By: Bestsie le Roux, Attie van Niekerk, Erna Kruger, Betty Maimel

Apart from some obvious problems, such as safety risks (particularly for women and children) and environmental pollution to be considered in the design of a sanitation system, there are also more invisible problems, such as religious and cultural thought patterns that affect the use of technologies. A survey was conducted on scientific peer-reviewed literature about these African religious and cultural thought patterns about sanitation. The literature review has revealed potential factors to be considered in developing sanitation solutions. Ecological sustainability is also important in developing a sustainable decentralized sanitation solution, which will be incorporated during the co-development phase. Still, it falls outside the scope of this review. The complex systems theory presents a suitable approach to developing decentralised sanitation solutions because it recommends that the researcher approach the end users with a learning attitude and obtain multiple perspectives from all role players. The eventual solution must emerge out of the interaction between all role players. This approach is similar to transdisciplinary research. Finally, the project team and the end users must agree on a common vision. The solution should be implemented on the correct spatial scale (i.e., household, street, or village scale). The outcome will be a technical design embedded into the household’s daily practices, e.g., a decentralised sanitation practice in the water-energy-food nexus (DSP-WEF).

Enhancing-socio-ecological-interactions-to-achieve-sustainable-decentralised-sanitation-systems_25_08_04_10_02_04