Politicising Water and Sanitation

In the last blog, I explored the challenges Physical Landscape brings to WASH. Today, I will explore an equally important determinant of successful WASH conditions: Human Landscape.

Both the politics of water and sanitation are important and must be seen together because they are closely linked. The supply of water directly affects the level of sanitation, and the level of sanitation determines the amount of uncontaminated water (WHO, 2022).

The inequalities of WASH

Unsurprisingly, not only are there uneven distributions of water in terms of quantity but there are also inequalities in the quality of water because of marginalization in the management of water. A case study done on the inequalities in microbial contamination of drinking water supplies in urban areas in Lilongwe, Malawi reveals that there is a stark difference in water quality between higher-income (planned areas) and low-income neighborhoods (unplanned areas) (Boakye-Ansh et al. 2016). A statistically significant result of p < 0.05 was found in the difference in water quality between high-income and low-income areas. The study also found that different strategies were used to develop the networks between high-income and low-income areas with the former getting larger and better-quality pipes. This kind of inequality is especially common in developing countries (Morales-Novelo et al., 2018). 

Fig 1. Daily scramble for water part of life for millions in Lilongwe, Malawi

In summary, it showcases how these inequalities are a product of planned decisions in both the development of water supply infrastructures as well as the operation and maintenance of them.

Water Politics

The inequalities in the provision of safe and accessible water and sanitation systems lead us to question the powers in play. The politics of WASH has been in existence since colonial times and has played a major role in shaping water and sanitation networks across Africa as the story of the 'poo protests' in Cape Town tells us (Jackson et al., 2018). In our world where the politics of who gets what is increasingly polarized, the successful elimination of inequality becomes a political project. Findings from the study on microbial contamination of drinking water supplies in Lilongwe bring to light how achieving UN SDG 6 is so much more complex than increasing water supply and coverage. Like Lilongwe, a study in Nepal also reveals that the poorest 20% have been given no right to politics. Despite there being a significant increase in water access for others, they are 'left behind' (Mason et al., 2017).

Fig 2. Lack of adequate toilets provision in Cape Town leading to 'poo wars'

In the past decade, a lot of attention has been put on the debate of 'top-down or bottom-up structures?' for sanitation networks in Africa. Top-down efforts have received a lot of criticism due to their proven ineffectiveness for connecting low-income populations to centralized water and sanitation services as evidenced by the Bakalori Irrigation Project in Nigeria. An integrated river basin management on the other hand would be more suitable as it reconciles water demand conflicts; incorporates environmental issues within water management; encourages participatory approaches; and develops sustainable water management practices.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Introducing Water & Sanitation in Africa

Image
Hello everyone. Welcome to my blog on water and sanitation in Africa! Why water and sanitation? For most of us living in developed countries such as the UK, access to water is so convenient that we never really have to think about how to acquire it. Water supply issues and challenges seem distant. However, not everyone has the luxury of a constant and undisrupted water supply. In Mitlin et al. (2019) , findings show that although UNICEF and the World Health Organization reported back in 2015 that more than 90% of the world's population used improved drinking water sources, more recent research suggests a much lower percentage, especially in the Global South. The research paper shows that access amongst cities in Sub-Saharan Africa were among the lowest with 22% of households having access to piped water. Fig 1. % of the world's population with access to safely managed drinking water in comparison to different regions of Africa What is 'water and sanitation'? We will beg
Read more

Shitty Businesses in Nairobi, Kenya

Image
The topic of water and sanitation brings together not only in theory but also in practice people from both private and public sectors. Urban sanitation and its challenges are extremely complex. Poor and inadequate sanitation causes an annual economic loss between 1 percent and 2.5 percent of GDP for 18 African countries (World Bank, 2022 ). This shows governments that these costs must be addressed for the country to grow sustainably, hence, it proves how inextricably tied water and sanitation challenges are to political and socio-economic factors. Poo power & Sani-preneurs 'Flying toilets' are bags of human feces that fill the streets of Nairobi's slums. They are the products of a serious shortage of sanitation services and proper sewage systems. In recent years, these sanitation problems have gained attention in private sectors attracting entrepreneurial approaches to solutions and birthed 'sani-preneur' initiatives (EY, 2020) . Dealing with Kibera's flying
Read more

Gendered Sanitation

Image
UN SDG 6 which focuses on ensuring access to water and sanitation for all has been mentioned a few times in my previous blogs. Target 6.2 specifically says 'by 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations.  In many societies across the world, women have primary responsibilities in household management which include the management of household water supply and sanitation (UN, 2006) . Despite women being very knowledgeable and important in the actions revolving around water and sanitation management, they are often under-represented in decision-making roles ( Kameri-Mbote, 2006 ; ADB, 2006 ). In the case of Kenya, only an average of 37% of top-level staff were women across six national and county sanitation-related institutions (WSUP, 2020) . WaterAid Explains: What has water got to do with gender equality? Feminine realities of WASH
Read more