Dominating informal settlements For instance, the high number of users and long waiting queues (found to be related to the high number of blocked toilets and unavailability of facility at the time of need) are typical characteristics of access to sanitation in an FBSan context. Night practices included the use of bucket, plastic bags and open defecation which were reported and then validated through observation. The coding was done in accordance with Braun & Clarke's (2006) six-step approach to analyze data. The mismatch between supply and demand perpetuates vicious cycles where facilities are either not used at all, are vandalized or are used reluctantly. urine diversion toilet) do not match their needs nor their religious obligations: ‘Dry sanitation technologies are not welcome mainly because of not corresponding to people's practices. The selected respondents had various levels of education, religious beliefs, origins and social/ethnic groups and had adopted one or more of the sanitation practices. Where the porta-potties were provided, there was less use of buckets. Results reported in this table cover only day practices. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/washdev.2020.123. Long queues deterred users who reverted to unhygienic practices by disposing the night pails or plastic bags wherever they can. Since many toilets were dysfunctional, resulting in long queues, many residents (especially females) were not comfortable using the facilities. Self-reported reasons for adopting sanitation practices within the study area. In this study, long walking distance and position or location of the facility were found to be deterrents due to safety concerns and physical nature of user (e.g. For certain categories of users (e.g. Open defecation (at night) occurred mainly in-between and behind shacks and open spaces, and occurred in the early hours of the morning and during evenings when it is becoming dark as well as after hours when the facility is closed (e.g. 2014). Some respondents (12.3% n = 47) reported not using any of the facilities. Consider environmental injustices, economic injustices as well as social injustices. 2013; Simiyu 2017), high number of users (Lagardien & Muanda 2014) and lack of cleanliness (McFarlane 2008) are interconnected. and consumes more, the impact of human settlements on the natural environment increases. In both areas, there is an active Federation and support of the Mtaa. “Responses to informal settlements and hazards” discusses some examples of responses by urban development agencies to informal settlements, poverty and INFORMAL SETTLEMENT UPGRADING IN SOUTH AFRICA . InformalSettlementsandHumanRights ) inSouthAfrica)) Submission)to)the)United)Nations)Special)Rapporteur)on) adequatehousingasa component)of)theright)toan bSecond year indicates the upgrading or addition of new facilities. Together Respondents concurred that their sanitation practices have been informed by a range of context-dependent factors (Figure 2). The current rate of alternative sanitation practices across the study settlements confirm findings from previous studies (Lagardien & Muanda 2014; Pan et al. 41100 of 8 September 2017, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, An Approach Towards Developing Sanitation Solutions for Informal Settlements, Users' Acceptance and Functioning of the Mobile Sanitation Facilities – A Case of South Africa, Review of Sanitation Policy and Practice in South Africa From 2001–2008, Towards the Realization of Free Basic Sanitation: Evaluation, Review and Recommendations, Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development, Free Basic Services: the evolution and impact of Free Basic Water policy in South Africa, Democracy and Delivery: Urban Policy in South Africa, Building Links for Improved Sanitation in Poor Urban Settlements: Recommendations From Research in Southern Africa, Institute of Irrigation and Development Studies, University of Southampton, International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development, Implementation of Sanitation for Informal Settlements: Conflicting Rationalities in South Africa, Basic Sanitation in South Africa: A Guide to Legislation, Policy and Practice, Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa, International Journal of Environmental Health Research, The State of African Cities. In so doing, it considers the impact that the supply-driven paradigm that has been adopted to address sanitation backlogs is having on residents where these facilities have been provided. There is a vicious cycle as not using the facilities results in unhygienic practices which are being triggered by perceptions of users, in particular by the fear of contamination when accessing a filthy toilet. In South Africa, as in the rest of the world, these processes present a considerable challenge to governments and much effort is placed on creating sustainable human settlements. Although being acclaimed worldwide as one of the most progressive policies, the FBSan did not provide specifications regarding the nature of the services to be provided (Mjoli et al. These incidences sparked a wave of panic that deterred many users from using these facilities at night. package with its sister journals Journal of Biogeography, and Diversity Gauteng department of human settlements spokesperson Tahir Sema says the growth in informal settlements in the south of Johannesburg has been a problem for years. Municipalities are responsible for the operation and maintenance of the facilities. Users decide to adopt practices that are relevant to their needs and conditions or that offer some level of comfort, privacy and security at the very least. aInformation obtained from community leaders based on the latest local house count. Fifty-eight percent (58.0% n = 222) of respondents indicated that the walking distance and the location to the facility was a deterrent, especially physically challenged individuals and children: ‘Walking over 500 m just for a toilet does not make sense to me; what happens if I have a running stomach? In South Africa, untamed fires are on the rise in informal settlements and low-income neighbourhoods. Available sanitation facilities include communal flush toilets, MobiSan (a mobile communal urine diversion toilet), Kayaloo (a mobile communal full flush toilet) and porta-potties (individual portable toilet). Without considering user needs and behavior, informal settlement residents will continue to suffer the consequences of poor access to sanitation. All these factors derive from/or are associated with the social, physical and institutional environment surrounding informal settlements and their residents. Industrial Research (CSIR), South Africa Abstract This paper forms one part of the CIB funded research on “Understanding the interface between the environment and sustainable livelihoods in the integration of informal settlements in Asia, Latin America and Africa: a review of current thinking and practice”. Even though the sanitation facility is closer to the household, secured and in good working conditions, some residents are reluctant to access or use the facility appropriately (Mulenga et al. The current capacity constraints and Informal settlements are heavily populated urban areas characterized by substandard housing, inadequate access to clean water and sanitation, and a constantly changing population. The extent of informal settlements was captured as a polygon based on 2011 imagery at a mapping scale of approximately 1:10 000. The impact of densification by means of informal shacks in the backyards of low-cost houses on the environment and service delivery in cape town, South Africa. Some of these practices (e.g. For some, sharing supplied toilets with others goes against their personal, cultural or religious beliefs: ‘I personally feel uncomfortable to share a toilet with other people who are not close family or friends.’ (Resident of informal settlement B). Read your article online and download the PDF from your email or your account. Data collection methods included both primary and secondary sources using various tools including a survey, semi-structured interview schedule, focus group discussions (FGDs), participant observation, transect walks and literature review. For instance, Kibera in Nairobi, one of Africa’s largest informal settlements area, has a child mortality rate two to three times higher than the average of the rest of the city. The 2011 polygons were used to generate a 2006 informal settlement polygon layer. Informal settlements in the south-eastern Cape coastal region exist at Port Alfred, Kenton-on-Sea, Jeffreys Bay, Plettenberg Bay and Knysna. These dwellings are constructed out of corrugated iron and other pieces of scrap metals (refer to Figure 1). For some, sharing a facility with individuals not belonging to their inner circle or culture is intolerable. Porta-potties (a), night pail (b), MobiSan (c) and Kayaloo (d). ecological applications of remote sensing and GIS Construction is informal and unregulated by the government. Access to safe sanitation is a growing challenge in informal settlements where over 65.0% of the residents have inadequate sanitation (UN-Habitat 2014), and this has been identified as one of the biggest social issues of post-apartheid South Africa (DWS 2016). One way we hope to achieve this goal through the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Upgrading (WaSH-UP) Programme. Several of the sanitation practices adopted by residents have severely impacted on the provision of sanitation services and thus exacerbated sanitation backlogs. This programme aims to create community managed toilet facilities that also act as a community health and education space. 2004). Urban, rural and coastal human settlements face particular environmental and social challenges in relation to climate change. Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development 1 June 2020; 10 (2): 238–248. There are very few studies that have explored factors specifically associated with informal settlement residents' sanitation practices in the context of the FBSan policy using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The municipality has provided porta-potties as an alternative, but this is perceived to be socially unacceptable. The recommended ratio for use is 1:5 toilets per household (CoCT 2014), but this is not the case: ‘Because of the large number of users and long waiting, using my bucket is more safe because of the unhygienic conditions of the toilet after being used by many people.’ (Resident of informal settlement B). South Africa’s coal-fired power stations carry heavy health costs This article is more than 6 years old. Residents (mainly female) complained about the lack of privacy and comfort: ‘Can you comfortably use this toilet where everyone in looking at you? Efforts to relocate the residents have been slow and controversial. M. G. Berry, B. L. Robertson and E. E. Campbell, Access everything in the JPASS collection, Download up to 10 article PDFs to save and keep, Download up to 120 article PDFs to save and keep.