SANITATION
WILL RESIDENTS IN INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS PAY FOR SANITATION SERVICES? The answer is yes, some will pay – provided it is a reliable, quality service. This has been proven through an unprecedented pilot project at four informal settlements in Durban, KwaZuluNatal, where there are currently over 100 paying households.
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fter a feasibility study, a toilet hire service was rolled out by Loowatt and Khanyisa Projects and funded by the Water Research Commission (WRC) and Unilever’s Transform programme as a pilot project. Kalula is the trading name for Loowatt in South Africa. Right from the outset, a key aim for the pilot project was commercialisation. Many projects within the sanitation sector fail once grant funding is no longer available. In an effort to build a commercially viable business in South Africa, Loowatt is in advanced talks to locally manufacture/assemble toilets, which will be critically important when scaling the business. Another aim of the pilot project was to investigate the social and political acceptability, financial viability (servicing and delivery costs), as well as the willingness and ability of people to pay for a sanitation service in informal settlements. “The results so far have taken the local sanitation industry by surprise. It is a completely new approach, showing a willingness of households in informal settlements to pay up to R350 per month for toilet rental and servicing, even in parallel to free, governmentprovided basic communal services,” explains Nick Alcock, managing member, Khanyisa Projects.
Nick Alcock, managing member, Khanyisa Projects
Need for household toilets
Residents in informal settlements typically suffer from a lack of sanitation service delivery, with little space for toilets and waste management facilities. When provided, toilets are communal and are often placed on the periphery of a settlement, causing residents to walk long distances. Users of these toilets can be exposed to danger and violent crimes on their way to or at the actual toilets themselves. Furthermore, these toilets are often locked at night, meaning people often use buckets to store their waste, which they then need to get rid of in the morning. “Rapid urbanisation and the high cost of providing and maintaining these sanitation services place further pressure on municipalities. People residing in informal settlements generally lack the ability to choose the sanitation services they receive. Due to the lack of space and infrastructure, their options are limited,” adds Alcock. There is a strong demand for household sanitation in informal settlements for reasons of accessibility, convenience, safety, privacy, and dignity.
Loowatt toilet
The Loowatt toilet technology was chosen for the project. Designed for low-income, urban settings where electricity and water are scarce, the Loowatt toilet uses a waterless flushing system to seal faeces, urine, N OV E M BE R/ DE C E M B E R 2023
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