8 - Waste II

Plan for improving sanitation in the Kibera slum, Nairobi, Kenya (Question 1):

Since we have a lump sum of money to work with, the best way to spend it would be to establish some things that will last for a while, but that will also improve the situation short-term. We shouldn't use all of it to just pay wages, since it will eventually run out, and we don't know if we'll get any more after. Therefore, infrastructure improvements and training would be good investments.

Kibera residents and building owners don't have land tenure, and the future of the neighbourhood is uncertain. Any major infrastructure investments are therefore a bit risky, but to get any real improvement we have to assume that people will be staying there.

The Small-Scale Providers of Sanitation Services (SSPSS) are already established and are providing valuable services. It is important to keep them employed. The main problem is where they deposit the waste. There are only two sewer lines running through Kibera, and the manholes accessing them are often blocked. By expanding the sewer network and improving access to manholes, the waste can be properly disposed of. This is likely an expensive project and may use up most or all of our budget, but would create a lasting improvement.

An alternative would be to build more proper roads running through Kibera, so that mechanical sewage removal trucks could access more latrines. This would be in the people's interest since mechanical removal is cheaper than manual, but then again maybe it would be putting a lot of SSPSS out of business. Also, I'm not sure what would be more disruptive, building wider roads or expanding the sewer network.

To raise the status of the SSPSS in society, an office could be established which grants licenses to them, making their work more "official."

Finally, it was mentioned that there was a lack of skilled masons who can build proper latrines, therefore training more people in this field could also create some lasting benefits.