Creating Aspirations for Ecological Sanitation

Martin Murphy

martinandgillmurphy@yahoo.co.uk

In the2008 report by Wateraid – ‘Assessment of urine-diverting Eco-San toilets in

Nepal’ one very important point stressed was that there should not be a ‘one
strategy fits all’ approach to promoting ecosans . Some people are convinced by
the privacy of a toilet (whatever the type), some are persuaded by the fertiliser
benefits of the system or the relative costs or the subsidy which is often given.
The report realistically accepts that a variety of marketing approaches are
needed, which fit the circumstances and pockets of different recipient
communities.

This approach is sensible and I do not challenge it. I would like to add another
‘strand’ to the mix.

Most of the literature I have read, involve projects where ecosans are being
promoted to poor communities – perhaps one where a high percentage have no
access to toilet facilities, or one which has traditionally used pit latrines.
Necessarily, the thrust of the strategy is on the affordability of the new
sanitation. This will always be an important factor, but there is a tendency to
stress this to a degree which can have damaging effects on the more general
acceptance of the technology. Presentations sometimes suggest that people with
higher incomes will naturally choose a water-flush system, and the ecosan
becomes a serious option only when financial means are limited. A flush toilet
system is invariably the most expensive option and expensive is often associated
with ‘best’. In fact, for many developing countries, the flush system (linked to
mainline sewer pipes) is the worst solution for the country and consequently for
the children of those individuals fitting these toilets

Aspiration is a very significant factor for change or development of any society.

Look at the way that mobile phones have swept the world ……. and young
people are not content with a simple phone but will strive to own one with the
latest adaptations, however limited their resources. Care, therefore, should be
taken not to damage the aspirational appeal of ecosans to individuals and
communities. Affordability and practical benefits are very attractive elements,
but the wish to fulfil an aspiration can be a potent force.

The Western way

Short-term solutions are appealing to all societies. In the case of human waste,
to flush a toilet and wave goodbye to the problem is almost irresistible.

The West has adopted a method of sanitation which has major flaws. Though
flawed, a rapid increase in wealth and a plentiful supply of water meant that
societies could afford to concentrate efforts on improving the technology rather
than re-examining the basic concept. Recycling of soil nutrients was not a
consideration, especially when an alternative of oil-based fertilisers became
available. Industrialisation provided the wealth to construct complex and
expensive municipal sewage networks in towns and cities, though for a long
period of time sewage treatment was not a priority – it was discharged into rivers
and the sea untreated. Only when concern about public health and the
connection of killer diseases (e.g. typhoid and cholera) with contaminated water
supply was established were efforts made to improve treatment. Yet sewage
pollution is still an issue today, a century and a half after Britain began attempts
to solve the problem.

One hundred and fifty years and breath-taking expenditure has been spent to
address public health and pollution concerns which emerged from this choice of
sanitation. Only recently, however, that did Europe and America begin to see
the results of anti-pollution measures on its rivers and coastal waters. The
expenditure necessary to clear up the degradation caused by decades of neglect
has been extraordinary and more is still necessary. Yet even this expenditure
hasn’t addressed fundamental weaknesses – the conservation of water and the
recycling of nutrients. Efforts so far have concentrated on making water safe and
sewage less toxic – little has been done to bring natural fertility back to the soil –
the quantities of petro-chemical fertilizers used to enhance crop yield continue to
increase.

But just as the developing world copies the developed world’s ‘advances’ in
fashion, music and architecture, so it copies its model of waste treatment – a
flawed model which costs a fortune, results in degraded soils and poisoned
water bodies, and wastes precious water resources.

The tendency to copy the ‘advanced’ Western system of waste treatment is

further enforced by the ‘waving goodbye’ instinct already described. To shun the
responsibility of dealing with our excrement is, unfortunately, a natural instinct

What Other Choice is there?

The West may be able to hang on to their sewage disposal system and try to
recycle the valuable natural fertilisers it contains with costly hi-tech solutions
and high transport costs. Many developing countries will not be able to afford to
do this for a long time, if ever- They have additional problems of limited budgets,
large population growth and scarce water resources.

The question that all societies should ask is whether it is fair to burden future
generations with major problems because ours just cannot face the unpalatable
task of dealing sensibly with the waste which our bodies produce.

Ecological Sanitation – Two approaches – practical and propaganda

1. Every possible technical advance must be sought to address the problems

which people have with ecosan toilets – smell, seeing their own excrement,
containment, emptying chambers and having a suitable means of disposal
(particularly for town dwellers).
There perhaps needs to be two design ranges - economy and deluxe versions.
Obviously, as many positive features as possible should be incorporated into all
models, but for some features, the costs will mean that the deluxe model can
only be afforded by higher income groups. Features in design which might
attract these high earners could include

a) A sitting version of the ecosan

b) A sawdust/ash ‘reservoir’ which could cover a faecal deposit by simple means

of pulling a lever rather than adding by hand

c) A pan which was simple and easy to keep clean – plastic or enamel

d) Tiling in the room to allow easier cleaning and a drain (linked to the urine
feed?) which allowed grey water from washing and cleaning to exit.

2. There is a need to create a crusade mentality in communities which

counteracts the short-term ‘waving goodbye’ syndrome. Higher earners must be
convinced of the importance of making decisions on sanitation which reflect not
only affordability but social responsibility. Though this approach has been
rejected by some as too idealistic and impractical, I believe that it is necessary to
make people reject their natural instincts

Education and Familiarity

Nervousness about the fragility of the urine diversion ecosan systems has led
many projects to shun building them in schools and public places. The danger
that faecal waste becomes too wet, starts to smell and doesn’t compost quickly
is all too real. The problem, however, is that poor people who currently are the
main target for ecosan promotion may ask ‘Why are authorities recommending
these toilets, telling me of their great benefits – there’s no sign of them in rich
people’s houses or in public buildings? If they are so good, why is this the case?’

Similarly, schoolchildren are not experiencing the ecosan, yet it is they who need
to be convinced. Their imagination and ideals are vital to make the technology
main-stream. They need to be trained to use the toilets and they must be
persuaded that ecological sanitation is the best policy for their families and
communities.

To get greater understanding and acceptance of ecosans, there needs to be

changes in the technology and the marketing strategies

1. There must be urgent attention to the problem of misuse of urine diverting

ecosans. While proper use of the system is essential to its success, the
technology must be made sufficiently robust to withstand some degree of
misuse by uneducated or careless users. Public and corporate bodies will not
introduce innovations which can so easily be ruined by small mistakes.
Adaptations must be found so that occasional incidents of misuse don’t cause
serious problems – a drainage system? (I have noticed some facilities that use
baskets to collect faeces – if similar containers were raised from the chamber
base, would this prevent the solid waste becoming too wet?)

2. Public buildings, schools, medical facilities, hotels and businesses should be

included in the target market for ecosan toilets. It is impractical to think that
commercial organisations would abandon their flush toilet system, but it may be
that they would consider fitting ecosans as an alternative, if the marketing
campaign was sufficiently persuasive – let customers have the choice!
Promotion material for this sector of the market should make a strong appeal to
sustainable, eco-friendly ideals. Participants would be encouraged to promote
and educate clients and customers in the use/benefits of the latrines (posters
not lectures!). With the help of governments and local authorities it could
become a badge of honour (almost a patriotic duty) to have an ecosan toilet
option.

The Case of Uganda

This thesis, I believe could be adapted to any country, but the precise strategy
would vary. Taking Uganda, as a specific example, there is an urgent need
for concerted action to address the sanitation problems there. Plans for Kampala
(which may well have the biggest problems – with 10% of the population) seek to
find a solution to sewage pollution by the year 2030! ??????? What kind of
prospect is this? Lake Victoria could be totally incapable of supporting fish stocks
by 2030. Even if everything goes smoothly, have planners taken into account the
enormous population growth? If the economy thrives, what proportion of people
will then have flush-toilet systems? Even if Kampala finds a practical solution to
its sewage problem, what about the rest of the settlements round Lake Victoria
and the remainder of Uganda?

I believe it is virtually impossible for Uganda to find a Western style solution to

sewage treatment. It must obviously strive to address the enormous problems it
currently faces - providing safe drinking water and treating waste from towns
and cities. Flush toilets will not disappear – but a program to limit their growth
would give a breathing space to tackle the problems they have caused. The
country must promote a different sanitation system which is sustainable –
protecting its groundwater/ open water bodies from pollution, conserving water
resources and using human waste to improve soil fertility.

Uganda already has a program for ecological sanitation. In the YouTube video
‘Human Excreta Index – Uganda’ the minister for Water, Lands and Environment,
Hon. Maria Mutagamba, states that she has an ecosan toilet in her home – this is
great publicity for ecological sanitation and the more high profile citizens from
politics, entertainment, music and sport who can be persuaded to proudly
declare an ecosan choice, the better. However, in the minister’s interview, the
sanitation program discussed by African governments in 2002, was explained in
terms of it being a technology for people who could not afford a sewage or septic
tank installation. This immediately limits the potential effectiveness of the
program by excluding those with aspirations to have the best. Though the
situation in cities like Kampala, with stagnating pools of water containing sewage
and the deposits of ‘flying toilets’, give authorities the most immediate and
visible concerns, the hidden menace of sewage sludge in Lake Victoria is
potentially a bigger problem.

To achieve any momentum in implementing ecological sanitation, it is not

enough to persuade poorer sections of society to adopt the technology. It is
important to create, in all income groups, an aspiration to own/have access to
an ecosan toilet.

The source of the aspiration can be practical or moral but

The marketing campaign must reflect both these views - not promote one to
the detriment of the other.