| Location: | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia |
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| Category: | Health |
| Published: | 06 July 2007 |
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Every year, unsafe water, coupled with a lack of basic sanitation, kills at least 1.6 million children under the age of five years. Extending basic sanitation services to poor urban areas is of utmost importance to prevent outbreaks of water-related diseases such as cholera, typhoid and hepatitis. Since more than half the population of Addis Ababa does not have access to latrines and experience open defecation, there is huge demand for safe and affordable public facilities.
The project’s pilot phase has shown that people are prepared to pay a small fee of 1.5 Euro Cent for such services, which may be used by several thousand people every day. This small fee will ensure the project is self-sustaining.
This project plans to provide public ecological sanitation for the people of Addis Ababa. The latrines that we will provide use ecological sanitation technology and as a result, the side products are organic fertilizers and soil conditioners that can assist in preventing erosion.
In addition to adding convenience to people’s lives in Addis Ababa, ecological sanitation is a highly efficient means of promoting public health at low cost. It also provides a significant number of employment opportunities – particularly in relation to the low investment required.
These latrines are considered dry sanitation as they dispose of human urine and faeces without the use of water as a carrier. Urine and faeces are managed separately. The deposited faecal matter may be dried by the addition of lime, ash, or earth, and the contents are simply isolated from human contact for a specified period of time to reduce the presence of pathogens. In this process, bacteria, worms, or other organisms are used to break organic matter down to produce compost. This project will help to address the environmental problem associated with the inadequacy of the waste management and water shortages in Addis Ababa.
The project’s pilot phase has shown that people are prepared to pay a small fee of 1.5 Euro Cent for such services, which may be used by several thousand people every day. This small fee will ensure the project is self-sustaining.
This project plans to provide public ecological sanitation for the people of Addis Ababa. The latrines that we will provide use ecological sanitation technology and as a result, the side products are organic fertilizers and soil conditioners that can assist in preventing erosion.
In addition to adding convenience to people’s lives in Addis Ababa, ecological sanitation is a highly efficient means of promoting public health at low cost. It also provides a significant number of employment opportunities – particularly in relation to the low investment required.
These latrines are considered dry sanitation as they dispose of human urine and faeces without the use of water as a carrier. Urine and faeces are managed separately. The deposited faecal matter may be dried by the addition of lime, ash, or earth, and the contents are simply isolated from human contact for a specified period of time to reduce the presence of pathogens. In this process, bacteria, worms, or other organisms are used to break organic matter down to produce compost. This project will help to address the environmental problem associated with the inadequacy of the waste management and water shortages in Addis Ababa.
