FOCUS SANITATION
“Reorganizing the sanitation sector to give it a new image”
Francine ABIOLA :
The majority of countries in Africa are lagging behind in the area of sanitation. Francine ABIOLA, a specialist on the issue proposes in this interview the strategies of Sanitation Capacity Development (SaniCaDe) for improving the state of sanitation.
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The water and sanitation sector already abounds in several organizations, what are the motivations for the creation of SaniCaDe (Sanitation Capacity Development)? These past years, several investments have been made for financing the sanitation sector in general and management of sludge in particular in developing countries. Unfortunately, these investments have not had the expected impact; the constructions made have been degraded or abandoned. The beneficiaries suffer from lack of competent human resources and financial resources. The capacity for management and reorganization of the sector based on an integrated and participative vision represents the key to success. Sanitation should be perceived today as a socio-economic development tool by public and private structures and the civil society. Technological options and strategies for managing sanitation should take into account the energy, climate, food and financial crises that are added to the challenges of public health and protection of the environment. Research has evolved a lot in the sector through the development of waste water and sludge treatment technologies at less cost, the reclamation of treatment by-products, participative management strategies and innovative approaches. Research is today capable of proposing to policy-makers, municipalities, institutions, scien-
AfWA NEWS n° 106
tific and technical support for project management and supervision. This is the role that SaniCaDe wants to play and which differentiates it from the other organizations. SaniCaDe aims to link access to sanitation services to the socio-economic development agenda of urban, semi-urban and rural areas by mobilizing the expertise to meet the needs of all actors of the sector.
How do you intend to operate in order to improve access of the poorest population groups to sanitation works? SaniCaDe works in collaboration with the ministries, municipalities, private enterprises, agencies and the civil society. We contact different stakeholders to collect their needs, then we develop the necessary tools to address them. All the strategies developed are aimed at ensuring access to sanitation service for the most disadvantaged groups with particular emphasis on women, children and disabled persons. The concern to improve access of the poorest population groups to better sanitation is at the centre of all our activities. The general objective of SaniCaDe is to contribute to improve access to sanitation for the poor and poorly served populations in Africa with particular attention on women, children, vulnerable persons, through sustainable, innovative, participative and integrated approaches, intended to
December/Décembre 2011
accompany public authorities, the private sector and the civil society in the face of the increasing and urgent needs of the sector. What justifies Africa’s lateness in the area of sanitation? Is there hope of making up for its lateness in the short and medium term? For many years, sanitation has remained on the fringes of national planning policies and strategies for the benefit of access to potable water. Access to sanitation service was limited to the construction of autonomous sanitation facilities. The construction of latrines and septic tanks was not accompanied by a management plan taking into account the emptying, transport, treatment of sludge and reclamation of the by-products of the treatment. Once filled, these tanks are emptied mechanically or manually and their content poured into gutters, streams or even in houses, without any prior treatment. The lack and dysfunction of treatment stations generally observed in African countries are the cause of the uncontrolled evacuation and lack of treatment of sludge, which constitutes a health and environmental hazard for the populations. The poor management of sludge and waste water is accentuated by the demographic explosion, rural-urban drift, rapid spread of shanty towns and squatter settlements. Moreover, the recent tendency for decentralization in sub-Saharan Africa, has transferred