Posts

Water-bout the future?

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The story so far… It is evident that the sanitation sector has been historically dominated by colonial power dynamics that thus now requires the collaboration of many stakeholders to progress, especially in the wake of climate change. The COP26 summit brought together various parties to accelerate action towards the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The water sector launched the first ever Water Pavilion this year (2021), attending by “over 30 organisations, governments and companieswith an interest in water” . Though deemed “cutting edge, science-based advise” – were the key stakeholders actually involved? Having discussed the colonial overhang that exists insub-Saharan Africa , community engagement appears to be the priority in best addressing sanitation support in the areas suffering the most. For me –I am thus skeptical if corroborating between international investors in an echo chamber of Western-dominated discussion is likely to bring fort
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Urban Sanitation Solutions

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As previously discussed, urban slums in Africa are burdened with poor governance that undermines the delivery of key sanitation services. This week I aim to discuss some of the proposed solutions that circumvent the inertia of current strategies, whilst simultaneously creating economic opportunity for the urban population.   The PeePoo:  The PeePoo is a self-sanitising, single-use, biodegradable personal toilet. It is essentially a bag containing urea, which then sanitises faeces from dangerous viruses and parasites. It is odour free for 12-48 hours, making it a dignified solution to use and store in the privacy of the home, avoiding the social problems associated with shared sanitation facilities (SSFs) such as the  safety of women .  By eliminating the need for built infrastructures, water resources and space, the small bag is well suited for the urban slum environment. They are also relatively accessible with the average cost for PeePoo in the urban slum of Kibera being 10USD per p
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Urban Poolitics - Cape Town

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Welcome back! After touching on WASH infrastructure inequalities as a result of colonial legacies, in this week's post I hope to contextualise this in present-day Cape Town through exploring the struggles and rebellions of its urban population.  Who gives a shit?  For European political theorists such as Arendt, the private domain of the household and everything that takes place within it were not considered political matters of concern.  However, in 2013, the BBC published an article on what was referred to as the "poo wars" , where citizens of Cape Town protested over the lack of proper sanitation in their urban residences (figure 1). Actively rejecting the current portaloos and current methods of sanitation and disposal, residents pushed for their want of modern flush toilets - just like the ones middle-class people all have.  Figure 1 : BBC news article. Source: BBC News Some 500,000 residents of Cape Town experience inadequate services , and members of the communit
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Poolitical Legacies in WASH infrastructure

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A perspective on water and sanitation that I find particularly interesting is its relevance to the idea of dignity. When I started googling, it appeared that there is much more to this than I initially expected and sanitation itself has a deeper, darker history. Having previously discussed the political nature of WASH discourse , this blog post will explore the inequalities in WASH infrastructure that too have been undeniably been shaped by colonialism.  I give a shit, do you? If you had to openly defecate as your only option, how would you honestly feel? Awkward? Embarrassed? Humiliated? You're not the only one. The quote "sanitation is dignity" which encapsulates well, the idea of physical hygiene being linked to moral hygiene and the feeling of dignity and morality. Perhaps the reason for this is linked to the colonial (and racially motivated) legacies that have shaped development processes over time.  The separation of filth and smell from the body/house has been
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Gender Inequalities in WASH

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Happy World Toilet Day! First established in 2013 by the World Toilet Organisation, World Toilet Day has been celebrated every year on November 19th with the aim to celebrate toilets, raise awareness of those living without access to safely managed sanitation, and educate about the struggles they face. In a nod to WTD, this blog post will discuss gender inequality within the WASH sector - something that is perhaps not spoken about as often as it should be and was the theme for 2014 WTD. Sexual and Gender Based Violence  A harsh and horrible reality for women living in urban slums is sexual and gender based violence (SGBV), of which most occurs when "someone is using a toilet, bathing and/or maintaining their menstruation" . Rates of rape (36%) were much higher in the Kibera slum than the 14% averagge across Kenya - why is this the case?  Essentially, the shared sanitation facilities (SSFs) that have been constructed in an attempts to tackle the issues in the WASH sector have
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The Forgotten Frontline Workers

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 Who comes to mind when you think of the frontline workers of the COVID19 pandemic? Doctors, nurses, teachers, supermarket staff? Do sanitation workers appear on your list? This blog post aims to highlight the struggles of the forgotten frontline workers who have been especially ignored in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Figure 1: A sanitation worker cleans himself after a day of work  Source: SmartWater Magazine 2021   Who are they and what do they do?  Sanitation workers have always been essential, especially within densely populated urban areas were sewage systems are inadequate or non-existent. They protect us from infectious diseases which maintains not only public health but also the economy; which requires a strong and healthy workforce. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for sanitation workers has been more important than ever - so how and why is it that their vulnerabilities have been exacerbated more than ever?  How has COVID-19 affect them? Sanitation workers are tas
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Decolonising the WASH Sector

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In my introductory post I discussed the de-colonial approach I will include within my posts. In this blog post I aim to dismantle the existing hegemonic discourse that has dominated the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene sector (WASH). This is particularly consequential in Africa as Luseka argues that “ whilst the physical colonisation of the countries of the global South by the global North may have ended, knowledge colonialism continues ”. Figure 1 : Children washing hands after UNICEF WASH program Source: UNICEF Did you know that some of the genuine (unintended) consequences of WASH initiatives include: Public latrines built by an aid program were dismantled and used for firewood by community members, as firewood was considered a greater need that sanitation ( Barrington et al 2018 ) Women deliberately blocked household water delivery systems with rocks because they wanted water collection as a legitimate reason to leave the house and socialise with other women ( Barrington et al 2018 )
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