Delegates bang heads over sanitation

Over 1 200 delegates from 84 countries are expected to brainstorm potential solutions to sanitation and hygiene woes in Africa at the fifth Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) and AfricaSan joint conference underway in Cape Town, South Africa.

Poor sanitation and open defeacation continues to cause deaths among people in Africa through diseases such as cholera and diarrhoea, with 60 percent of people not having access to safe drinking water and sanitation.

One of the Malawi delegates to the conference, Water for People country director Kate Harawa observed that the conference will be helpful for the Malawi Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (Wash) sector as it sets the tone with regard to the sanitation agenda for the continent.

“Malawi has a few papers to share at the conference but we will also learn a lot from other players worldwide. Faecal sludge management is a great challenge for Malawi as most of our feacal sludge is not managed properly, with most sewerage systems (waste water treatment) not functioning properly,” she said.

In his opening remarks yesterday, South Africa’s Minister of Water and Sanitation Gugile Nkwinti noted that the coming together of the two conferences will create a unique opportunity and blend practical and technical output on issues of faecal and sludge management across the African region.

With the sub-Saharan region having the lowest rates of access to improved sanitation facilities, the minister also noted that finding solutions would help to make a difference in that area.

Said Nkwiti: “Over two billion people lack access to sanitation facilities, with many of them still defaecating in the open. The FSM conference will, therefore, provide an opportunity for researchers, innovators, municipalities and practitioners to share and brainstorm potential solutions to formulate policy recommendations on how to make feacal sludge management an integral part of sanitation service delivery across the region.”

On his part, Canisius Kanangire, executive secretary for African Ministers’ Council on  Water (Amcow) under which the AfricaSan conference falls, said since inception, the conferences have provided a continent-wide platform to generate political momentum for sanitation and hygiene in African countries.