A Caribbean evaluation of public versus private drinking water provision: the case of St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles

This article assesses how a small island state can choose the best option in the process of private sector involvement. It reviews the decision process to involve or not the private sector in water and sanitation supply and in which way. Nine criteria are used to make the choice. A careful weighing process is necessary, taking the history into account, looking at the special institutional situation in the country and involving the stakeholders, and even then there is no guarantee of success! An existing public utility may be better placed to look after the modernisation and extension of the water and sanitation system than a new private firm

Function-feature analysis of emergency sanitation technologies: towards systematic innovation

There has been increased recognition of the need for innovation in emergency sanitation products and technologies. To support effective design, this paper explores an approach systematically innovate by framing the problem from the perspective of the functions (the desired outcomes of a design) that features (characteristics of a design) achieve. The paper illustrates examples of how such functions can be identified: by analysing existing designs, studying the literature and drawing lessons learned from case studies. Functions may be interrelated and vary in nature and importance in different circumstances. Functions can be achieved by implementing one or more design features. At the same time, features can contribute to achieving one or more functions. By understanding and consolidating all possible functions and features, this approach can support innovation in several ways, most fundamentally by ensuring that important design considerations are not overlooked during the product development process

Wastewater re-use for peri-urban agriculture: a viable option for adaptive water management?

Urbanization is known to spur land modification in the form of conversion of common land to human settlements. This factor, combined with climate variability, can alter the duration, frequency and intensity of storm drain overflows in urban areas and lead to public health risks. In peri-urban regions where these risks are especially high it has been argued that, when domestic wastewater is managed, better prospects for freshwater water savings through swaps between urban water supply and irrigated agriculture may be possible. As a consequence of re-use of domestic wastewater, expenditure on inorganic inputs by farmers may decline and source sustainability of water supply could be enhanced. Given the fact that, at present, approximately 20 million ha of land worldwide is being cultivated by re-using domestic wastewater, this paper draws on evidence from India to explore: (1) the economic costs-benefits of wastewater reuse in the context of hypothesized links to climate variability; (2) the role of local farming practices, market conditions and crop variety in influencing wastewater reuse in agriculture; and (3) the role of inter-governmental financing in influencing the selection of technical adaptation options for collection, treatment and disposal of wastewater.ASC – Publicaties niet-programma gebonde

A Case Study of Excreta Disposal Following the 2006 Java Earthquake*

Providing safe excreta disposal following disasters is important for disease prevention and the safety and dignity of the affected population. This is challenging because every emergency varies due to the nature of the disaster, local conditions and the characteristics of the affected population. This paper investigates the impact of the 2006 Java earthquake on excreta disposal needs and the response to those needs. Relevant documents were retrieved from the ReliefWeb database, complemented by a literature search. The case study highlights gaps in rapidly providing latrines on a large scale. Three months after the disaster, only 57% of the latrines targeted had been provided. One way to address this problem is to better understand the factors affecting excreta disposal needs and response, allowing appropriate solutions to be identified more effectively

Emergency toilets for the people affected by the Mount Sinabung eruptions

Mount Sinabung erupted in September 2013, causing the mass evacuation of more than 30,000 people. Evacuees were placed in public buildings such as churches, mosques, schools and universities, as well as tent camps. Pour-flush toilets were provided by the government. However, the level of provision was generally inadequate. The continuity of water was a major concern, with the people relying on water trucks for the supply of water. Toilets were not properly maintained and rubbish was found around toilets, which could clog drainage channels. Insufficient cleaning tools were provided. Coverage far exceeded generally accepted targets of twenty people per toilet. To address these issues, water supply should be closely monitored, additional toilets installed, adequate cleaning tools should be provided and people should be better organised to maintain toilets

Evaluating financial sustainability along the sanitation value chain using a financial flow simulator (eSOSView™)

A majority of the world's population use onsite sanitation systems, which store or treat excreta close to where it is generated. Sludge from these systems needs to be managed through a series of stages, known as the sanitation value chain. There is a huge diversity of service providers, not only within each part of the chain, but also along the chain bridging the different components. These service providers are linked not only by the flow of materials, but also by the transfer of money. Therefore for this system to be considered financially sustainable all services from the toilet to reuse or disposal need to be considered. A tool has been developed (eSOSView™) to simulate, evaluate, and optimise the financial flows along and within the sanitation value chain. In this paper eSOSView™ was tested, validated (using existing data), and piloted (including data collection). This paper demonstrates how eSOSView ™ can be used to evaluate different financial flow models, to assess financial sustainability in different parts of the sanitation value chain and optimise the financial sustainability along the sanitation value chain