Sanitation facilities in Nigeria

In previous posts, I have briefly touched on the concept of peri-urban centres and the importance of these growing secondary cities on the possible improvements in water and sanitation facilities. I want to continue these linkages and the narrowing of my analysis, by focusing my next posts on the most populous country in Africa, Nigeria, and specifically how community based approaches can improve sanitation facilities such as excreta disposal.

"Nigeria's total and urban population is such a significant element of sub-Saharan Africa's - in the same way that China's population is for the world - that analysis of these urban phenomena for the region as a whole requires that efforts are made to asses what has been happening in Nigeria's towns" (Potts, 2012: 1390)

Infact, in Nigeria, over 100 million people lacked access to improved sanitation in 2011 (UNICEF, 2011: V).

I will focus on the the role of sanitation, of which the disposal of human faeces, plays an often underestimated role in preventing endemic diseases such as diarrohea. Esrey et al., (1985) found that the median benefits of service improvements in reducing diarrhoea morbidity were 25% from improved water availability and 22% from improved excreta disposal, and 16% from water quality improvements (Tumwine et al., 2002: 751) Additionally, "while water quality reduced the incidence of dracunculiasis, its role in in diarrhoeal disease control was less important than that of sanitation of hygiene" (Esrey et al., 1991: 609). Therefore, improved excreta disposal is not only a short term individual solution, but a solution that can have health benefits to the community as a whole.

In Nigeria today, "more people are without access to toilets today than were in 1990" (Water Aid, 2015). Despite being Sub-Saharan Africa's largest economy, rapid population growth has fallen on stagnant facilities and modernisation, resulting in a plunge in the proportion of people with access to a toilet - 71% of people now live without household sanitation (i.e a household loo) compared to 62% 25 years ago (Water Aid, 2015). Additionally, over 49million people practice OD in Nigeria, and the effects of this "falls disproportionately on children and women", with 194,400 children under five years old dying in Nigeria as a result of diarrohoeal disease.

Additionally, in Nigeria, studies evaluating water quality found "very little evidence that water quality differs between rural and urban Nigeria...but rather that the mix of source types in rural and urban areas is the driving force behind disparities"" (Christenson et. al., 2014: 307). As a result, "better access to sanitation facilities... and a more informed public  with access to disinfectants could mean that those in urban and peri-urban areas are at lower risk" (Christenson et. al., 2014: 302).

Such studies highlight the importance of inclusive community approaches that address problems locally rather than a one-size fits all approach that in fact contribute to the rural urban dichotomy of water resources and sanitation facilities.

Reference List:

Christenson, E., R. Bain, J. Wright, S. Aondoakaa, R. Hossain and J. Bartram (2014) 'Examining the influence of urban definition when assessing relative safety of drinking-water in Nigeria', Science of the Total Environment, 490, 301-312

Esrey, S.A., J.B. Potash, L. Roberts and C. Shiff (1991) 'Effects of improved water supply and sanitation on ascariasis, diarrhoea, dracunculiasis, hookworm infection, schistosomiasis, and trachoma', Bulletin of the World Health Organisation, 69, 5, 609-621

Potts, D. (2012) 'Challenging the Myths of Urban Dynamics in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Evidence from Nigeria', World Development, 40, 7, 1382-1393 

Tumwine, J.K., J. Thompson, M. Katua-Katua, M. Mujwajuzi, N. Johnstone, E. Wood and I. Porras (2002) 'Diarrhoea and the effects of different water sources, sanitation and hygiene behaviour in East Africa', Tropical Medicine and International Health, 7, 9, 750-756

UNICEF (2011) 'Community Led Total Sanitation in Nigeria', 1-69, Prepared for UNICEF and UK Aid

Water Aid (2015) 'Seven things you probably didn't know about the state of the world's toilets' (WWW; http://www.wateraid.org/uk/news/news/seven-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-the-state-of-the-worlds-toilets; 02 November 2015)

Drawers of Water

Hi all!

Continuing my focus on Water, health and urbanisation in Africa, I came across an interesting study called Drawers of Water I (DOW I). This study is seen as the landmark study on domestic water use and environmental health in East Africa. Originally published in 1972, a sequel known as the Drawers of Water II (DOW II) was carried out in 1997, aimed at comparing the findings in the original sites 25 years earlier. Below are some findings of the study, which may dispel some previously held ideas of water and health facilities in the region!

Quantity vs Quality - "Increasing the quantity of water used per capita is more important for a household’s health and well being than improving its quality" (Thompson et al., 1997 : 8)

Distance vs Access - "The addition of a closer but still distant water source, such as a centrally located standpipe or well, would not necessarily increase household water use...if water must be carried, the quantity brought home varies little for sources between 30 metres and 1000 metres from the household" (Thompson et al., 1997 : 8)

Rural vs Urban - "Rural water supply provision needs a more flexible response... greater support for community-based and individual initiatives. In urban water supply attention (must be) be given to single-tap levels of service and the provision of more standpipes for low-income communities" (Thompson et al., 1997 : 8)

Reference List:

Thompson, J., I.T. Porras, J.K. Tumwine, M.R. Mujwahuzi, M. Katui-Katua, N. Johnstone and L. Wood (1997) 'Drawers of Water II', 8

World Toilet Day!

What may come as a surprise to many of us is that 19th November was World Toilet Day!

The use of and access to functioning toilets is a huge challenge in Africa and as this is of critical importance to my topic of Urban Water and Sanitation, I thought I'd share this article by WaterAid on "Seven things you probably didn't know about the state of the world's toilets".

Take a look at the article - it's a short easy read with a couple of sentences describing each of the points.

WaterAid : Seven things you probably didn't know about the state of the world's toilets

A summary of the seven points are:
(1)  There are 2.3 billion people who still don’t have a safe, private toilet
(2) South Sudan is the hardest place in the world to find a loo
(3) In Nigeria, more people are without access to toilets today than were in 1990
(4) The tiny Pacific island nation of Tokelau has had the biggest surge in toilets
(5) 774 million people in India are still waiting for access to a household toilet

(6) Toilets can help economies prosper

(7)  The effects of all this are devastating

Reference List:

Water Aid (2015) 'Seven things you probably didn't know about the state of the world's toilets' (WWW; http://www.wateraid.org/uk/news/news/seven-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-the-state-of-the-worlds-toilets; 02 November 2015

Urban Population Dynamics (2)

Today, "the shift from rural to urban in this part of the world has usually become very gradual or stagnant or, in some cases, reversed"(Potts, 2011: 1383). Large numbers of urban inhabitants have moved back to their rural towns due to a combination of the growth in the informal sector of smaller towns and job losses in the formal sector in larger cities. Therefore, while Africapolis, have effectively managed expectations by reviewing estimates of urbanisation in West Africa, an increase in the proportion of the population living in urban areas in West Africa is set to increase modestly as secondary towns and smaller urban centres merge with each other (Africapolis). It is the growth of these peri-urban fringes where "the returns to land from traditional and customary urban land uses are roughly equal to the returns from traditional land uses" (Sanusi, 2010: 14), that I feel will provide the best opportunity to test new approaches that can then be scaled up to even larger urban centres.

The prevalent technology and economic level of the town provide a framework for what can be achieved within the limits of the physical environment (urban hydrology, soil structure etc.), along with a careful assumption of the social climate, to ensure that new initiatives are feasible, realistic and well received (Drangert et al., 2002: 354).

The term 'own-key' indicates "arrangements and activities that are managed and controlled by local communities by employing local knowledge and skills, while 'turn-key' arrangements consist of activities that are being utilised by residents without their involvement in the development and management of affairs." (Drangert et al., 2002: 354).

Reference List:

Africapolis. 'AFRICAPOLIS: Urbanization Trends in West Africa 1950:2020' (WWW; http://www.afd.fr/webdav/shared/PUBLICATIONS/THEMATIQUES/autres-publications/BT/0808ProjetFicheResumeeAfricapolisV4-en.pdf; 20 October 2015)

Drangert J., J. Okotto-Okotto, L.G.O. Okotto and O. Auko (2002) 'Going Small When the City Grows Big New Options for Water Supply and Sanitation in Rapidly Expanding Urban Areas', International Water Resources Association, Water International, 27, 3, 354-363

Potts, D. (2012) 'Challenging the Myths of Urban Dynamics in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Evidence from Nigeria', World Development, 40, 7, 1382-1393 

Sanusi, A.Y. (2010) 'Water, Sanitation and Human Development in Urban Fringe Settlements in Nigeria', Theoretical and Empirical Researches in Urban Management, 8, 17, 14-29