eThekwini Municipality partners with Gates Foundation to enhance sanitation access

The eThekwini Municipality plans to roll out Phase 2 of the Alternative Sanitation Technologies project, despite delays and setbacks with Phase 1. 

The municipality stated that this project will provide decent sanitation to all communities, especially informal settlements.

In 2022, the municipality partnered with the Gates Foundation to secure funding for piloting innovative, off-grid sanitation facilities in informal settlements.

The foundation's Emergency Response Team Strategy aims to save lives and alleviate suffering in communities affected by emergencies, while also helping to transform the humanitarian system into a more effective and efficient one.

The municipality stated that with the assistance of the foundation, Phase 1 of the project has been completed and is fully operational, and has now entered the evaluation and monitoring phase.

It said that non-sewered system (NSS) technologies are now operating in all four sites: Pholani settlement, Malacca settlement, and Ekuthuleni settlement.

However, in an eThekwini Executive Committee (EXCO) report, it stated that the project has experienced several delays over the past two years due to:

• Procurement delays on the part of the Water Research Commission.
• On-site challenges during site preparation and installation, including flooding, soil conditions, and community issues.
• Technologies have taken longer than expected to reach a steady state regarding the biological treatment processes.

The municipal report indicated that due to these delays, two of the systems have been operating for less than four months of the 12-month contracted monitoring and evaluation period. 

On Tuesday, the EXCO recommended that the eThekwini City Manager, Musa Mbhele, enter into a sub-grantee contract with the Project Preparation Trust (PPT) for the implementation of the foundation-funded project Phase 2. The recommendations have to be approved in a council meeting.

Phase 2 of the project aims to scale up NSS technology rollout to integrate city-wide inclusive sanitation solutions into urban and rural areas, including informal settlements. The report stated that school and low-income housing projects are a priority.

This project will align with the eThekwini Water and Sanitation Turnaround Strategy to enhance sanitation access, foster sustainability, and strengthen internal capacity.

The overall project will be implemented over a period of three years at an estimated R4 million donation from the foundation.

Phase 2 is estimated to utilise 11 technologies, and no funding was required from the municipality.

The municipality intends to use the services of experienced local partner organisations, which have extensive experience, capability, and proven track records.

The role of PPT will include the following:

• Overall project management and strategic /policy guidance.
• Multi-stakeholder engagement and coordination.
• Management of the disaster management and response activities.
• Maintaining synergy of project objectives with the long-term goals of eThekwini Human Settlements.
• Economic/cost modelling, comparative technology assessments.

zainul.dawood@inl.co.za