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New Developments in Citywide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS)

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Damir Brdjanovic

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Guest Editor

Department of Water Supply, Sanitation and Environmental Engineering, IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, Delft, The Netherlands
Interests: sanitation; sewage treatment; fecal sludge management; modeling; experimentation

Dr. Claire Furlong

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Guest Editor

IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, Delft, The Netherlands
Interests: sanitation; fecal sludge management; gender in sanitation; laboratories
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Konstantina Velkushanova

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Guest Editor

IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, Delft, The Netherlands
Interests: sanitation; fecal sludge management; laboratories; standardization; technology testing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The urban sanitation challenge in low- and middle-income countries is becoming more urgent due to rapid urbanization, while only 39% of urban dwellers have access to safely managed sanitation services. Addressing this need for sustainable urban sanitation has proved challenging due to the complexity of the enabling environment for service delivery. Citywide inclusive sanitation (CWIS) aims to address urban sanitation challenges through provision of access to both sewered and non-sewered sustainable sanitation for all. The focus of CWIS is on public service provision and the enabling environment and viewing the city as a unit. CWIS has been gaining momentum in the last decade and has resulted in different innovations and initiatives, including the development of implementation tools, business models for urban sanitation, technology development, and governance approaches.

The theme of this Special Issue is on New Developments in CWIS, and we seek to capture the most up-to-date original research and case studies to benefit practitioners, decision makers, scientists, and engineers. Papers will be selected based on a rigorous peer review procedure with the aim of rapid and wide dissemination of research results, developments, and applications.

Prof. Dr. Damir Brdjanovic
Dr. Claire Furlong
Dr. Konstantina Velkushanova
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

sanitation planning
fecal sludge management
sustainability
innovations
inclusivity
novel technologies
service delivery and management
governance
finances and business models
humanitarian WASH
experimentation/laboratories
usage of CWIS toolbox

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 2115 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of Business Models for Fecal Sludge Emptying and Transport in Informal Settlements of Kampala, Uganda

by Shirish Singh, Florence Laker, Najib L. Bateganya, Allan G. Nkurunziza, Swaib Semiyaga and Damir Brdjanovic

Water 2022, 14(18), 2914; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14182914 - 17 Sep 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2392

Abstract

Various business models for fecal sludge emptying and transport have been developed to address challenges and their advantages have been documented; however, their evaluation has not been investigated. This study developed an evaluation framework, which was tested in informal settlements in Kampala for sustainable business models of fecal sludge emptying and transport. Through key informant interviews and stakeholder consultations, service delivery challenges from informal settlements in Kampala were identified and included in the framework, which were: high cost of emptying services, spillages, access to facilities, high operational costs and social stigma. The evaluation framework adopted six service criteria: Financial, Institutional, Environmental, Technological, Social and Scalability; these were further defined by fifteen service sub-criteria. The criteria were tested separately on eight business models—for mechanized (cesspool) and semi-mechanized (gulper) technologies. The key output of the evaluation framework (business model scorecard) revealed that two models (scheduled desludging and call center) for cesspool technology and three models (mobile transfer stations, scheduled desludging and call center) for gulper technology have high potential for service improvement in informal settlements. Scheduled desludging and mobile transfer stations can effectively optimize emptying services and subsequently reduce emptying charges, whereas the call center is critical for bridging service delivery. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Developments in Citywide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS))

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Review

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19 pages, 470 KiB

Open AccessReview

Challenges Facing Sanitation Workers in Africa: A Four-Country Study

by Sterenn Philippe, Andrés Hueso, Gloria Kafuria, Jules Sow, Hermann B. Kambou, Wandoo Akosu and Lloyd Beensi

Water 2022, 14(22), 3733; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14223733 - 17 Nov 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 5293

Abstract

Sanitation workers provide an essential public service that is key to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), but often costs them their dignity and health. Many governments in low- and middle-income countries fail to support their sanitation workforce. This is due, in part, to a lack of knowledge about sanitation workers’ needs and the challenges they face. This study aims to address this knowledge gap through four assessments conducted in Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Zambia that explored the health and safety, financial security, legal protection, and dignity of sanitation workers. Methodologies included literature reviews, key informant interviews (110), focus group discussions (7), and a survey. The findings suggest that sanitation workers across Africa face serious health and safety risks, heightened by a lack of adequate protective equipment and access to healthcare services. Their pay is insufficient and unstable, and the regulatory environment offers them little legal protection. Many also face stigma and discrimination. These challenges were found to be more acute for manual emptiers and those working informally. The study concludes that governments must develop context-specific action plans to support their sanitation workforce, guided by the results of national and sub-national assessments and in collaboration with sanitation worker groups. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Developments in Citywide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS))

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