“Flying toilets” still not grounded

PlusNews, East Africa
Published January 8, 2009

The few private and public facilities in Kampala's slums charge a fee for use of a toilet. Photo by Ann Weru/IRIN

KAMPALA, Uganda – The lack of adequate sanitation facilities in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, has led to increased use of polythene bags – known as "flying toilets" – for human waste disposal, local officials said.

The situation is worse in slums where infrastructure is basic. The few private and public facilities that exist charge up to USh200 [US10 cents] per use of a toilet.

"These areas are characterized by poor drainage systems and in the rainy season, the problem becomes worse," said Bernard Luyiga, a councillor in Kampala district. "We have not invested enough in this area.

"Water and sanitation in Kivulu [slum in Makerere area, which he represents on the city council] are among the worst I have come across in my life. We tried to use Eco-san toilets… but the 'flying toilet' has remained rampant."

Eco-san toilets use a natural biological process to break down human waste into a dehydrated, odourless, compost-like material, and save on water use. They were developed in South Africa in the 1990s.

It is difficult to tell how many facilities exist in Kivulu, but several pits latrines were visible, with dilapidated rusty iron sheets for walls, cracked floors and plastic roofs.

Contaminated springs

The situation is similar in other slums. About 6.2 percent of households in the city have no toilet facilities at all. Most, according to chief health inspector Mohammed Kirumira, are in the slums.

"Human waste is a problem to reckon with and many households lack a toilet, bathroom or kitchen," Kirumira told IRIN.

According to the city council: "One study conducted by Chemiphar estimated that up to 90 percent of the natural springs in Kampala are contaminated, especially in the wet season, yet this remains a major source of water for the urban slum dwellers."

Agatha Nambi, whose house stands near a drainage stream formed by an overflowing pit latrine in Kivulu, said: "It is very difficult to keep clean here. You observe cleanliness in your home, but other people just bring their mess to you and you have to give up… that is why our children keep getting sick."

Justus Namenya, a casual labourer living nearby, added: "This is the rainy season, so this place is unbearable. [It] becomes filthy and sometimes water flows up to your house with all the dirt in it."

Inadequate water

Only about 65 percent of Kampala's two million residents have access to clean water. The rest use water that is sometimes contaminated by pit latrines.

According to Uganda's Lands, Housing and Urban Development Ministry, the high cost of piped water has forced some city dwellers to rely on springs and wells.

"Over 50 percent of household occupants in Kampala are hospitalised every three months due to malaria while

Up to 90 percent of natural springs in Kampala are contaminated especially in the wet season. Photo by Ann Weru/IRIN

contamination of water by prevalence of micro-organisms is evident in the water sources of the city," it said in a paper.

A recent survey by the Catholic Church's Justice and Peace Centre found that average toilet to household ratio in Kampala slums was about 1:25.

"The children are told to use the school toilets so that when they come back home, they do not ask for money to go to the toilet," the survey report, The plight of the urban poor and yet increased rural-urban migration, noted.

"Poor sanitation accounts for cholera outbreaks that are usually experienced in the slums of Kampala."

Urban poverty

According to UN-HABITAT, 44 percent of Kampala's population live in unplanned, underserviced slums. Informal settlements cover up to 25 percent of the city's total area.

In informal settlements, only 17 percent of the population can access piped water. According to UN-HABITAT: "There is a high prevalence of sanitation-related diseases such as diarrhoea, worm infestations. Malaria is also endemic."

Some 92.7 percent of Kampala's population, the African Development Bank found, used on-site sanitation systems including septic tanks and pit latrines. However, emptier services, which are offered mainly by private sector on a cash-on-demand basis, were inadequate.

"As a result, effluent from latrines and septic tanks is often discharged into the environment untreated," it added.

Government response

Uganda's State Minister for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Michael Kafabusa Werikhe, said the government was determined to address the appalling sanitation in the city.

Kampala authorities are trying to roll out a new sewage system by 2014, financed by the European Union, German government, African Development Bank and Ugandan government.

"Uganda is targeting to uplift the lives of at least one million people by the year 2020 through implementing the slum upgrading strategy and action plan," Werikhe told IRIN on 7 January.

"We believe that slums are a development challenge which must be addressed to create harmony in our societies," he added.

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Management of Kampala's toilets throws a stink, Replacing the bucket latrine, Poor sanitation plagues Kampala's slums, Kibera, the forgotten slums, Sorry state of Makerere University's halls of residence worrying

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Uganda: The plight of Kampala's garbage collectors

| May 26, 2010 at 12:08 pm |

In the scorching midday sun, 25-year-old Bernard (not real name) uses his bare hands to gather garbage into a dirty sack. Dressed in a threadbare overall, and with no gloves, boots or face mask to guard him from the hazardous rotting garbage, Bernard risks catching diseases like cholera while on duty.

"The smell is awful and I have almost lost my sense of smell," says Bernard, who works for Nabugabo Updeal Joint Venture (NUJV), a private company that cleans Kampala City at a fee.

Bernard's work starts at about 7:00am, collecting garbage on Ben Kiwanuka street. "In a day, I have two phases of clean-up. The first starts from 7:00am to 12:00pm and the second at around 12:30pm to 7:00pm," he explains.

The first phase involves collecting over 21 sacks of garbage and loading them onto a waiting truck. He does not have money for lunch and he is not allowed rest till he finishes the day's work.

Each day, Bernard, who lives in Nakulabye, a Kampala suburb, walks about 10km to and from home. Before heading home, he cleans himself in the dirty stream at Nakivubo channel. He cannot afford to buy water.

"I reach home exhausted and hungry. There is no food so I beg from relatives or friends. I always pay them at the end of the month when I get money. If I do not get any food, I sleep hungry," Bernard says.

At the end of the month, he earns sh100,000 which is all spent within hours of earning it. "These guys are killing me slowly," says Bernard, who often falls sick, suffering from diarrhoea, malaria and cough. But he can hardly meet his medical expenses.

"Even when I get sick, I have to work," he says. "I cannot afford a day off lest I get fired." If they are lenient with you for skipping a day, he says, 40% of your salary is slashed.

But Bbira Kimulah, the assistant operations manager of Nabugabo Updeal Joint Venture, says they give their workers sick leave. "We deduct (the sick employee's) salary to hire a temporary worker to stand in for him or her. We do not sack anybody who is sick; we respect their rights," he says.

Stigma

Bernard explains that when he gets a chance to have a meal, restaurant owners kick him out. "They fear to lose customers because I smell bad ," he says. He says it is also hard to interact with other people because they fear to associate with 'stinking people like me'. He often receives insults from people.

"Some call me garbage. Others who know me hide when they set their eyes on me. I also hide from those who know me because I feel ashamed. But I cannot do this anymore. This is my job," he says.

Before he joined garbage collection in January, Bernard used to vend groundnuts for his grandmother in the city to make ends meet. "But when she died, we used all the capital to bury her. I had no option but to join the garbage collecting business. I had a friend who was collecting garbage and moving on the trucks. One day I met him and I asked to accompany him," he says.

Bernard says he volunteered for the company before he was employed on full time. "When they saw that I was doing good work, they recruited me," he says.

But after recruitment, Bernard was neither given an appointment letter nor identity card. "My only identification is a uniform. They also registered my name in their office and that is how I get my payments," he says. He adds that he cannot open a bank account or get a loan from a bank because he lacks a workplace ID.

He says his biggest challenge is working alone on his street, collecting garbage from about 15 restaurants and over 20 shops. "I fear I will collapse and die one day because I get very tired," says Bernard, who sometimes works at night, collecting garbage from shops he cannot access during the day. His company does not pay him for working extra hours.

Like Bernard, 30-year-old Martha, a street sweeper employed by the same company, starts her work at 7:00am and ends at 7:00pm. Martha says she is worried about lack of maternity and annual leave.

"I have been here for over a year without getting any leave; thank God I have never conceived. Here pregnant women lose their jobs as soon as they go to deliver. We work from January to January."

Twenty-eight-year-old Lydia (not real name), a street sweeper for Hill Top Enterprises, says: "Recently a taxi knocked me down but I was lucky not to die. Out of sympathy, doctors at Mulago Hospital treated me for free. When I came back to work, I was told there was no compensation for the accident."

While we moved around with their boss Kimulah, some of his workers were sitting atop the garbage on a truck without any protective gear or uniform. Kimulah admits that the waste is harmful to their health and their workers often get sick or get accidents.

He also says one of their employees was knocked down and injured by a speeding vehicle recently while at work. Kimulah says every month at least two of their workers are victims of motor accidents due to careless driving on the city roads. "We spend sh3m on their treatment every month."

But his colleague, who declined to speak publicly, says: "That is a lie. They do not mind about our health. When we get sick we suffer on our own."

Expert's view about garbage

Dr. Joseph Senzoga, the Kampala City Council coordinator for Epidemic outbreaks, says: "Garbage is full of industrial and home chemicals. These contain toxic fumes and bacteria. Many of these garbage collectors are exposed to worms, respiratory infections and skin diseases," he says.

NUJV reacts

Kimulah says: "All our workers are given protective gear but some sell them to get money. Others keep it at home because they don't know how to use it."

He, however, says they are unable to replace lost or stolen gear because they do not have enough money. "Our operational costs are high. Everyday, we spend about sh65m buying fuel for the garbage collecting trucks. And we have to pay workers."

Contrary to Martha's claim, Kimulah says they give three months maternity leave to women workers. "But we give no annual leave because these are casual workers. We do not also give them appointment letters; they are casual workers who may leave any time," he says.

Fred Serubula, the managing director of Hill Top Enterprises, says: "I do not provide lunch or transport. My company is small and I do not have much money."

Good habits by other companies

Visensio Odong, president of Waste Pickers Association, an agency advocating for rights of garbage collectors, says out of the 20 private companies, only seven have good working conditions. He lists them as Great Wastes and Recycling Foundation, BIN, BIN I, CITEK, TASK Cleaning Services, Global Cleaning Services and Safi.

"These companies pay workers well and provide protective gear, lunch and transport allowances to their workers," he says.

What the 2006 Employment Act says

Dr. Emmanuel Otaala, the state minister for labour, says the Employment Act 2006 provides for workers rights. "An employee is entitled to a contract of service, termination of contract, termination notices, and protection of wages, at least eight hours of work, rest and holidays, employment of women, protection of children and care of employees."

Odongo says some garbage collectors work for long hours without any meal or transport and "some times they are denied wages or paid little money".

He says some garbage companies pay garbage collectors an average of between sh5,000-sh50,000 a month. "And yet they work for over 12 hours a day."

He adds that the garbage companies employ over 100,000 workers countrywide. "The problem is that only 106 of these garbage collectors belong to the association which advocates for their rights. I think this is why they are exploited," he explains.

He adds that joining the association is free. "But some companies are threatening to sack them if they join us. They fear that when they (the workers) join, they will know their rights and demand better services," Odong says.

Otaala calls upon garbage workers to join trade unions to advocate for their rights. He called on Waste Pickers Association to sensitise garbage workers about their rights.

Source: Frederick Womakuyu and Oyet Okwera, New Vision / allAfrica.com, 24 May 2010.

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Kenya: Cholera fears as dysentery kills five people

Posted: 25 May 2010 07:35 AM PDT

Five people have died from a suspected dysentery outbreak in East Pokot District in the past three days.

The victims include a mother and her child as well as a 35-year-old man. The three who died on Friday were from Amaya location.

Tangulbei, two men died of massive dehydration on Thursday night after a bout of vomiting and diarrhoea overnight and twelve more were rushed to a hospital in Choru.

Two school girls in Nginyang had to receive urgent treatment to save their lives.

 any more people in the district are reportedly receiving home based care as the disease continues to take its toll on the pastoralist community.

Residents are now living in fear amid rumours that the disease could be cholera and not acute dysentery as health officials were saying.

 Mr James Kipkulei, the Amaya location chief, said residents were afraid it could be a cholera outbreak.

 "The girl and her mother died in less than six hours since the onset of the diarrhoea and vomiting. The symptoms are indicative of a cholera outbreak though health officials say that it is a case of acute dysentery. We really don't know what is going on and many people are dying," he said.

 Local community leaders and officials from Non Governmental Organisations coordinating relief efforts in the area echoed the sentiments.

 "We have seen several cases now and the numbers are rising by the day. All indications point to cholera because of the high mortality rate and the short period between the onset of symptoms and time of death,'' said Mr Musa Kibon of ActionAid.

 Area Member of Parliament Asman Kamama, who is also a Higher Education assistant minister, dismissed the cholera fears as unfounded and said the Government had confirmed that it was acute dysentery occasioned by recent flash floods and poor hygiene.

 Mr Kamama was addressing residents as he handed over a motorbike and Sh250,000 to the chief's office to coordinate efforts to fight the disease.

Source: Eddy Ngeta, Daily Nation, 24 May 2010

Uganda: Sironko now drinks water from the tap

May 26, 2010 · Leave a Comment

The people of Sironko district have got safe drinking water thanks to the Japanese government. The development follows the commissioning of the Napenbo gravity flow water scheme, which Japan funded with a sh154m grant.

The district chairman, David Wambi Kibale, while commissioning the scheme on Sunday, said it would supply piped water to 10 villages in Nalusala sub-county.

Based at the foot of Wanale hills, the scheme will source water from Nalusala River that runs through Sironko district. Wambi said the project would help reduce the prevalence of water-borne diseases. In addition, he argued, it will improve health in rural areas, and reduce the distance women and children walk looking for water.

Wambi said with this burden lightened, the women will use the time to become more productive. He said safe water coverage in the district will rise from 45% to 55%. He urged residents to conserve the environment to sustain the supply of water.

District engineer Andrew Wasukila said over 395 households, consisting of 4,104 people, would benefit from the project by the year 2030. The villages of Konge, Kidowa, Buwanyama, Bukirya, Kolotisi, Buwozoki, Nakisiya and Nakadote are the first beneficiaries.

Annette Namweru, 35, a mother of five, said during the rainy season the water sources are hard to reach because the steep roads, in addition, become slippery. She was happy that her daughters would be secured from defilers who waylay girls on the way to fetch water.

Water minister Maria Mutagamba recently said the Government aims at providing safe drinking water to 60% of households in every sub-county.

Source: Paul Watale, New Vision, 25 May 2010

Ghana: Inadequate resources is no justification for failure to achieve targets

May 25, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Dr Hanna Bisiw has warned the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) not to use the "lack of resources syndrome" as an excuse to justify its failure to provide water and sanitation facilities to rural communities.

She was unhappy that almost every public sector organization was attributing its failure to deliver to the lack of resources syndrome, saying that while it was equally true that there would be budgetary constraints, it was in the face of such challenges that agencies and organizations should demonstrate their ingenuity and capacity to improvise.

Dr Bisiw was addressing the 2009 Annual Review Conference of the CWSA on the theme: "Monitoring and evaluating for sustainable delivery of water and sanitation and hygiene promotion" in Tamale on Wednesday.

"A good leader is one who is able to solve critical problems in the face of major constraints. I am therefore expecting to see the demonstration of your creative and innovative abilities by coming up with solutions to the problems that militate against the sustainability of facilities", she charged.

The Deputy Minister also charged the CWSA to play the leadership role in the sustainability of water and sanitation facilities that had been funded by the government and other development partners.

She noted that although beneficiary communities had the responsibility of operating and maintaining the systems put in place, the CWSA as a public entity with the mandate of facilitating the provision of sustainable safe water and sanitation facilities to rural communities had to play the leadership role in maintaining such facilities.

"I would like to state that the time has come for us to do away with the thinking that we in Ghana do not have a culture of maintenance, she said.

Dr Bisiw added that "we must strive to demonstrate that we know and understand the essence and critical role that maintenance plays with respect to the sustainability of any infrastructural development".

She stressed the important role that monitoring and evaluation played in ensuring the sustainability of facilities and accordingly charged the Management of CWSA to come up with measures that would enable the Agency carry out effective monitoring and evaluation of completed and on-going projects at minimum cost.

Mr Clement Bugase, Chief Executive of the CWSA, said financial constraints facing the Agency had affected its progress over the years and appealed to the sector Ministry to take up the matter to ensure adequate funding for the Agency.

He said during the year under review, the CWSA carried out a number of projects which included the construction of a total of 588 boreholes installed with pumps and the construction of 3,311 household VIP latrines, adding that a further 323 schools and institutional latrines were also completed.

According to him, the construction of a new regional Office of the Agency in Takoradi with support from the European Union under the Small Towns Water and Sanitation Project for the Western and Central regions was on-going.

"Plans were also far advanced for the construction of a new office premises for the Brong Ahafo Region at Sunyani with financial assistance from the Agence Francaise de Developement (AFD) under the Peri-Urban, Rural and Small Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project in the region.

Mr Bugase said as a result of the steady progress made during the year under review and previous years, the national coverage for rural water supply in the country now stood at 58.97 percent.

Alhaji Haruna Friday, Tamale Metropolitan Chief Executive, said some 770,000 rural and peri-urban populations in the Northern Region do not have safe drinking water.

He said it was the priority of the government to provide safe drinking water for all communities to curb the incidence of water borne diseases like guinea worm.

Source: GNA / Myjoyonline.com, 20 May 2010

Uganda, Kasese: unwashed hands cause cholera

October 7, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Persistent outbreaks of cholera in Kasese District have been blamed on poor hand-washing practices and bad eating habits. This was noted at a one-day advocacy meeting for district councillors on water and sanitation held in Kasese Catholic Social Hall on Thursday [01 October 2009].

Presenting a latrine coverage and hand-washing situational analysis in Kasese, the district health inspector also the disease surveillance officer, Ericana Bwambale, said washing hands among the people of Kasese ranged from 17% to 34%. He named the sub-counties where people rarely wash their hands as Muhokya with 17%, followed by Kitswamba at 18% and Rukoki at 20%.

He said Kyabarungira Sub-county has the lowest latrine coverage at 57%, followed by Rukoki at 60% and Kisinga at 65%. Kyondo Sub-county had the highest latrine coverage of 88%, followed by Maliba Sub-county at 87%.

He said the majority of the people in Kasese eat whatever food they come across without considering its cleanliness.

Since March [2009], 500 cases of cholera have been reported in Kasese with about 10 deaths. The Busongora County health inspector, Steven Bagonza, said cholera cases have been reported in all the four constituencies in the district.

The district councillors on the technical and social services committee blamed the sub-county health assistants for the deteriorating health conditions in the district. They said health workers were not sensitising the community on the need to improve sanitation and hygiene in their homes.

The head of the district technical and social services committee, Mustafa Kikusa, said all the sub-county health assistants should be summoned before the district committee and explain why they are failing to do their work. He noted that the Government was doing all it could to improve people's standards of living but was being frustrated by civil servants who are failing to deliver as expected.

During the meeting, it was reported that people of Kasese were feeding on animal offals and fish skeletons from Kampala that have some times compromised the health of the people.

The furious councillors promised to move a motion to ban the sale of offals and skeleton fish in the district, saying they were unhygienic and partly responsible for the deteriorating health conditions.

However, some councillors on the committee, especially women said that they would block the motion if brought to council, adding that majority of the people in the district were surviving on offals and fish skeletons because they were cheap and some people cannot afford meat.

Source: Bernard Masereka, New Vision / allAfrica.com, 03 Oct 2009

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Categories:
Hygiene · Hygiene promotion · On-site sanitation · Uganda · Water-related diseases

Tagged:
cholera, handwashing, food hygiene

Uganda: Cholera hits Moroto district

May 25, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Moroto district is on the brink of a severe cholera outbreak having survived the wrath of Hepatitis E just three months ago. The epidemic is now going into its second week and shows little sign of slowing down. It has quickly spread into all 12 settlements of Kanakomol village in Nadunget sub-county in Moroto district, killing three people and infecting 70 others.

The village, located five kilometres from the main Moroto Hospital, is home to about 700 Karimojong. Health authorities say the disease first struck towards the end of April, killing three people at a go before its confirmation by the Ministry of Heath last week.

Another 21 villages have also registered cholera cases in the last one week with records showing that 70 are admitted.

Some of the villages that are worst hit include; Campswahili, Nawanatau, Kakoliye, Nachogorom, Nakapelimen, Army barracks, Naitakwae, Nachele, Kambihizi. Kanakomol has the highest number of infections.

Cause of the epidemic
Andrew Oryang, the LC1 of Kanakomol village, attributes the outbreak to lack of clean water for human consumption. "Our two boreholes drilled by Moroto district authorities broke down a year ago. Since then, we have never had clean water," he says. "A year ago, we collected sh150,000 and a bull for the Italian Co-operation and Development but nothing has been done."

The sh150,000 was community contribution towards the project and as it is in the Karimojong tradition, the bull was an incentive for the project implementers.

Oryang adds that cholera could also be due to people defecating in the dry river bed since most of them lack pit-latrines.

"When it rains, the water carries the waste to the sources situated on the river bank as it meanders through the villages," he says.

Michael Omeke, the district health officer, says the outbreak is due to lack of safe areas of waste disposal. "Many villages do not have pit-latrines around their settlements."

Spread by water contaminated with human excrement, cholera is a result of not having safe water to drink and sanitation systems to dispose of waste away from the water sources.

Officials intervene
"We are helping respond to this worrying situation, but we continue to face numerous challenges," Omeke says. "There is a shortage of cholera kits and other essential medical supplies, rehydration supplies, antibiotics and gloves."

He adds that cholera could spread quickly due to the regular movement of a highly nomadic population and unprotected water sources which are in the interior and inaccessible.

"Cholera may spread to the surrounding villages if authorities do not sensitise the residents," Omeke warns.

Challenges
Omeke cites inadequate beds and supplies for patients and limited skilled human resource as some of the hurdles the district is facing in the fight against the epidemic.

He says interventions remain localised in town. "There is need for preparedness in the peripheral health units to avert possible negative outcome from emergency."

Omeke appeals to the Government for more funding in order to fight the outbreak.

Basic facts on cholera
-It is caused by an infection in the intestines and can kill in hours.

-Symptoms including severe diarrhoea which manifests in as little as two hours or up to five days after infection. This can lead to extreme dehydration and kidney failure.

-About 80% of the people infected with the cholera bacterium never develop symptoms. However, the bacterium stays in their faecal matter for seven to 14 days, leaving others at risk of infection.

-Of those who develop symptoms, 80% are mild to moderate while between 10% and 20% develop diarrhoea.

If left untreated, about 50% of cholera cases can be fatal.

Prevention and treatment Most cases (80%) can be treated through oral rehydration salts. These salts reverse dehydration and restore potassium levels following the onset of acute diarrhoea.

The most severe cases, in which the patient is extremely dehydrated, can be treated through intravenous fluids and antibiotics.

Provision of safe water and sanitation services, community outreach and awareness campaigns that stress the importance of personal hygiene, especially hand-washing, are essential in curbing cholera.

Always focus on the underlying causes of water and sanitation-related deaths, like water availability, water quality, waste management and community hygiene education, to best protect at-risk populations from cholera and similar illnesses.

Source: Olandason Wanyama, New Vision online, 12 May 2010

Angola: Red Cross Committed to Awareness on Public Sanitation23 May 2010

23 May 2010

 

Ondjiva — The Red Cross of Angola (CVA) in southern Cunene province will continue carrying out awareness campaign on the importance and treatment of basic sanitation with a view to prevent diseases such as cholera and malaria, said the provincial secretary of the institution, António Hipewambedi.

Antonio Hipewambedi said that the sensitising activity is being developed in the communities with cooperation of about 100 young people who are informing the local residents on the basic sanitation measures.

The CVA is also holding talks on dangers of explosive devices (mines) in the communes of Mupa, Evale, Nehoni, Kafima, district of Kwanhama and Namacunde, as well as on the prevention of HIV/AIDS.

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] Katutura Sanitation Questionable

Chileshe Banda 20 May 2010

 

THE overall health condition in Namibia is said to be improving but patients continue to complain about the lack of proper sanitation at the Katutura Hospital.

A senior nurse at the Katutura Hospital, who requested anonymity, said the Government was putting in a lot of effort into the health sector.

"I have been working at the Katutura Hospital for the past eight years and I can assure you that we have witnessed a lot of improvements from the time I started working here as a registered nurse," she said.

Although nurses have gone on record complaining about poor salaries in the past, the nurse said the issue was too sensitive and confidential.

She also said that the working hours were not that bad because nurses were divided into different shifts.

"The only (major) problem we are facing now is a shortage of nurses," she concluded.

On the contrary, one of the patients interviewed at the Katutura Hospital argued that the sanitation at the hospital was very bad.

"The toilets are not in good condition, there is usually no soap for washing hands after using the toilet and most toilet pans are broken. I think a lot of improvement is needed at this hospital," she said.

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Another patient, Robert Angula, complained that the outpatients ward was in a bad condition and that it was always overcrowded.

Suzanna Bbaloo, one of the visitors who brought her younger sister for a check-up at the hospital, complained bitterly about conditions at Katutura Hospital.

"I came here at half past six this morning. Up to now we haven't been attended to, the queues are very long and even if we come very early like we did, they don't allow us entry in the hospital. They tell us to wait outside because the floors are wet. Can you imagine that reason?" she said.

Bbaloo said waiting for long periods was not fair to patients who left their homes very early in the morning in the hope of getting prompt service.change this situation," she said.

Uganda: Shortage of water hits Kisoro

May 11, 2010 · Leave a Comment

About 11,000 residents of Kisoro Town Council are facing shortage of clean water after the service of the company contracted to supply water was terminated. George and Company Ltd has been treating, supplying and pumping water from Chuho Dam to residents of the town council and neighbouring sub-counties for the last three years.

The town clerk, Mr Isaiah Tumwesigye, told Daily Monitor last week that they had applied to the Ministry of Water to allow them takeover water management to solve the crisis and avoid disease outbreak.

Poor service

"Because of poor service delivery, we advised the district contracts committee not to renew their contract," he said. However, the director of George and Company Ltd, Mr George Tumusime, said the termination of his company's services was malicious. Other bidders had earlier contested the award of the contract citing irregularities in the bidding process.

Source: Robert Muhereza, The Monitor / allAfrica.com, 10 May 2010

Introducing Mobenzi and its research significance

Mobile Researcher - Community Newsletter #4
Introducing Mobenzi, new features, and exploring possibilities of the Mobile Researcher API

Introducing Mobenzi and its research significance

• New feature highlights
  
• Infinite possibilities with the Mobile Researcher API
  

 

Mobenzi empowers people to earn income for completing simple tasks on their mobile phones. These tasks involve certain types of problems that are difficult for a computer to solve without assistance from a real person – even someone without expert knowledge of the problem.

There are a wide variety of commercially valuable tasks that workers (so-called Mobenzi agents) can perform, including transcription, content filtering, classification, and sentiment rating - all of which can be hugely beneficial to a research project as well. 

Many aspects of the research process cannot be easily automated and accomplished using software alone, particularly when conducting qualitative research. One area in particular where we believe Mobenzi offers an exceptional tool for researchers is in conducting surveys via SMS. Traditionally, when it comes to gathering data via SMS, researchers have two rather ungainly options if they wish to collect anything more than the simplest one word response:

• Option 1: Require that respondents structure their feedback in some way (e.g. comma delimited) or;
  
• Option 2: Solicit answers one SMS at a time, with responses still needing to be confined to a reasonably limited vocabulary.
  

But what if you could pose a question (or several questions) on a poster, billboard, flyer, radio ad or SMS and allow respondents to answer in free text - but still be able to analyse the data using quantitative techniques? That's precisely what SMS Insight, an experimental service powered by Mobenzi offers: the ability to derive structured results from free text responses.

Find out how leveraging the abilities of real people can provide much-needed employment and create business value on the Mobenzi blog and contact us if you're interested in helping us validate the concept - we're actively seeking data for our agents to crunch - and thanks to our funding from the Business Trust can offer this service free for a limited period.

New feature highlights

It's always gratifying to be able to announce new features - particularly long awaited ones. Here are a few features now available as of version 3.1.19 of the mobile application:

• Survey resumption - you can now suspend and resume a survey midway: handy if a fieldworker needs to switch to another application urgently or the handset battery dies during an interview.
  
• Location - if the handset is GPS-enabled, the location of the survey is mapped and the GPS coordinates are available when exporting.
  
• Image capture - on certain handsets, you can now take photos during the survey.
  
• Single response surveys - in certain scenarios, you may want a fieldworker to complete a survey only once (a staff evaluation form for example). If configured, when a fieldworker completes such a survey, it will be automatically removed from the handset upon completion.
  

We'll discuss each of these features in more detail in future blog posts in the Mobile Researcher Community. For assistance with upgrading your handsets to the latest version of the mobile application, please contact support@mobileresearcher.com.

Infinite possibilities with the Mobile Researcher API

A good API, or Application Programming Interface, allows systems to communicate and share information with each other through a well-defined, secure and flexible protocol. Providing an API is important because it allows programmes developed by different parties to talk to each other and work together seamlessly - even though they may have be implemented by unrelated teams and with completely different technologies. It encourages integration and reduces reliance on a single module by enabling it to be substituted without affecting the broader system. And it enables custom functionality, not catered for by one system, to be provided by another.

If you're a technical reader, our API guide provides a great introduction to the full set of functionality accessible via the Mobile Researcher API.

We put a lot of focus on making the Mobile Researcher API generic and providing an open development platform and will continue to do so as we feel that an enterprise-level mobile data collection platform is just a building block in creating end-to-end solutions which can differ dramatically from one project to the next.

The API currently facilitates integration in 3 key ways:

1. It allows you to query Mobile Researcher at will for data in exceptionally flexible ways - almost as though it were your own database.
   
2. When a response is received, modified or deleted, Mobile Researcher can be configured to notify multiple systems which can then perform any custom action based on the content of the response.
   
3. As a fieldworker checks for survey updates (from the mobile application), Mobile Researcher can be configured to notify a third-party system which can override a template, or generate multiple instances of it, before being sent to the fieldworker.
   

By combining these integration capabilities, Mobile Researcher can act as a platform on which complex management systems can be built which handle all manner of data-driven functionality such as scheduling, quality assurance, automated reporting, issue escalation, reminders and just about anything else a project might require.

By leveraging the API, a simple mobile phone can now be used to not only capture data, but also access existing data. This unlocks enormous potential for longitudinal studies, participant or customer record look-up applications, household or facility follow-ups or any application where data held in a central system would be valuable in the field. 

We've already mentioned that we built Mobenzi using the Mobile Researcher API. In our next newsletter we'll highlight some other case studies to illustrate what we and others have done using the API.

Did you know...?

• The longest single survey currently being conducted using Mobile Researcher is 406 data fields.
  
• The most common handset in use is the Nokia 1680 Classic.
  
• One fieldworker submitted over 8,000 responses in under 12 months.
  

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Venezuela: Govt to sanction excessive water use

April 13, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Venezuela's environment ministry Minamb will implement measures to restrict water consumption in the country starting March 1, 2010.

The restrictions will apply to households, commercial offices and factories, but on different scales, a Minamb official told BNamericas.

Authorities will implement changes in the tariff structure and suspend services when consumption is excessive, state news agency ABN reported.

The president of the national water company Hidroven and deputy water minister, Cristóbal Ortíz, said the average daily consumption of water per capita in Venezuela is at 250l which is higher than in many countries.

Under the new structure, households that use 40m3/month or less will be charged 1 bolívar per m3 of water, up to a maximum of 40 bolívares (US$16).

However, if consumption is higher users will pay 3.5 bolívares for every additional m3 of water, and 5 bolívares when consumption exceeds 100m3.

Water rates for industries and businesses, including restaurants, will also increase, but according to their different categories, the Minamb official said.

When these facilities register in the country's commercial directory, they have to give an estimate of the amount of water they will use. Factories and businesses that exceed their estimated consumption will be charged more and will also risk having their service interrupted, the official said.

Environment minister Alejandro Hitcher said the country's potable water and sanitation law allows water utilities to suspend services to users with excessive consumption.

At the same time, Minamb and the ministry of science and technology are drawing up a policy to oblige all new constructions to use low-consumption water equipment.

There are doubts about the effectiveness of new the plan, however, since only 10% of Venezuela's homes have water meters, local paper El Nacional reported. This has users wondering how authorities plan to monitor water consumption.

The Minamb official declined to comment on this issue.

Source: Eva Medalla, BNamericas.com [subscription site], 19 Feb 2010

High Level Meeting of Sanitation and Water for All targets finance ministers

April 19, 2010 · Leave a Comment

The first High Level Meeting of the Sanitation and Water for All global partnership is targeting Ministers of Finance and Ministers of Development Cooperation. They are considered to have the most influence when it comes to securing the investments needed for "Getting on-track for the sanitation and water MDG targets", the focus for the meeting to be held on 23 April 2010 in Washington, DC, USA.

Sanitation and Water for All is a joint initiative launched by the UK and the Netherlands in September 2008, which now involves 17 other donors, multi-lateral agencies, civil society and other development partners. The initiative allocates £5 million (6 million Euros) over five years to an annual report and high level meeting focused on reviewing progress. A further joint Dutch-UK commitment was made of £85 million (100 million Euros) over the same period to help up to 20 poor countries develop and implement their own national water and sanitation plans.

The 2010 High Level Meeting will take place just before the weekend 2010 World Bank Spring Meetings which are attended by Ministers of Finance and Ministers for Development Cooperation. UNICEF will host the first High Level Meeting.

One of the expected outcomes of the meeting will be a greater understanding of the linkages between water, sanitation and economic growth. To support this outcome, economic case study reports for sanitation and drinking water have been prepared for 19 countries, 14 from Africa and 5 from Asia.

Another expected outcome is the "identification of specific steps countries can take to advance access to, and mobilize resources for, increasing access to safe water and sanitation – particularly countries with greatest needs; including the development of technical assistance tools to provide support for the development and implementation of national water and sanitation plans/strategies".

More information on the High Level Meeting and on the Sanitation and Water for All initiative's Global Framework for Action can be found on the web site of UN-Water.

Categories:
Africa · Bilaterals · Development aid · East Asia & Pacific · Economics · Multilaterals · NGOs · Professional associations · Sanitation · South Asia · UN · Water supply

Tagged:
Global Framework for Action, MDGs, Sanitation and Water for All

Uganda: Former Northern IDPs to Get Clean Water

April 22, 2010

PEOPLE returning to their villages in north will get piped water. The Uganda Red Cross Society will provide the water. IT has partnered with an international NGO, ECHO/Netherlands to start a water and sanitation project for the returnees, according to a notice.

The project, which will be funded by ECHO/Netherlands, will be implemented by Red Cross under the Integrated Community Based WASH recovery programme for returnees in the Acholi sub-region.

Therefore, Red Cross wants qualified bidders to submit sealed bids for sitting, drilling, casting pump installation and associated works for 27 boreholes in Gulu, Amuru and Kitgum districts.

The project comes at a time when communities that have lived in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps for over 20 years, are returning to their homes.

Sanitation is an important component of the project because as people return to their villages, they find no latrines.

Poor sanitation will lead to contamination of water sources during the rainy season.

Source: Aidah Nanyonjo, The New Vision, 21 April 2010

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Sub-Saharan Africa: development aid and access to water and sanitation inApril 14, 2010 • Leave a Comment

A study by the African Development Bank (AfDB) concludes that improved sector coordination and capacity building at the local level are some of the key elements to increase efficiency in the water and sanitation sector.

The AfDB study [1] examines the trends in access to water and sanitation in sub-Saharan Africa using secondary data, desk research and field research conducted December 2008 and March 2009 in Burkina Faso, Kenya, Madagascar and Uganda. The case studies are based on primary data collected from Water and Finance Ministries, as well as from meetings and interviews with beneficiaries of AfDB-funded water and sanitation projects.

At the current pace, the study calculated that access-to-water target of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will only be met in 2040, and the access-to sanitation target in 2076.

Between 2002 and 2007, aid allocation to water and sanitation projects increased from 0.9 percent of overall Official Development Assistance (USD 218 million) to 1.5 percent (USD 472 million). The AfDB loan and grant approvals in the water and sanitation sectors increased from UA 67 million (3.3 percent of total) in 2002 to UA 211 million (6.8 percent of total) in 2007. Over the same period, disbursements grew from UA 52 million to UA 109 million per year.

Country experiences indicate that the following elements are key to increasing efficiency in the water and sanitation sector:

• Improved sector coordination, with assignment of clear responsibility to one ministry accountable for progress in the achievement of water and sanitation targets;
  
• Increased integration between policy making, planning, budgeting and monitoring and evaluation;
  
• Increased focus on capacity building, especially at the local level, and for all stages of water and sanitation projects – from planning to procurement, to execution, monitoring and maintenance;
  
• Promotion of linkages among stakeholders, including government bodies and donors, and civil society organisations.
  

Experience further shows that countries that adopt well-designed water utility reforms are substantially improving access to services and making progress in financial capacity to sustain and expand the services.

Successful types of reforms include:

• The introduction of improved institutional frameworks, including the establishment of laws, rights, and licenses,
  and the definition of clear responsibilities of different actors
  
• The introduction of mechanisms for effective participation of stakeholders, and knowledge and information systems;
  
• The development and management of an infrastructure for annual and multi-year flow regulation – for floods and droughts, for multi-purpose storage, and for water quality and source protection;
  
• The use of operating contracts between the utility and the public agency responsible for supervising water companies;
  
• The establishment of clear accountability systems and the introduction of performance incentives for employees;
  
• The introduction of improved commercial systems, including metering and metered billing;
  
• The introduction of explicit models for delivering services to poor consumers, accounting for service sustainability and integrating the specificities of the local context.
  

[1] Stampini, M., Salami, A. and Sullivan, C. (2009). Development aid and access to water and sanitation in sub-Saharan Africa. (Development research brief ; no. 9). Tunis, Tunisia, Development Research Department, African Development Bank. 4 p. Download full text [PDF file]

Uganda: Without Planning, Urban Areas Wallow in Filth and Disease

April 7, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Urban living can be bad for your health — at least in Uganda. To mark World Health Day tomorrow, whose theme this year is urbanisation and health, the Daily Monitor will run a two-part series, beginning with this story, on the many dire health consequences of the country's failure to plan its cities, by Evelyn Lirri

On the porch of a tiny mud-and-wattle hut in a slum section of Ggaba, a Kampala suburb, Ms Sarah Namutebi, 29, sits clasping her nine-month-old baby. She looks deeply worried.

Ms Namutebi's baby, looking frail and dehydrated, has been down with diarrhea for the past three weeks. The baby's eyes are sunken and the mother is desperately struggling to save its life.

It is easy to see why the child is sick. In front of the one-roomed house runs a drainage ditch carrying a mass of sewage, rotting garbage and plastic materials. The unsightly hodgepodge emits a horrid stench that suffocates the neighbourhood.

This is the reality of life for an estimated 3.3 million of the 5.5 million Ugandans who live in urban areas today.

Effective urban planning and enforcement would improve living conditions and sharply reduce disease. But the population is growing far faster than authorities can plan, hobbled by lack of funding, incompetence and corruption, can keep up.

The result: rapidly-growing mass slums where poor sanitation, dust, lack of proper ventilation, overcrowding and uncollected garbage all pollute and choke the living environment, making urban centres a death trap for dwellers (read a special report on rot of our towns in tomorrow's Daily Monitor).

The problem promises to get worse before it improves. "Uganda is fast urbanising and if you don't address urbanisation problems like health, water and infrastructure you will have a catastrophe," warns Mr Urban Tibamanya, the state minister for Urban Development.

The consequences are already here to see. In Kampala alone, some 40 per cent of the city's 1.8 million residents live in informal settlements like Katanga, Wabigalo-Namuwongo, Makerere-Kivulu, Ggaba, Kifumbira and Kisenyi.

Records show most communicable and hygiene-related infections break out in these areas, which often are unplanned and lack adequate housing and access to clean water and sanitation.

Intestinal worms, diarrhea and asthma topped the list of the most prevalent diseases in Kampala city between 2006 and 2009. Kampala City Council's health division says these diseases jointly contribute to more than 80 per cent of the disease burden in the city.

In 2009, 43,434 intestinal infections were registered in Kampala district from common parasitic worms like ascaris, tapeworms and pinworms found in unfiltered water. Acute diarrhea cases totaled 27,694 cases, while persistent diarrhea cases reached 9,717.

In Ggaba mission slum, diarrhea is so common that few there consider it a disease anymore. Rather, it is seen as a normal part of life.

Cholera, another deadly disease usually associated with poor hygiene, had been dropping, from 1,104 cases in the 2006/7 financial year, to just 40 the year after, but the number of cases increased to 74 in 2009. Dr. John Lule, the KCC chief health inspector, said increased public education and awareness on hygiene and sanitation have contributed to this decline over the years.

Respiratory illnesses also are on the rise. According to the State of the World Cities report 2010/2011 published by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), acute respiratory infection cases in Uganda are high in slum and rural areas- with slums and rural areas. Twenty-three per cent of their residents suffer acute respiratory infections, compared to only 14 per cent of residents in urban non-slum areas.

Many of the hygiene-related illnesses arise from poor sanitation. Although latrine coverage in Kampala district stands at 85 per cent, health experts say the access is not even geographically because many slum dwellers cannot afford the Shs100 they are charged to use them. As a result, many end up using polythene bags — commonly referred to in slum parlance as "flying toilets" – to dispose of their waste.

The indiscriminate disposal of human waste, officials say, is the reason underlying perennial cholera outbreak in the city.

Organised developments

Most of these diseases can be prevented by making the environment healthier through proper planning, health experts say.

Source: Evelyn Lirri,  Monitor / allAfrica.com, 6 April 2010

Outcomes of the Second African Water Week Still Relevant

Patrick Baidoo

7 May 2010

 

The 2010 WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) report on sanitation and drinking water prompts a consideration of conclusions reached at the 2nd African Water Week [AWW-2] which was held in Johannesburg, South-Africa from November 9 to 13, 2009. The AWW-2 was on the theme "Carrying forward the Commitments of the Sharm El-Shek African Union Summit on Water and Sanitation: A Sprint to the Finish Line."

The theme underlined the realities of Africa's water security and sanitation situation and the urgent need to implement those commitments made by the political leadership in accelerating progress towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and the African Water Vision.

In line with the positive mood and posture of stakeholders and the political leadership towards implementation, participants proposed messages which informed the need for action in Financing Water and Sanitation Infrastructure for Economic Growth, closing the sanitation gap, Climate change and how best to Manage Africa's trans-water boundaries.

Financing water infrastructure

Water infrastructure development as the participants reiterated was inextricably linked with economic growth of countries and that Africa's Finance Minister's should strategize their programmes to finance planned deliverables for the water and sanitation sector. The participants contend that such a move was very welcoming because water and sanitation were the very nexus of human existence.

The need for urgency in the sector for potable water and a safer environment as the days pass is explicitly stated in the African Water Vision 2025 report released in 2000 which estimates the financial requirements to deliver communities without WASH facilities was $20 billion each year over a 20-year period.

However updated data, made possible through ongoing studies on Africa's infrastructure requirement put the new estimate at US$50 billion per year, largely as a result of more realistic estimates for hydroelectric power.

But non-the the essence of water and sanitation infrastructure to ensure economic growth and Africa's water security and development, meant that frantic efforts were needed to sustain the sector in delivery of water supply and services.

For Africa to meet the MDGs the participants called for an update of financing needs for Africa's water resources infrastructure to establish the scale of financing required to meet the MDGs and the African Water Vision.

Countries are advised to disaggregate these requirements to the national level and seek the funding to boost economic growth.

A significant number of regional finance instruments and channels have been established. These should be scaled up instead of creating new ones, whilst addressing any inherent weaknesses. These instruments include the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Initiative, the African Water Facility and others.

More specifically countries should prepare sector investment plans that draw synergy between major water-using sectors, particularly energy and agriculture and undertake reforms that reduce operational inefficiencies and assure cost recovery, using the 3Ts - tariffs, taxes, transfers.

Financing water for energy and agriculture

The conference also called for the urgent need to secure water for food and energy through developing the infrastructure to control and manage water was emphasized by all concerned stakeholders during various technical and political deliberations.

This was based on the premise that Africa is well endowed with significant hydropower resources which are only exploited at less than 5 percent of its potential as compared to other emerging countries on other continents.

In view of that the recent food crisis should be a wake-up call to revitalize African agriculture and ensure more reliable access to agricultural water. The World Development Report (2007) identified agriculture as possible engine for growth. In an expression of strong commitment to support agriculture in Africa, in July 2009, the G-8 leaders pledged $20 billion over three years to strengthen agriculture through the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Program (CAADP).

The conference agreed that there was the need for a stronger collaboration between financial institutions to ensure joint implementation of programmes supporting water for agriculture and energy including the AfDB-Business Plan for agricultural water development.

Financing for water resources management and governance

It was recognised that a lot of progress had been made in the last five years, internationally and in Africa, on financing water resources management. In particular political awareness has increased and actions are underway to establish a more conducive co-operative environment. Yet, water resources management lacks an institutional home and is a neglected area for financing and hence that area required improving governance, building capacities and strengthening institutions in order to reduce risks and provide a stable policy environment.

The Africa Water Facility in this direction is a key source of funds to help establish the enabling environment including for Water Resources Management and, better planning, of Trans-boundary Water Resources, build capacities and extend knowledge and research in addition to support for meeting basic infrastructure needs.

In this light AWW-2 called for more work to deepen better understanding of the need for the financing of water resources development and management. Additionally, there is a need to develop the economic case for water, both for services and resource management.

To accelerate this development there was also the need to better align donor and government funding. Plans and financing strategies are essential with each country strategy unique to their situation utilising a wide spectrum of financing mechanisms because many administrations are unable to spend budget allocations and therefore the need to develop capacities.

Alternative and more targeted financing and organisational structures are needed to effectively manage the continent's water resources is very essential in this direction.

Closing the sanitation gap

Africa remains the continent most off-track to meet the sanitation MDGs. Urgent action is required at global, regional, country levels to address this major public health, economic, environmental, and human dignity issue.

Recent years, have seen some important improvements - increased advocacy, increases in planning, coordination and some budget allocations and 50 percent of countries have embarked on Community-Led Total Sanitation Approaches (CLTS).

The underlying issues behind Africa's poor performance are: lack of political will and leadership to address the sanitation challenge, inadequate public sector financing, absence of good policies and specific strategies in specific country situations to bring about sustainable sanitation improvements. The diversity of current coverage implies that a range of different approaches are required, and need to be tailored to local circumstances.

Participants hence called for the AMCOW Sanitation Task Force to further develop typologies for sanitation strategies and engage with countries to stimulate improvement of sanitation policies and strategies.

African countries should create clearer and higher level leadership for sanitation, considering separate Ministries of Sanitation rather than having sanitation leadership buried at a low level in Ministries of Health or Water.

CLTS approaches need to be incorporated into national rural sanitation strategies and significant efforts made to stimulate the private sector to respond to increased sanitation demand and sustain the short term gains through household and community efforts.

Sanitation Advocacy his proving to be a successful tool to increase the profile of sanitation, but efforts need to be redoubled at country-level to persevere with simple, targeted, local messages with clear measurable goals.

Climate change and Water Adaptation

Africa has been recognized as the continent most vulnerable to climate change, with three key areas in the continent, namely Coastal areas, Great lakes, and the semi-arid regions, identified as being particularly at risk. There is a need and an opportunity to protect the critical "water towers" of central, west and eastern Africa.

Adaptation to climate change should be at the core of any development activity and calls for building climate resilience as this leads to a much stronger state, both at micro and macro levels. Given the importance of water resources and water infrastructure in economic development, there should be adequate investment in adapting to climate change to ensure their availability and sustainable use the AMCOW suggested.

Regional integration and development: Effective response to climate change is dependent on African governments making climate change a core development activity, integrated into development strategies relating to food, energy and water security, and economic and social development strategies. Improved trans-boundary management and cooperation is essential.

Relevant Links

• West Africa
  
• Ghana
  
• Water
  
• Sustainable Development
  

Administration, governance and institutional capacity: Resilience must be built at the national, regional and local level, and the capacity of institutions in the water sector is a critical part of this resilience and of the ability to adapt to climate change. Water institutions must build their capacity to monitor water resources (surface and groundwater), for water resources assessment and water resources management.

Information: Better information is an important element of responding to climate change, particularly in the trans-boundary basin context where shared information is an important element of building the common view of challenges and potential responses, and building trust between countries. This requires, inter alia, increased investment in monitoring of ground and surface water resources, improved capacity to short term forecasting and long term modelling, and improved dissemination of information.