African Water Development Report 2006 - United Nations Economic ...

African Water Development Report 2006In addition, there are many barriers to expandingaccess to improved sanitation services,including:(a) Lack of political will;(b) Low prestige and recognition;(c) Poor policy at all levels;(d) Weak institutional framework;(e) Inadequate and poorly used resources;(f ) Inappropriate approaches;(g) Failure to recognize defects of current excretamanagement systems;(h) Neglect of consumer preference;(i) Ineffective promotion and low publicawareness; and(j) Women and children (ibid.).An understanding of the reasons for the apparentlow demand is first required before it can be determinedwhether changes can be brought aboutthrough political, financial or technical means,or simply by improving information. People maysincerely want sanitation, but lack the financialor political capacity to obtain it. Some may wantsafe excreta management facilities, but not at theprevailing price. Others may not want the available“improvements” at any price.(a) Equity. All segments of society have accessto safe, appropriate sanitation systemsadapted to their needs and means;(b) Health promotion and protection fromdisease. Sanitation systems should preventusers and other people from contracting excreta-relateddiseases and should interruptthe cycle of disease transmission; and(c) Protection of the environment. Sanitationsystems should neither pollute ecosystemsnor deplete scarce resources (ibid).Four major challenges face the water supply andsanitation sector in the coming years. These are:(a) Keeping pace with a net population growthof more than a billion people over the next15 years;(b) Closing the coverage and service gap, withemphasis on sanitation which lags far behindwater supply;(c) Ensuring sustainability of existing and newservices; and(d) Improving the quality of services.Cultural beliefs have a strong impact on sanitation,and even the ability to discuss the subject. Inmany cultures, the handling of excreta is considereda taboo, disgusting or a dangerous nuisancethat should not be talked about. No one wantsto be associated with excreta. Association maystigmatize those who reduce its offensive characteristicsfor others. Problems cannot be solved ifpeople do not want to talk about them and be associatedwith their solution. In many contexts, taboosincluding modern technological ones blockthe safe recovery of valuable agricultural resourcesfrom human wastes. In order to counter the excretataboo, education is required to promote sanitationand hygiene which should link the value ofexcreta (feces and urine) with ecology and healthprotection. Three principles are fundamental tothe creation of socially, economically and ecologicallysustainable sanitation systems, namely:116