Demo toilets tackle open defecation crisis

JANA-MARI SMITH



WINDHOEK

Amid Namibia’s informal settlement sanitation crisis, the establishment of demonstration toilets and rubbish collection sites by a non-profit is aimed at equipping communities to eradicate open defecation and tackle waste management problems.

Last week, the Development Workshop of Namibia (DWN) handed over a newly constructed demo toilet and a waste collection point to the Otjiwarongo municipality.

The toilet and waste collection site form part of a country-wide DWN sanitation programme, funded by the European Commission and United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef).

At the heart of the programme is the community-led total sanitation (CLTS) method, aimed at equipping communities with the necessary tools to address sanitation problems within their neighbourhoods, and to become open defecation-free (ODF).

“Demo toilets are constructed to serve as a model for a low-cost, municipality-approved toilet which residents can build at the household level,” Stephanie French, the DWN sanitation manager of community development, said.

Tackling a crisis

Close to 50% of Namibia’s urban population live in shacks, and half of all shack residents lack access to toilets.

Every year, an estimated additional 12 000 shacks are erected in towns across the country.

In addition to the demo toilets, which are often built near kindergartens, the DWN focuses on providing communities with waste collection points.

“Waste collection sites have emerged as a community-based solution where residents do not benefit from house-to-house rubbish collection, or where houses are inaccessible to municipal services,” French said.

The sites are constructed on the principle that the community collect and dump trash at the designated point, and the municipality collects the rubbish on a weekly basis.

Since the start of the project in July 2020, the DWN has constructed 18 demo toilets, five of which are connected to waste collection sites.

Three demonstration centres are currently in construction, including one with a waste collection site in Oniipa.

The aim is to build 50 sanitation centres in 10 towns by the end of 2022.

Paving the way

Since the launch of the project in 2019, 31 sanitation centres, demo toilets and ablution facilities have been built with additional funds from Unicef, B2Gold and RMB.

Towns that have benefitted to date include Swakopmund, Karibib, Otjiwarongo, Oshakati, Opuwo, Oniipa and Katima Mulilo as well as Windhoek and Onawa.

Communities have reported that the cost to build a toilet, using locally available materials plus purchased items, can range between N$1 800 to N$3 500. It can take one week to have a completely functional toilet if all materials are available.

The partnership between the community, the DWN and donors is paying off.

Two Windhoek informal settlements, Nalitungwe and Hadino Hinshongwa, are on the verge of being declared ODF - a status that will mark a major milestone for Windhoek informal settlements.

In May, a group of national ODF inspectors visited the two areas to verify their status.

To be declared ODF, all households have to have access to a clean toilet built according to specifications, in addition to a hand-washing facility next to it.

Other requirements include environments free of human faeces, rubbish and sewage water, as well as general cleanliness.