KfW’s Sanitation Portfolio in SSA – an appropriate mix of sustainable technical options

1. KfW’s Sanitation Portfolio in SSA – an appropriate mix of sustainable technical options AfricaSan + 5 Conference, Durban, 18-20 February 2008 Dr. Uwe Stoll Alexander Grieb Senior Technical Adviser KfW Development Bank

2. Background • All 82 ongoing KfW water sector projects in Sub-Sahara Africa address sanitation issues • 24 projects comprise specific sanitation investment with • EUR 80 Mio German financial contribution • 3 Mio beneficiaries • Burkina Faso, Burundi, DR Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia • 10 centralized systems, 5 on-site solutions, 9 projects combining central, semi-central and on-site system

3. Principles of sustainable sanitation • Human Health • Affordability (especially poor households) • Environmental sustainability • Institutional sustainability SustainableEnvironment HealthAwareness SustainableInstitutions AffordableSolutions  Appropriate technical solutions considering the physical environment as well as socio-cultural conditions Necessary standard: level of health and environmental risks Problem: not all available technical solutions are known to all stakeholders

4. Applied Sanitation Systems of today • ECO-Water Cycle for • Central Sewerage • Piped Sewerage • WWTP • Effluent Reuse • ECOSAN • Segregation • Closed-Loop • On Site Systems • Latrine • VIP • Compost Toilet • Central Sewerage • Piped Sewerage • WWTP • Discharge Urban Semi-urban Settlements Rural Areas Semi-urban Settlements Urban Semi-urban Settlement Rural and Urban Settlements Level of user participation high high low low

5. Sanitation Arrangements:Centralized / off-site sanitation • Collection by conventional sewerage: • applicable in city centres and commercial/industrial areas • Collection by simplified or settled sewerage: • 20-50% of cost for conventional sewerage, but: if not properly constructed, higher risk of blockage and non-functionality • Major advantage: transport of sewage out of populated areas • Crucial aspects: pipe material, implementation of house connections, transport by gravity or pumps, water flow/quantity • Treatment: Process natural (ponds, wetlands, etc) or technical (activated sludge, trickling filters) • Important: extent of treatment, disposal and reuse • Operation and maintenance mainly assured by professional operator

6. Sanitation Arrangements: Semi-centralized and decentralized / on-site sanitation Semi-centralized sanitation: sewerage and treatment systems • Option for urban quarters, e.g peri-urban areas, rapidly growing cities Decentralized / on-site sanitation (“improved sanitation”): • Rural areas, less densely populated (peri-)urban areas, slums • Dry systems: Sanplat, VIP, VIDP, Blair latrine; EcoSan with urine separation (Skyloo, Composting toilet) or w/o urine separation (ArborLoo, Fossa alterna) • Wet systems: Pour-flush toilet, Aqua-privy and soakaway, septic tank system, anaerobic filter  can be scaled-up to (semi-)centralized systems • Communal toilets • Biogas generators O&M on site by users, emptying & transport by public/private companies  public hygiene also depending on private commitment

7. Disposal of effluent and excreta Aim: prevention of health hazards and pollution of receiving water bodies and soils, valorisation of nutrients if feasible  Safe reuse or disposal of effluent and sludge: to be assessed right from beginning of planning process Centralized systems: • Treated wastewater: Reuse in agriculture, water reclamation, disposal in surface water bodies or groundwater, • Sludge: reuse of sludge in agriculture, land reclamation, use as fuel in power plants/cement industry, disposal on landfills, incineration Decentralized systems: • Wet/dry systems: reuse/disposal on site, emptying/reuse of sludge in agriculture, disposal on dumpsite • EcoSan: Reuse of urine / sludge or compost • Greywater reuse Major concern • Regular emptying of pits/septic tanks • distance to potential reuse location • Hygienic risks

8. Identification of appropriate sanitation solutions Basic Planning Criteria: Population density, socio-economic environment, urban development, water supply level, existing facilities, legal/institutional conditions, hydro-geological conditions, topography, receiving body, reuse potentials, investment and running costs, acceptance by users. Objective: Mix of sanitation options for best value for money Participation of target group Individual instead of standard solution

9. Identification by unit cost Assessing specific cost • Problem of cost comparison: • Local variations in physical and socio-cultural landscape • Designed to same overall standards?

10. Consequences for project preparation • All possible arrangements to be considered at planning stage • Allocation of sufficient resources for the identification process Least-Cost-Solutiondependant on • Design horizon • Realistic extrapolations and assumptions • Level of technology • Concept for treatment and disposal/reuse • Construction and material • Participation of beneficiaries • Phased implementation of sanitation options with scaling-up possibilities

11. Conclusion: essential aspects for an appropriate mix of sanitation options • Thorough assessment of the actual situation – socio-cultural, socio-economical, institutional, … and technical • Realistic assumptions on the future development (urban development, population growth, standards of living, institutional framework,… ) • Comprehensive knowledge about the existing technologies for on-site and off-site sanitation for collection, transport and disposal/reuse • Selection of the least-cost-solution with the appropriate mix of technical arrangements – affordable and manageable for users and service provider Crucial for sustainable technical solution: professional know-how on each level and acceptance of users Identifying sustainable sanitation solutions not only a matter of cost and “software”, but also of sound technical arrangement

12. Thank you for your attention