Abstract
Since refugee camps are meant to be temporary and setting them up usually require urgency, little attention has been given to provision of surface water drainage and to a lesser extent wastewater management. As the population of refugees in these camps continues to grow, the effectiveness of drainage infrastructure continues to diminish. In addition, availability of sufficient safe drinking water and wastewater management have become difficult in the refugee camps across the world. The present situation in refugee camps across the world, such as flooding and outbreak of water-related diseases in South Sudan refugee camps, has made the need for sustainable approach to solving the problems to be very urgent. One sustainable way of solving the problems of flooding and outbreak of diseases in refugee camps is to provide effective drainage and wastewater infrastructure that ensures all the wastewater are properly collected, treated and reused for various purposes such as agriculture, drinking, laundry and other relevant uses. This paper therefore presents the current state of drainage and wastewater management in two refugee camps and propose low-cost technologies for stormwater management, wastewater collection, treatment and potential reuse, suitable for these refugee camps.
Highlights
Wastewater in refugee camps includes greywater from kitchens, laundry and bath places, stormwater from rainfall, snowfall and precipitation events, and blackwater from urine and excreta [1]
Very limited analysis has been conducted to assess the benefits of using sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) for surface water drainage in controlling and managing the flows of water in and around camps, preventing disease vectors and its demerits in terms of the damage conveyed waters can do to receiving natural hydro-systems and the environment
Mango tree and other trees with both economic and biodiversity values are recommended for the camps in South Sudan due to a range of ecological zones, providing habitat for the country’s globally important biodiversity [38]
Summary
Wastewater in refugee camps includes greywater from kitchens, laundry and bath places, stormwater from rainfall, snowfall and precipitation events, and blackwater from urine and excreta [1]. Improper wastewater and surface water management related diseases have been reported in various camps These include malaria affecting Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) across. Various approaches have been used by humanitarian agencies and organisations such as UNHCR, Oxfam, ActionAid and many other organisations in controlling illnesses, infections and diseases in refugee camps. Such approaches include provision of portable water supply facilities such as boreholes and water tanks, sanitation and hygiene facilities (toilets and latrines) [15]; scientific approaches such as administering vaccinations to refugees against known diseases [11] and social science approach by educating the refugees on behavioural change [16]. Little has been done in using engineered approaches such as providing effective surface water drainage systems and wastewater management infrastructure to prevent and control diseases and ensure sustainable use of water by re-using and recycling wastewater
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