Pathways to universal and equitable access to safe water and sanitation - part 2

For part 1 click here.

One such example of a project which aims to investigate the alternative pathway of low-cost, on site provision of safe water and sanitation is AfriWatSan, which aims to develop the scientific evidence to inform policies and practices sustaining low-cost, on-site water supplies and sanitation systems within Urban Africa. I really hope further research will help in the acceptance, understanding and formalisation of such an approach.

However, what if evidence of urbanisation within Sub-Saharan Africa and other developing regions more widely is not quite what it seems. A paper by Potts, (2012) argues, using evidence from census and satellite imagery, that there is in fact evidence that within Sub-Saharan Africa of a slowing and stagnation of the urbanization process. Furthermore, analysis from Nigeria, which has a significant weighting in overall population trends for the region suggest that levels of urbanization are in fact much lower than  presumed previously.

One interpretation of this trend may be that Sub-Saharan populations may in fact be moving from stage two of Drangert et al., 2002 hypothetical relationship between population increase and infrastructure to stage three. Perhaps the relevant authorities can therefore be expected to take much greater responsibility in the near future. However, from Potts (2012) analysis, these findings may in fact be an even greater reason to investigate and pursue low-cost, on site provision of safe water and sanitation on two counts. First, evidence suggests that much of Africa's population will remain rural for the foreseeable future. This further supports arguments that solutions to urban water and sanitation problems founded in North America and Europe, in highly populated conurbations are not appropriate and are incompatible in less densely populated (both urban and rural) settings, requiring an alternative solution. Second, for rural-urban migration to re-establish itself as a significant demographic trend, African urban economies must strengthen and provide greater economic security. This suggests that the very reason people are not migrating is because urban environments are not delivering great enough security and are unlikely to unless something significant changes. The use of an alternative pathway of low-cost on site provision of safe water may provide this very alternative. However this may trigger increased urbanisation, but if formalised such an approach appears to have the capacity to cope with increased urbanisation.

I hope these last two blogs have demonstrated how the promotion of private sector investment within urban environments following the path set by North America an Europe should not be taken as the only way of achieving universal and equitable access to safe water and sanitation. Instead, urban areas of cities in sub-Saharan Africa with much lower population densities (and rural areas) potentally require an alternative approach which includes an alternative pathway of  low-cost, on-site provision of safe water and sanitation. Much greater research is required in this area such as projects including AfriWatSan to develop scientific evidence and accurately inform policy making.

I personally believe that there is mounting evidence that continued dependence upon low-cost, on site systems is a reality in urban Africa and should be actively supported, formalised and improved.

Coupled with earlier findings on the availability of groundwater aquifers which could support widespread small scale community hand pump, a strong case for the conjunctive (and careful) use of the subsurface is building.