Shared sanitation facilities (SSFs) have contributed considerably to sanitation access in many low-income settlements. While many SSFs are of unacceptable quality, others have been found to be a hygienically safe and a socially and economically viable sanitation option. Within its framework, the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP), evaluating progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, considers shared sanitation as ‘limited sanitation’. Overall, there is uncertainty about the criteria to distinguish between unacceptable and acceptable quality of SSF. In our study, we used a user-centred qualitative approach in low-income urban settlements in Kumasi (Ghana), Kisumu (Kenya) and Dhaka (Bangladesh) and conducted 17 focus group discussions to evaluate how SSF users define the quality of an SSF and which aspects they consider as essential priorities for good-quality SSF. In a descending order, the user priorities identified are: immediate water access, cleanliness, gender-separated toilets, flush toilets, lighting for use at night, lockable/functional doors, tiling, handwashing stations and privacy. This list can serve as input to the sanitation guidelines, local building codes and the establishment of minimum national sanitation standards. SSFs that meet these minimal criteria can then be promoted as an incremental step when individual household facilities are not feasible.
Improved sanitation for all is a daunting task for low-income countries, and shared toilets often provide an alternative to private household sanitation for most urban residents. This study sought to provide better understanding of the existing barriers and opportunities for improved management of shared sanitation. The study used focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with 70 users (landlords and tenants) of shared sanitation in Kumasi, Ghana to assess barriers and opportunities of “high-quality” shared sanitation. The commonly used toilet facilities were dry toilets—Kumasi Ventilated Improved Pit latrine and Ventilated Improved Pit latrines; and flush systems—water closet and pour flush connected to septic tanks. Between 2 and 21 households, or 4 and 84 people, shared one facility. Participants’ description of “high-quality” (Ideal) shared sanitation was centred on cleanliness, user behaviour, smell, and user crowding. They also identified challenges of shared sanitation as overcrowded users, poor user behaviours, conflicts among users, and high cost associated with frequent desludging. However, opportunities for improvement included users’ preference for shared toilets due to enjoyed benefits, existing facility management practices, and mutual understanding among users (tenants and landlords). Interventions and policy guidelines to influence behaviour change of shared sanitation users are proposed and are intended to be delivered by local government and users.
This study, conducted in the Black Volta basin of Ghana, determined how well TRMM Multi-Satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) data compare with rain gauge measurements. The potential of using the TMPA data as inputs into a hydrological model for runoff simulation in a data-scarce basin was also assessed. Using a point-to-grid approach, accumulations of ground measured rainfall on daily, monthly and annual time scales were compared with accumulations derived from TMPA daily rainfall grids. The TMPA derived data together with other free global data were used as input into the soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) to set up a hydrological model for the basin. This model was calibrated and validated using streamflow data from a station located downstream of the basin. The study results showed a correlation from 0.85 to 0.92 for the monthly accumulated rainfall. Also, good Nash–Sutcliffe efficiencies of 0.94 and 0.67 were obtained for calibration and validation, respectively, on monthly scale. Moreover, simulation of streamflow was ‘satisfactory’ to ‘very good’ in terms of trends and residual variation. The study, therefore, shows that the use of satellite rainfall in the basin would be of great benefit considering the difficulties in accessing data across the basin.
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