Countries Archive - Page 19 of 23

Social Accountability for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Lusaka, Zambia

Written by s.mutafya on 12. August 2021. Posted in Countries, Zambia.

WASH Forum in Lusaka’s George Compound hosted by LuWSI and Village Water Zambia

It is estimated that over 70% of people living in informal settlements in Lusaka continue to be disenfranchised when it comes to access to adequate WASH and solid waste management services. Although various interventions to tackle this problem have been implemented, the importance of cooperation within communities and with duty bearers in taking responsibility for these services cannot be underscored. Maintenance, appropriate use and awareness of WASH and solid waste services are key to improve the situation in the long run. In short, communities must develop social accountability for such services. This fosters good governance and ultimately improves WASH services for all.

Access to safe water, adequate sanitation and hygiene services is important for the wellbeing of communities.
Copyright: GIZ/Jesper Anhede

To promote this cooperation, a virtual Water Sanitation and Hygiene Forum for social accountability took place on July 29th. The forum was hosted by the Lusaka Water Security Initiative (LuWSI) secretariat, in collaboration with Village Water Zambia (VWZ), a non-governmental organization operating in Zambia and member of LuWSI. VWZ strives to improve access to WASH services in George compound in Lusaka’s Matero Constituency, one of the city’s biggest informal settlements.

WASH Forum for social accountability in Lusaka’s George Compound

The purpose of the forum was twofold: First, to appraise issues around WASH services, solid waste management and drainage problems in George Compound. And second, to get insights into plans for improving the WASH status quo in George from the Members of Parliaments’ (MP) perspective. The forum culminated in a social contract, which was ratified by each of the prospective MPs as well as the people of George compound. In the contract, they assure their commitment to address these issues and implement the discussed plans, once they should be elected in the upcoming general elections.

As NatuReS, we believe in the power of partnership and collaboration for economic growth and mutual accountability to strengthen governance and sustain the wellbeing of vulnerable communities such as in Lusaka’s George Compound.

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Author: Sonile Mutafya, NatuReS Advisor Zambia

Women as water stewards in Zambia

Written by s.mutafya on 6. August 2021. Posted in Countries, Zambia.

Income diversification for economic wellbeing and ecosystem preservation

No single actor can improve water security on its own. While water shortages, flooding or degrading water quality affect everyone, solutions can only stem from joint action. Also, water security must envision not only the water source itself, but the whole ecosystem within a catchment. Cardinal to any solution is the role women play in the stewardship of water and other natural resources. This is because women not only take care of the water supply at their homes, do the cooking or the laundry. They are also strongly involved in economic activities like farming or production.

Water stewardship beyond water supply and sanitation

The Chambeshi Water Security Partnership promotes the participation of women in water stewardship further than water supply and sanitation in their homes. Instead, the partnership supports women in participating more strongly in the governing of their natural resources. It enables them to progress in diverse economic activities such as beekeeping, aquaculture, agriculture, tree planting and selling seedlings.

Beekeeping instead of charcoal production

Diversified income opportunities make them less dependent on traditional practices like charcoal production, which damages the forest and the whole ecosystem, thereby affecting water quality and quantity in the catchment. Charcoal production, by damaging the ecosystem on which people make a living in the catchment, would also not sustainably generate income for the women in the long run.

Sara Chisha and Joan Sampa set up a beehive in a forest within the Chambeshi Catchment.
Copyright: GIZ

Instead, Sara Chisha and Joan Sampa are now setting up beehives in the forest. Selling honey is a new economic activity for them as they previously made a living producing charcoal. By finding alternative sources of income that preserve the health of the forest, also their economic wellbeing is safeguarded.

Sarah and Joan haven’t achieved this alone. Joint action from various actors of the Chambeshi Water Security Partnership, supported by NatuReS, set the scene for this change process. Activities carried out by the partnership include trainings of community members on beekeeping, financing of beekeeping equipment and the establishment of the Twatampako Women’s Club, created to support women in commercializing their products.

Women maintaining furrows of the Milundu stream, which are used for the irrigation of various crops that sustain the people of Lukupa Village. The stream passes through three villages with a total population of 3908 inhabitants.
Copyright: GIZ

These activities highlight that women’s management of natural resources goes far beyond collection and use of water at their homes, revealing them as agents of change in the governance and protection of natural resources.

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Author: Sonile Mutafya, NatuReS Advisor Zambia

PET bottles collected for recycling in Kampala, Uganda

Exploring PET plastic waste flows in Greater Kampala

Written by Support on 19. July 2021. Posted in Uganda.

A baseline study conducted under the GKMA PET Plastic Recycling Partnership

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic pollution is on the rise in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area (GKMA), Uganda’s most populated area. GKMA has experienced rapid urbanisation and population growth, as well as fast economic development, over the last 35 years. As one consequence of this development, PET is used in increasing quantities, largely in packaging of food and beverages.

This generates a significant amount of plastic waste and pollution in Greater Kampala and environs. Poor consumer behaviour such as littering and the creation of illegal dumpsites further accelerate pollution. This results not only in increasing amounts of PET plastic in the environment, but has also negative impacts like degradation of landscapes and blockage of urban canals and rivers. Increased risk of flooding and the emergence of waterborne diseases in stagnant waters are ultimate consequences.

plastic waste in channel in Kampla — PET plastic waste accumulating in a drainage channel in GKMA
Copyright: NatuReS Uganda

Although PET plastic pollution in GKMA being a very visible problem, it has previously never been quantified. The exact amount of PET plastic waste generated, collected, recycled, disposed in landfills, and leaked into the environment in GKMA has so far not been examined. However, such information is crucial for better planning and management of PET plastic waste.

To close this knowledge gap, the GKMA PET plastic waste recycling partnership conducted a baseline study on PET plastic waste flows in GKMA. The study identifies key stakeholders in the PET recycling value chain and compiles the relevant policies and legislations that affect plastic waste management in GKMA. Furthermore, it highlights the main challenges and opportunities for the management of PET waste in GKMA. The findings helped the partners to make informed decisions on priority intervention areas under the partnership. They also suggested practical mechanisms to improve management of this waste stream across the PET plastics recycling value chain.

Key findings on the PET waste flow

8.6 million pieces of pre-form PET bottles are imported into Uganda per day, of which 40% (3.4 million pieces) are commercialized in GKMA every day. This equals an amount of 62.9 tons/day.
57% of the PET plastic waste this generates is collected.
Out of this, 17% ends up at gazetted disposal site(s),
35% is transported to recovery facilities, where it is processed for exportation, while
5% is leaked during collection and transportation services.
43% of all PET waste is NOT collected. This corresponds to 9.948 tons of uncollected plastic per year. This faction may end up in drains, land and water bodies.

PET waste flows baseline study in Kampala, Uganda — PET waste flows in GKMA visualized using a Sankey diagram

The informal sector plays a crucial role in recovering PET materials for recycling. In fact, informal waste collectors recover all the PET waste, of which 57% is delivered to formal recyclers, who in turn process it as preparation for exportation.

There is only limited capacity to make new products from PET waste either within Uganda or neighbouring countries in East Africa. Therefore, once the formal recyclers process the PET waste into small flakes, they are packaged and exported to various countries, among which the US, India and Indonesia, for further processing.

Every month, up to 660 tons of flakes PET waste, worth USD 232.654 (USD 2.8 million per year), are exported from GKMA to the international market. This number underlines the importance of the recycling sector for the economy in GKMA and the potential it could unfold if further processing and up-cycling was to be established in the country

Managing industrial wastewater in Tanzania: Challenges and solutions

Written by Support on 6. July 2021. Posted in Countries, Tanzania.

Industrialization is one of the key strategic objectives within the Tanzanian National Development Plan. However, with often water-intensive production expanding, the treatment of increasing amounts of wastewater poses a major challenge. This is especially the case in the country’s economic centre Dar es Salaam. Untreated discharge not only has a negative effect on the ecosystem and the health of communities using the water, but also on foreign investment.

Complexity of discharge permit process as obstacle to investment

Industries, especially those exporting to the US and Europe, increasingly adhere to strict compliance on international environmental standards. A significant challenge these industries face is the complexity of the process to obtain official permits for the disposal of wastewater. With multiple regulating agencies involved and industries requiring various types of permits, the result is a complex and lengthy process to safely dispose of wastewater.

Wastewater treatment plant in Dar es Salaam — Tooku Garment LTD pre-treatment plant at the Benjamin William Mkapa Special Economic Zone, Dar es Salaam
Copyright: EPZA

NatuReS, in collaboration with stakeholders of the partnership including the Tanzania Export Processing Zones Authority (EPZA), aims at addressing this issue. First, by establishing and facilitating a continuous dialogue between regulators and the private sector. Additionally, by supporting the development and implementation of ‘Industrial Wastewater Management Guidelines’ for the EPZA. These represent an important step to formalize and standardize this process.

With a growing industrial sector, there is an increasing need for an integrated, predictable and modern permit management system.

Videos to visualize processes and regulators

The following video visualizes both the processes and the regulators involved in industrial wastewater management, showcasing the example of an imaginary factory in the Benjamin William Mkapa Special Economic Zone.

This animated video was produced by GIZ NatuReS in collaboration with the Tanzania Export Processing Zones Authority (EPZA), Dar es Salaam Water Supply and Sanitation Authority (DAWASA), National Environmental Management Council (NEMC), the Confederation of Tanzanian Industries (CTI) and Wami Ruvu Basin Water Board (WRBWB).

A second video includes testimonies from the regulators, explaining their roles and responsibilities in managing industrial wastewater. The Confederation of Tanzania Industries (CTI) on behalf of the private sector highlights the persisting challenge to environmental compliance by industries and why it is important to have a coordinated approach in managing industrial wastewater.

This video was produced by GIZ NatuReS in collaboration with the Tanzania Export Processing Zones Authority (EPZA), Dar es Salaam Water Supply and Sanitation Authority (DAWASA), National Environmental Management Council (NEMC), the Confederation of Tanzanian Industries (CTI) and Wami Ruvu Basin Water Board (WRBWB).