as a
  critically important area of research, which is
  needed to support accelerated delivery and
  coverage.
• WRC supports the definition of Sanitation as
  defined in the Sanitation White Paper.
• Sanitation has many cross-cutting impacts on
  areas of water resources, agriculture,
  environment etc.
• The subject area is mainly attended to in WRCs
  KSA of Water Use and Waste Management, within the
  thrusts of Water Services Institutional and
  Management Issues and Water Supply and Treatment.

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Sanitation initiatives

• WRC foray into CWSS area early 90s
• Many projects initiated aimed at promoting the
  concepts of community based approaches and
  introducing appropriate WSS technologies
• Strategic interventions include seminars and
  workshops
• Studies undertaken to fill the gap in data and
  knowledge
• Impact achieved information and knowledge used
  into formulation of the RDP Water and Sanitation
  strategy and the White Paper on WSS

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• A comprehensive portfolio of some 60 research
  reports presently available in this short space
  of time
• Covers a wide range of issues related to policy,
  technology choice, community and institutional
  dynamic, economics etc.

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Challenges

• Accelerating sanitation delivery
• Improving hygiene practices related to WSS
• Sustainability of technology and service
• Sanitation provision in urban areas
• Improving technology options
• Operation and management issues.
• Higher levels of service

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Some highlights

• Sanitation Financial planning models for water
  services adopted by DBSA as a norm for fund
  applications and provided framework for WSDPs
• Improving sanitation on farms
• Handbook to guide communities on sanitation
  choices
• SSPRA onsite sanitation planning and reporting
  aid.
• Review of sanitation in urban and rural areas,
  fed into Watsan 2000 and RDP
• Shallow sewerage technology and its relevance for
  SA
• Realtionship between water use, sanitation
  practices and hygiene

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Focus area

• Rural sanitation and hygiene education
• The focus of research within this programme is
  on approaches to motivate households to take an
  active role in improving their sanitation
  facilities and adopting hygienic practices.
• Innovative management arrangements - rural water
  supply
• The focus of research within this programme is
  to provide support to water service institutions
  with special reference to sustainable
  cost-recovery and implementation of the free
  basic water policy key performance indicators
  for monitoring and evaluation of service
  delivery guidelines for sound management of
  water service institutions and development of
  effective strategies for promoting an integrated
  approach to rural development.
• Peri-urban sanitation research
• The aim of this programme is to provide research
  support to sanitation in informal and developing
  urban areas. Until recently the focus of
  sanitation has been on rural areas, but the
  situation in urban areas is much more critical
  and volatile in terms of public health. Urban
  sanitation differs from rural sanitation issues
  related to institutional arrangements, community
  dynamics and management of interventions. Due to
  the high densities, technical choices are more
  complex where an affordable and sustainable
  service is to be provided. Outcomes from this
  programme will support local authorities in
  implementing sustainable solutions, which cater
  for both the user and institutions needs.
• Drinking water quality
• The programme aims to protect human health by
  ensuring that water supplies and sanitation are
  of acceptable quality and standards. Outcomes
  include improve analysis and methodologies,
  treatment and hygiene practices.

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Way Ahead

• Continue to develop innovative strategies and
  methodologies to support the acceleration of
  sanitation
• Address emerging urban sanitation issues
• Support improved sanitation technology and its
  sustainability
• Contribute to sustainability