Sanitation services for the urban poor: A social capital approach to sanitation challenges in informal settlements
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Date
2023-12
Authors
Chumo, Ivy
Mberu, Blessing
Wainaina, Cynthia
Murigi, Wanjiru
Sumba, Leunita
Kabaria, Caroline
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Plos water
Abstract
Poorly managed sanitation is degrading, unhealthy and far too dominant among the urban
poor. The conventional solution to poorly managed onsite sanitation and/or open defecation
is for governments to provide adequate sanitation at subsidized prices. Few governments in
low and middle income countries can subsidize access to sanitation facilities for people living
and working in informal settlements. This leaves the urban poor in informal settlements to
face challenges in accessing safely managed sanitation, with some residents and manual
pit emptiers adopting social capital approaches. We sought to identify sanitation challenges
along the value chain and social capital approaches to addressing the challenges. We used
qualitative approaches. Our target population were manual pit emptiers and community
members. We analysed data using conventional content analysis methodology. We grouped
sanitation challenges into those that are outside individual households and those that are at
the individual household. Challenges outside the household could not be controlled at the
individual level, and included legislative, physical, and social challenges, while challenges at
the individual household could be controlled at individual level, and included health, financial
and technical challenges. As a result of these challenges, both the manual emptiers and
community members adopted social capital approaches, which included the use of reciprocity and trust, networks and information channels and norms to counter the challenges. Sanitation challenges along the sanitation value chain should persuade policymakers and
practitioners that sanitation extends beyond the four walls of a sanitation containment facility, to include emptying, transportation, treatment and disposal. Many of the challenges
could be attributed to governance outside the sanitation sector. Hence long-term improvement of sanitation conditions in informal settlements ought to be supported by broader policies and strategies like social capital that begins by thinking outside “the sanitation box”.
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