Sanitation and Wastewater Atlas of Africa

2.2 Municipal Wastewater and Faecal Sludge

2.2.1 Sanitation coverage

The percentage of the population with access to improved sanitation varies between countries in Africa. Improved sanitation facilities ensure that human excreta is hygienically separated from human contact, for example: cistern flush/ pour flush (to piped sewer system, septic tank, pit latrine), ventilated improved (VIP) latrine, pit latrine with slab, and composting toilet (World Health Organization [WHO]/United Nations Children’s Fund [UNICEF] 2013). While 90 per cent of North Africa’s population has access to improved sanitation facilities, sub-Saharan Africa has startlingly low coverage, at 30 per cent. This is a serious concern because of the associated massive health burden, as many people who lack basic sanitation engage in unhygienic activities such as open defecation and poor wastewater disposal. Most people in Africa rely on on-site sanitation facilities such as pit latrines and septic tanks, which generate faecal sludge that may require emptying when full. Less than 20 per cent of the population in sub-Saharan Africa is connected to a sewerage network, which is mainly found in urban high- income areas (Strande 2014). Connection to sewers or on-site sanitation technologies depends on a number of factors, such as the availability of a sewer network in the vicinity of a household, a household’s income status, and connection to water supply, as discussed in Table 2.1. Sewered sanitation depends entirely on water supply, making connection to sewers expensive compared to the average incomes of most

Untreated wastewater exposes people to health risks due to infection from germs such as salmonella, dysentery and hepatitis

households. For example, in Accra, Ghana, more than 45 per cent of households preferred a ventilated latrine to a water-flushed toilet, because the former does not depend on water, is simple and is less vulnerable to breakages (Obeng et al. 2015). The situation is similar in other African countries such as Uganda, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania and Malawi.

Both on-site sanitation facilities and sewerage systems are potential sources of pathogens, organic matter and nutrients, which need to be well managed, as explained in Table 2.1. Poor sanitation management is one of the root causes of many diseases that afflict Africa, leading to high infant and maternal mortality rates (Fuhrimann et al. 2014) and contributing to stunted growth.

Open defecation is a result lack of basic sanitation facilities

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SANITATION AND WASTEWATER ATLAS OF AFRICA