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Improving
conditions in Nairobi's slums
By George Yap, Program Director
Hundreds of millions of urban dwellers have inadequate provision of water and sanitation facilities. In Africa, less than half the population in most urban centers have water piped to their homes, and even fewer have access to sanitation facilities. In the crowded slums bordering many African cities, water and sanitation conditions are appalling.
In places like Kibera, WaterCan is working with Kenya Water for Health Organization (KWAHO), to help bring clean drinking water and sanitation facilities to local residents. The Kibera slum lies on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya's capital, and is a bewildering maze of dirt paths that wind through over-crowded neighbourhoods made up of run-down houses with corrugated tin roofs. Kibera is home to more than half of the city's one million residents, and has the dubious distinction of being the largest informal settlement in Africa. It is common for entire families to be living in a single room measuring ten feet by ten feet. The majority of Kibera's residents obtain their water mostly from privately owned kiosks that are connected to the main municipal system and registered with the Nairobi City Council. It is not uncommon for each of these facilities to serve a thousand people or more - which results in long line-ups.
Situations like this have encouraged the development of illegal water connections. Unfortunately the water that they supply is usually of suspect quality. Residents who do not have access to kiosks must purchase water from water trucks that come from outside the slum. According to Catherine Mwango, KWAHO's Executive Director, the price per litre charged by the trucks can increase dramatically, especially during the dry season. Mrs. Mwango said that the truly desperate can always obtain water from the highly polluted Ngong River that winds its way through the slums.
During the rainy season, a sudden downpour can transform Kibera's laneways into muddy streams, and homes in low-lying areas are flooded with dirty disease-ridden water.
This terrible situation is made worse by the lack of sanitation facilities and garbage removal services. "Flying toilets" is a local expression used to describe people's habit of defecating into paper or plastic bags and throwing them onto the streets, in open areas, and on the roofs. This is a common practice in the slums. Traditional pit latrines are there but they are poorly maintained, and fill up quickly because each latrine commonly serves up to 200 people. For example, at Baptist Public School, located in the heart of Kibera, more than 400 students and teachers must share two outdoor pit latrines. Not surprisingly, outbreaks of diseases like cholera and typhoid are common occurrences.
WaterCan, in partnership with KWAHO, plans to construct large water storage tanks with taps that are connected to the municipal water system. Toilet blocks will also be built to help address the acute shortage of sanitation facilities in the slums. These facilities will be maintained and operated by self-help and other community groups who will receive training in basic business skills and operation and maintenance procedures. Although the projects carried out by WaterCan offer many health benefits, it is often the social and economic benefits that motivate community members to solve their water problems.
By making slum residents less dependent on water truck vendors who charge much more than water kiosks, they will be able to save money. This especially benefits the poorest households who commonly spend 50% or more of their income just to meet this most basic need. Freed-up funds can be used to pay for desired items like more nutritious food, school fees, or perhaps even setting up a small business. Moreover, meager savings are not as likely to be quickly exhausted to cover a wide range of health care costs related to water and sanitation-related illnesses.
Finally, one of the most overlooked yet far reaching benefits of community-based water and sanitation projects is the growth of self-confidence and hope within communities – key components for development. These benefits range from simply being able to wear clean clothes, and going to the toilet in privacy and with dignity, to instilling among community members the knowledge that they can organize themselves to tackle and solve their problems.