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Chapter 6: The Sanitation Revolution
CHALLENGES OF VIP LATRINES FOR SOUTH AFRICAN MUNICIPALITIES
• Flawed knowledge of how the pits functioned;
• Dumping of all sorts of waste (including rags and plastic bags) into the
latrines meant they were filling faster than they were designed to handle;
• Incomplete digestion of faecal sludge;
• Accumulating faecal sludge meant that the systems were difficult to
empty; and
• Disposal of the sludge is difficult to do safely.
With pits filling up and not being maintained properly by either the municipality or
the household, people who had already been supplied with VIP latrines rejoined the
backlog queue.
Bridging the gap
One of the challenges for the sanitation sector in South Africa is finding technologies
that can bridge the gap between VIP latrines and full waterborne sanitation.
We don’t have enough additional water all year round to supply everyone with
waterborne sanitation.
TWO ALTERNATIVE TOILETS
The Low Flush Toilet
The on-site Low Flush system is one example of a system capable of bridging
the gap between VIP latrines and waterborne sanitation. The innovative Low
Flush toilet bowl design works on low flush volumes, using between one and
two litres a flush – as opposed to the conventional nine litres per flush – and it
is capable of using greywater during times of water stress.
The Pour Flush Toilet
Another example is the Pour Flush toilet, which is designed to be flushed
using poured water. The main advantage of this toilet is that it does not
require a constant pressurised water supply to function. The toilet can also
be upgraded with a cistern that uses around three litres to flush, highlighting
its adaptability. Pilots have been successfully installed in various parts of
South Africa.
Next generation toilet technologies
The South African Sanitation Technology Demonstration Programme (SASTEP) – a
partnership between the Water Research Commission, the Department of Science
and Technology, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – provided a glimpse
of what the future might look like by commissioning researchers to “Reinvent the
Toilet”.
Demonstration-ready models are being evaluated in South Africa, specifically
in municipalities that have service delivery challenges. These next-generation
toilet technologies are modular units with a hygienic interface and new treatment
processes. Examples of these processes include hydrothermal carbonisation,
combustion and electrochemical treatment.
Water Facts & Futures: Rethinking South Africa’s Water Future | Page
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