The Sanitation Station

This final instalment in my blog series will take a look to the future, where I will unpack the topic of water and sanitation in relation to the pressing issue of climate change. Several climate change studies predict that there will be fewer light precipitation events and more frequent heavy precipitation events, where this is particularly exaggerated in the tropics. According to  Cann et al. (2013) , one of the detrimental effects of climate change on water and sanitation is the rise in water-borne diseases due to more frequent and intense flood events.  The o utbreaks of disease were associated most frequently with contamination of drinking water supplies (57.3%) . Flooding can lead to contamination through the   widespread spillage of faecal matter into the environment , (as can be highlighted  in Figure 1) as well as the risk of damage to sewers and wastewater treatment plants. The contamination of water supplies poses  an enormous risk to developing countries, such as Africa, whe

Women and girls are disproportionately affected by the lack of safe drinking water, adequate sanitation, and hygiene facilities in the home, at school, and at work. It is vital that the needs of females are prioritised in order to achieve gender equity and to lock the potential of half of global society .  Women are not only responsible for collecting water, a time-consuming and onerous task, but they also face other sanitation related obstacles, which compromise their ability to lead a healthy, safe and productive life . In my previous blogs, I have explored the lacking availability and accessibility of sanitation facilities within communities where it has become evident that most households do not possess a private toilet. This disproportionately effects women who are forced to use insecure facilities outside the home, posing many health risks, as these facilities are often unclean and ill-maintained. Where toilets aren't available or accessible, it is not uncommon that resident

As we have discussed in previous posts, one of the most effective ways to prevent dangerous sanitation practices, such as open defecation, is to maintain a well-functioning toilet that is safe and accessible for all. So how can we do this? Although current practices and facilities are less than adequate, the question is not whether to wipe them out and replace them with large-scale networked infrastructures, but instead, we need to tap into the everyday micro-politics of sanitation ,  to create a more dignified and safe sanitation experience.  A market-based approach: the "Fresh Life" toilet Take a look in this video below: Sanergy was designed in response to  rapid urbanisation and impending water scarcity . As a result of densely populated informal urban settlements, there is an abundance of human waste. Imagine if your waste wasn't flushed away after every visit to the toilet. Where would you put it? What if this was the case for yo