Socio-technical analysis of a sanitation innovation in a peri-urban household in Durban, South Africa

Catherine Sutherland; Eva Reynaert; Sifiso Dhlamini; Fanelesibonge Magwaza; Juri Lienert; Michel E Riechmann; Sibongile Buthelezi; Duduzile Khumalo; Eberhard Morgenroth; Kai M Udert; Rebecca C Sindall

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143284

Socio-technical analysis of a sanitation innovation in a peri-urban household in Durban, South Africa

Sci Total Environ. 2021 Feb 10;755(Pt 2):143284. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143284. Epub 2020 Oct 29.

Affiliations

¹ University of KwaZulu Natal, School of Built Environment and Development Studies, 4041 Durban, South Africa.
² Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland; ETH Zürich, Institute of Environmental Engineering, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland. Electronic address: eva.reynaert@eawag.ch.
³ University of KwaZulu Natal, Pollution Research Group, 4041 Durban, South Africa.
⁴ Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland; Fraunhofer Ernst-Mach-Institute (EMI), 79104 Freiburg, Germany.
⁵ Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland.
⁶ Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland; ETH Zürich, Institute of Environmental Engineering, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.

PMID: 33168239
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143284

Abstract

The provision of water and sanitation for all that is safe, dignified, reliable, affordable and sustainable is a major global challenge. While centralized sewer-based sanitation systems remain the dominant approach to providing sanitation, the benefits of non-sewered onsite sanitation systems are increasingly being recognised. This paper presents the outcomes of the testing of the Blue Diversion Autarky Toilet (BDAT), a sanitation system providing hygiene and dignity without relying on water and wastewater infrastructure, in a peri-urban household in Durban, South Africa. The BDAT was used by a single household as their only form of sanitation during three months of technical and social testing. An analysis based on technical data in combination with interpretive, qualitative research methods revealed that the BDAT functioned well and achieved high levels of social acceptance in the test household. The flushing, cleanliness and odour-free nature of the sanitation technology, its functionality, the household's previous sanitation experience, and their experience with and understanding of water scarcity, were the main factors underpinning their positive response to this innovation in sanitation. The testing process resulted in broader developmental benefits for the household, including improved basic services due to the upgrading of the electrical and existing sanitation system, social learning, and improved relationships between household members and the local state. A transdisciplinary research process, which emerged through the assessment, enabled the integration of different forms of knowledge from multiple actors to address the complexity of problems related to the development of socially just sanitation. The benefit of engaging with societal actors in sanitation innovation and assessing its outcomes using both the technical and social sciences is evident in this paper.

Keywords: Field test; Service delivery; Social acceptance; Source separation; Transdisciplinary research; Water reuse.

MeSH terms

Family Characteristics
Hygiene*
Sanitation*
South Africa
Water Supply