An investigation into the perceived sanitation challenges in the Eastern Cape rural communities

Nancy Phaswana-Mafuya

doi:10.4102/hsag.v11i1.212

Abstract

There is a dearth of information on studies that have sought to examine qualitatively the sanitation challenges that rural communities experience.  Opsomming Kwalitatiewe navorsing is gedoen om die strukturele, ekonomiese, opvoedkundige, sosiale en tegnologiese uitdagings wat landelike gemeenskappe van die Oos-Kaap met betrekking tot sanitasie in die gesig staar, te ondersoek.  *Please note: This is a reduced version of the abstract. Please refer to PDF for full text.

Highlights

Sanitation refers to the principles and practices relating to the collection, removal, or disposal of human excreta, refuse and waste water, as they impact upon users, operators and the environment (Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF), 1996:3)
This paper does not attempt to offer recipes for overcoming the sanitation challenges affecting rural communities nor does it offer a general approach for raising awareness and problem solving
The challenges identified reveal that there is more to solving rural sanitation challenges than just building toilets, a sewerage system or a water system

Summary

Introduction

Sanitation refers to the principles and practices relating to the collection, removal, or disposal of human excreta, refuse and waste water, as they impact upon users, operators and the environment (Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF), 1996:3). In 1994 it was estimated that approximately 21 million people in South Africa lacked access to adequate sanitation services (DWAF, 1994:9). This figure went down to 18 million in 2001 (DWAF, 2001:9). In-depth understanding of rural sanitation challenges is essential for the protection of public health, the improvement of the quality of life for rural residents and the development of strong local economies. Against this background, the purpose of this article is to specify key challenges that must be addressed for sanitation improvements in rural communities. Key challenges discussed in the forthcoming sections of the article have been categorised into four mutually inclusive categories, namely: structural, economic, educational, social and technological challenges

Objectives

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Conclusion