City Launches Dry Sanitation Project

Nico Smit

14 June 2011

In an effort to promote public health, the Windhoek Municipality officially commissioned the Otji-toilet pilot project and launched a health and hygiene promotion campaign on Saturday.

Speaking at the launch, the chairperson of the municipality’s management committee, Agnes Kafula, said that since Independence, Windhoek had experienced unprecedented urban growth, particularly in the lower-income groups.

“Due to the speed of the growth and the low levels of municipal services affordability, urban development has occurred at a rate faster than services could be planned and provided,” Kafula said.

She added that the fast pace of urbanisation has placed pressure on the City’s capacity to provide adequate and affordable municipal services.

Kafula said that the City Council had risen to the challenge and undertaken deliberate measures to improve the conditions of those living in informal settlements.

These initiatives include the provision of basic services such as water, at an accepted level of affordability to existing informal settlements, and the development of greenfield sites to accommodate those households that must be relocated from precarious areas.

According to the chairperson of the management committee, four major problems characterise the provision of sanitation in “fast growing informal areas”. First, informal settlements are outside the drainage areas of the existing sewer treatment plants.

Secondly, the mountainous terrain in and around Windhoek as well as affordability levels do not allow for the provision of water-borne sewerage facilities. Thirdly, the lack of a water-borne sewer reticulation network is holding back the secondary upgrading process. Lastly, households informal areas cannot connect their toilets to the main municipal services systems.

Kafula said the municipality has spent N$776 050 on the construction of the toilets and the health and hygiene promotion campaign. The Otji-toilets, constructed by the Clay House Project of Otjiwarongo, is a dry sanitation solution, which is largely recommended for areas without access to sewer lines.

The councillor said that health and hygiene promotion is an important part of the Otji-Toilet dry sanitation solution.

“The hygiene promotion campaign is aimed at educating our communities on basic hygiene and ensuring that the new toilet facilities provided to this community are used and maintained appropriately to promote health and hygiene, and contribute to the prevention of infectious diseases,” Kafula said.

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