Ecological sanitation: a sustainable dream or reality? : exploring complexity of transitions to more sustainable sanitation practices : a case-study of Burmi Tola, India
In the world today 2.5 billion have no access to improved sanitation. This causes social, economic and environmental consequences and therefore weakens all three pillars of sustainability. The sanitation deficit although decreasing in relative terms has increased in absolute numbers since 1990. Conventional water-based systems are costly, pollute the environment and require heavy resource use. This study looks at ways to implement and design more sustainable sanitation technologies. Using a qualitative case study design semi-structured interviews were taken in the field on site of an ecological sanitation pilot project where human excreta is collected, rendered safe and then used a fertiliser. From the data collected it showed that although people may use the technology there exists important social barriers that contradict with community values. The results and subsequent discussion show the need to include communities in the designing of new sanitation technologies therefore lessening this conflict. A new model is proposed based on the Transition Management literature to search for new sustainability visions and come up with innovative designs that are valued by people who will use them
