Challenges of adoption of urine-diversion dry toilets technology as sanitation option by coastal communities of Mkuranga District in Tanzania

Abstract

Mkuranga District council in collaboration with African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF)introduced ecological sanitation option using urine-diversion dry toilets (UDDT) to the community between 2007 and 2009, which was later declared unsuccessful. This study analyzed factors that hindered the uptake of UDDT by the community by assessing the project implementation strategy. Techniques used for the study were questionnaire, interviews, observation and focus group discussion while respondents were government official and the community at the household level. The study reveals that the literacy level in Mkuranga district is 79.1%, but only 40.6% had some knowledge of ecological sanitation although only 9% proves that. About 52% of the respondents are using conventional pit latrines, but 27.3% have no toilet facilities. There was no evidence of adoption of UDDT technology at household level and only one of the seven UDDTs constructed by the project is operational. There was no sufficient evidence to suggest that Mkuranga District has sufficiently supported the project through supervision, advocacy and addressing community requirements. As a result, the idea came in top-bottom approach which failed because communities were not adequately involved in the project.

Factors Associated With Utilization of Ecological Sanitation Technology in Burera District, Rwanda: A Mixed Methods Research

“…Evidence of a continuous decline in Ecosan utilization was mostly observed in areas where outside sanitation agents installed Ecosan in the communities. This is in line with the findings of similar studies in Tanzania, 8 Malawi, 6,9 and South Africa. 27 However, the current study differs from the cited studies in the conceptualization and operationalization parts of the study outcome and related factors.…”

“…Research conducted in Tanzania, Malawi, and Uganda highlighted the cost of construction, gender, and religious taboos, as the main challenges for the adoption of Ecosan in these areas. [8][9][10][11] This has resulted in a slow down of diffusion of Ecosan pilot project and discontinuance of utilization among the beneficiaries in these cited countries. 12 This is evidence of diverse factors during the diffusion of Ecosan in different social settings, which need to be contextualized wherever Ecosan was implemented.…”

Pre-Implementation Perceptions Among Teachers on the Use of Ecological Sanitation and Application of Human Urine as Fertilizer

“…Eco-san systems which use human waste hold the potential to improve the sanitary situation in an efficient way (Pradhan, Piya, & Heinonen-Tanski, 2011). Since the system is cost-effective to construct and environmentally safe to use, it may decrease the risk of diseases (Mayo & Mubarak, 2015), and also could increase perceptions of food security (Ersson & King, 2019). Poor sanitation causes negative effects on the environment, the economy, and well-being (Chariar & Ramesh Sakthived, 2011).…”

Pre-implementation Perceptions Among Teachers on the Use of Ecological Sanitation and Application of Human Urine as Fertilizer

“…Ecological sanitation (Eco-san) systems which usehuman waste hold the potential to improve the sanitary situation in an e cient way [2]. Since the system is cost-effective to construct and environmentally safe to use, it may decrease the risk of diseases [3], and alsocould increase perceptions of food security [4]. Poor sanitation causes negative effects on the environment, the economy, and wellbeing [5].…”