Cookie tracking notice
Are we allowed to crumble with cookies and anonymous tracking?

We use cookies on our website. Some of them are essential for the operation of the site (so called session cookies), while others help us to improve this site and the user experience (tracking cookies). We use the application Matomo and the external service etracker to analyze your behavior on our website anonymously. Because we value your privacy, we are here with asking your permission to use the following technologies. You can change your settings any time via this link or the menu item in footer menu. For more information visit our Data Policy

Sanitation Partnerships: Bringing pit emptying out of the darkness

Eales, K. (2005)

Published in: 2005

Publisher:
Building Partnerships for Development (BPD), Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP), UK

Author:
Eales, K.

Uploaded by:
SuSanA secretariat

Partner profile:
common upload


5871 Views
36 Downloads


 Location of library entry

Content - Summary

This Sanitation Series paper, referencing two case studies from South Africa and Kenya to discudd when partnerships are appropriate.

Sooner or later, any toilet pit will fill. Where is no space to dig a replacement pit, the old pit must be emptied. Yet pit emptying is the dark under-belly of on-site sanitation – neglected, stigmatised, and inadequately acknowledged as an essential component of sustainable sanitation, especially for the poor. Where pit emptying is ignored, pits become unusable, waste spills and people’s health and living environments are compromised; but what is needed to make pit emptying itself safer for those who do this work?

This case study presents two approaches to manual pit emptying to highlight some problems and possibilities in this badly neglected area of service provision. In Kibera, a vast informal settlement in Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi, manual pit emptiers work inside pits at night by torch-light, without protective clothing, using rented basic equipment, subject to abuse and stigmatization, and dependent for jobs on agents of the landlords; the waste is commonly disposed of by dumping it into the settlement’s streams. By contrast, city management in Durban, South Africa, is experimenting with a small contractor development-cum -franchise model for manual pit emptying: sub-contractors will employ teams of wage labourers who enjoy the protection of the law, and who work in daylight with long-handled shovels, heavy gloves and gumboots, transferring pit waste from drums to specially modified waste skips, where it is screened before being disposed of safely.

What the Kibera workers we spoke to want above all is public acknowledgement of the value of their work, and acknowledgement of its hazards. They say they feel invisible, yet are vulnerable to attack because of the work they do. This paper attempts to highlight some aspects of their work, while contrasting it with the very different approach being taken in Durban.

Bibliographic information

Eales, K. (2005). Sanitation Partnerships: Bringing pit emptying out of the darkness. Building Partnerships for Development (BPD), Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP), UK

Filter tags

English Sub-Saharan Africa

Download

Sanitation Partnerships: Bringing pit emptying out of the darkness

Format: pdf file
Size: 0.17 MB

Share this page on    


Follow us on    

SuSanA Partners  currently 400 partners

Networks Circle

 

Latest SuSanA Blog Articles

  • 26-03-2024Alice Brandt ,Mascha Kaddori:
    Let’s get wild: Water, sanitation and hygiene at the human-wildlife interface »
  • 21-03-2024Tabeer Riaz:
    Empowering Young Women Water Professionals in South Asia: Leading the Wave of Change »
  • 12-03-2024Beauty Mkoba:
    Unlocking the potential of African Women in STEM through mentorship »
  • 08-03-2024Gloria Mariga :
    Mentorship empowers African women to lead environmental stewardship »
  • 05-03-2024Josphine Gaicugi:
    Achieving access to adequate and equitable sanitation for all is no mean feat »
  • 01-02-2024Sanitation for Millions:
    Toilets Making the Grade® school competition – A Competition where all Participants are Winners »
  • 24-01-2024Anne Fetscher,Jörg Felmeden:
    The sustainable use of tap water (in Germany) and the power of education. An Interview with Dr.-Ing. Jörg Felmeden »

SuSanA Blog »

SuSanA newsletter

Stay informed about the activities of SuSanA and its partners. The SuSanA newsletter is sent out around four times per year. It contains information about news, events, new partners, projects, discussions and publications of the SuSanA network.

Subscribe to newsletter »

 


close  

 

Resources and publications

Our library has more than 3,000 publications, factsheets, presentations, drawings etc. from many different organisations. It continues to grow thanks to the contributions from our partners.

Add item to library »

The three links below take you to special groups of items in the library for more convenient access:

Projects

The project database contains nearly 400 sanitation projects of many different organizations dealing with research, implementation, advocacy, capacity development etc. Advanced filtering functions and a global map are also available. Information on how and why this database was created is here.

People working for SuSanA partners can add their own projects through their partner profile page. You might need your SuSanA login upgraded for this purpose. Please contact us if you would like to add a project.


Trainings, conference and events materials

Missed important conferences or courses? Catch up by using their materials for self study. These materials have been kindly provided by SuSanA partners.

Shit flow diagrams, excreta flow diagrams (298 SFDs worldwide)

Shit flow diagrams (SFDs) help to visualize excreta management in urban settings. Access SFDs and more through the SFD Portal.

Emersan eCompendium

Humanitarian Sanitation Hub

Sanitation Workers Knowledge and Learning Hub

 


close  

 

Discussion forum

Share knowledge, exchange experiences, discuss challenges, make announcements, ask questions and more. Hint: Your discussion forum login is the same as your SuSanA login. More about the forum's philosophy »


Integrated content

We are hosting content from some other communities of practice and information-sharing portals. This section also provides a link to SuSanA's Sanitation Wikipedia initiative.

Suggest content to add »

SuSanA partners

Not yet a SuSanA partner? Show your organisation's support to SuSanA's vision and engage in  knowledge sharing by becoming partners.

Apply to become a partner »


Individual membership

Register as an individual member of SuSanA free of charge. As a member you can interact with thousands of sanitation enthusiasts on the discussion forum.  You can also get engaged in one of our 13 working groups and our regional chapters. Our FAQs explain the benefits further.

By getting a SuSanA login you can fully participate in the SuSanA community!

Register as a member

Login


Forgot your password?
Forgot your username?

 


close