Sewerage Problems in DA’s

1. Sewerage Problems in DA’s • Along with malnutrition, excreta-related diseases take an enormous toll in developing countries where upwards 50% of children do not survive to the age of five. • The World Bank estimates that over 2 billion people in developing areas still require basic sanitation services. • Estimates place the bill for this at well over $1 trillion in 1998 dollars (in the form of a centralized sewer system). • The cost of providing conventional services (centralized sewer systems) has been estimated to be between $400 to $1,200 per capita. • For a country like Liberia (est. pop. = 2.8 million), this would generate a centralized sewer bill of $1.68 Billion given a per capita cost of $800 and assuming that 75% of the population currently does not have service.

2. A Decentralized Sewerage Solution • Kalbermatten et al conclude that: “What is becoming very clear is that waterborne sewerage, the conventional developed country solution, has proven to be technically, economically, and culturally unsuitable for many cities and communities in the developing world...” • Why is this “conventional solution” deemed infeasible? • --Enormous cost; lack of money --Enormous water requirements --Enormous power requirements --Poor cultural fit --Weak institutions with poorly trained personnel--Lack of knowledge about non-conventional sanitation technologies • Kalbermatten et al’s solution? Provide effective, low cost alternatives to sewerage that reflect 1) consumer preferences, 2) financial resources, and 3) customs of personal hygiene

3. Non-Conventional Sanitation Solutions On-Site Dry Solutions Handout Diagram #-Trench Latrine (#2)-Latrines (outhouse) (#3)-ROECs (Reed Odorless Earth Closet) (#4)-VIP Latrines (ventilated, improved, pit) (#5)-Batch Composting Latrine (#6) On-Site Wet Solutions-Pour Flush (PF) Latrines (#8)-PF Latrine, Septic Tank, Vault (#10)-Sullage-flush, Aquaprivy, Soakaway (#11)-Sullage-flush, Septic Tank, Soakaway (#12)-Conventional Septic Tank Off-Site Dry Solutions-Vault and Vacuum Tank (#18)-Vault, Manual Removal, Truck or Cart (#19)-Bucket Latrine (#20) Off-Site Wet Solutions-Conventional Centralized Sewer System

4. Costs of Non-Conventional Solutions Mean Total Annual On-Site Dry Solutions Cost per HH -Trench Latrine <$5.00 -VIP Latrines (ventilated, improved, pit) $28.50 On-Site Wet Solutions -Pour Flush (PF) Latrines $18.70 -Conventional Septic Tank $51.60 - $369.20 Off-Site Dry Solutions -Vault and Vacuum Tank $187.50 -Bucket Latrine/Cartage $64.90 Off-Site Wet Solutions -Conventional Centralized Sewer System $400.30

5. Factors Affecting Choice of Investments What factors should guide DAs in their choice of investments? 1) Physical Environment: Soils, slope, groundwater depth, precipitation2) Level of Water Supply Service: Carried, standpipe, neighborhood carry/shower, yard spigot, full plumbing3) Housing Density: On-site systems become infeasible at 250-300 persons per hectare (1 ha = 2.5 acres); That's 100-120 persons per acre (roughly 40-50 DU’s per ac.)4) Complementary Investments: What other off-site facilities are needed? Vault systems, night soil systems, conventional sewerage, solids disposal, etc.?5) Potential for Self Construction6) Cultural Context: Hygienic habits, Religious constraints, Attitudes towards shared facilities, Resource reclamation7) Institutional Framework: Level of organizational capacity required for a given service type, 8) Funding Constraints

6. Overcoming the Centralized Sewer Bias • Information on the full range of waste disposal technologies need to be made available • Training is required to make planners and engineers aware of non-conventional solutions • Work towards bottom-up solutions, not top-down • Decisions need to be made based upon cultural and long-term economic factors and not solely on financial ones (available World Bank funds) • Solutions should be organic(“muddling through”); We often forget that wastewater systems are built over time in most cases, not in one huge investment • Funding for non-sewerage solutions must be made available; Localized solutions should be pursued

7. Transportation in DA’s • How do transportation problems in developing areas differ from those in developed countries? --A Lack of Adequate Infrastructure (Few good roads, paths)--Fundamental Safety Problems (Very high accident rates)--Very Complex Transportation Settings (Intense mixture of vastly different types of transportation)--Growing Magnitude of Problems (Exponential growth in the use of motorized transport)--Weak Institutional Support--Ineffective and Inadequate System Management--No Comprehensive Approach to Transportation Problems

8. Typical Trans Planning Styles • Crisis-Management: The antithesis of planning; The hurried search for “answers” to current problems. • 2) Future-Oriented Planning: Foresee problems before they develop and then implement “solutions” accordingly. • 3) Normative-Goal Oriented Approach: “A process that identifies a desired future state of the system and the means by which the present system can evolve towards this.” • Planning should not just be future-oriented, but future-oriented within the context of the location where one is working.

9. Issues of Technology Transfer 1) Academic and Professional Imperialism One way communication between people and organizations in developed countries and those in developing countries.Example: Dependence upon international consulting agencies. 2) Irrelevance and Inappropriateness Solutions for developed countries are simply inappropriate or irrelevant to developing countries.Example: The push for massive “interstate” highways in DAs 3) Research in the Service of Exploitation Opportunistic technology transfer in the form of “solutions” or projects that serve to reinforce the dominant position of developed countries. Example: Expensive experimental projects in developing countries 4) Self-Reinforcing Exploitation Similarly, technology transfer often reinforces the dominant ideologies, technologies and solutions of Western cultures. Example: Dominance of auto-oriented solutions 5) Illegitimacy of Stand Advocating drastic, painful, and unreasonable solutions in developing areas, solutions often untried and/or unused in developed countries. Example: Aggressive road pricing schemes