Sustainable Sanitation Practice: The ROSA Project

Issue 4 of Sustainable Sanitation Practice (SSP), published by the EcoSan Club, Austria,  is s special issue that presents the highlights and main findings of the EU-funded ROSA (Resource-Oriented Sanitation concepts for peri-urban areas in Africa) project.
Read the full issue

The ROSA project was implemented in four pilot cities: Arba Minch in Ethiopia, Nakuru in Kenya, Arusha in Tanzania, and Kitgum in Uganda.

The 7 papers included in this special issue show specific aspects of the as well as an outlook on future activities. Topics covered include scaling-up ecosan toilets in Ethiopia, urine-diversion dry toilets in schools in Kenya, urban agriculture in Tanzania, operation and maintenance, and the development of Strategic Sanitation and Waste Plans (SSWPs).

Video: School sanitation – a common challenge in Kenya

Students at the Ramba High School, Ndori, Kenya have to remove their clothes when using the latrines. They do this avoid the strong smell of the disinfectant sticking to their school uniform. Every year, after the rains, new pit latrines have to be constructed.

To improve sanitation conditions at schools like Ramba High School, GTZ’s EcoSan Promotion Project has constructed Urine Diverting Dehydrating Toilets (UDDTs). These toilets also produce biogas, fertilizer and irrigation water thereby saving on costs of fuel wood and boosting agricultural production.

The EcoSan Promotion Project (EPP) (Oct 2008 – May 2009, ongoing monitoring period until Nov 2010) was a project component of the GTZ Water Sector Reform Programme in Kenya and co-funded by the European Union, SIDA and GTZ.

The video below is an excerpt from a documentary “Promoting Ecological Sanitation in Kenya” by the EU-SIDA-GTZ EcoSan Promotion Project.

Related web sites:

• SuSanA – Case studies in Sub-Saharan Africa – Kenya
• Eosan Network Kenya – on Facebook and Blogger
• WASH in Schools

Related video: Sanitation and Hygiene in Kenyan Primary Schools

Philippines: San Fernando’s Dry Alternative

Three years ago, residents of coastal and upland villages in San Fernando City polluted their drinking water with their own excreta. Today, they take pains to practice safe hygiene and sanitation. An innocent looking dry toilet (UDDT – urine-diverting dehydration toilet) and an untiring city mayor propelled this shift through a 2-town ecological sanitation pilot project that has evolved into a citywide movement. Can the city carry the momentum forward to the entire province and neighboring towns?

Read more: ADB, Mar 2008