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Supporting non-state providers of sanitation services

Improving sanitation services to poor people is rarely a priority for public service investment. Legal and regulatory shortcomings continue to hinder the provision of sanitation to both informal settlements and rural communities. To meet Millennium Development Goal sanitation targets, more must be done to support non-state providers, who are involved in the provision of most sanitation services to poor people.

A report from Loughborough University in the UK uses evidence from six countries to analyse ‘best practice’ examples of how donors and governments can work with non-service providers (NSPs) to improve access to sanitation services.

Governments are realising they cannot provide sanitation on their own. As a result, they are increasingly interested in engaging with indigenous, small-scale private sector organisations and broader civil society, while developing their facilitation and regulation capacity in order to retain a degree of control.

The Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) approach is changing the way governments promote sanitation in South Asia. State subsidies directed at promoting hygiene, creating demand and supporting supply chains are stimulating the private sector. Millions of rural and urban poor households have become aware of the dangers of public defecation. In Bangladesh, CLTS has created an environment in which around 6,000 rural sanitation NSPs construct about 1.2 million latrines each year.

In some contexts, partnerships between the government, the private sector and civil society are showing how to address the huge deficit in basic sanitation services. Innovative local governments are learning new ways to provide market-friendly regulation and encourage civil servants and public sector engineers to accept the appropriateness of non-conventional technical solutions to sanitation.

Private providers are typically involved in the construction of latrines and septic tanks, emptying and desludging services. The report identifies a ‘matrix’ of types and level of government engagement with sanitation NSPs. Within that context, the researchers describe several examples.

In informal settlements of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, sanitation marketing schemes have successfully ‘sold’ latrines as desirable products – instead of simply focusing on their health benefits.
In Mumbai, India, a partnership between the government, the World Bank, community-based organisations and the private sector has built quality community-managed toilet blocks.
In low-income areas of Kano, Nigeria, a strong regulatory regime has encouraged private operators to build and commercially manage public latrines and bathrooms.
In Kibera, Kenya, United Nations Habitat has worked with a local non-governmental organisation and consultancy firm to develop more efficient ways of providing pit-emptying services in high-density, low-income settlements.

Policymakers must formally recognise the role of private providers and realise that creating demand for sanitation requires long-term investment without quick returns. They must create opportunities to enable dialogue between sanitation NSPs and governments. An environment of effective engagement between state and non-state providers, where the public receives improved, safe and satisfactory forms of sanitation provision, is possible, provided that:

governments are pragmatic and recognise there are no ‘blueprint‘ systems for engaging with NSPs
all major groups involved – including donors – are committed to creativity and a degree of risk-taking
the risks and opportunities for each partner are explored before forming partnerships
incentives structures in contracts and memoranda of understanding are balanced to suit all groups
there is clarification about which government department is responsible for sanitation
sanitation marketing does not raise public awareness and increase demand before supply mechanisms are in place to provide the public with the information, advice, materials and skills they need.

Source(s):
‘Supporting non-state providers (NSPs) in sanitation service delivery: Final draft report, WELL Task 2765’, Resource Centre Network for Water, Sanitation and Environmental Health, by Rebecca Scott and Kevin Sansom, 2006 (PDF) Full document.

Funded by: UK Department for International Development (DFID)

id21 Research Highlight: 11 December 2007

Further Information:
Rebecca Scott
Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC)
Loughborough University
Leicestershire, LE11 3TU
UK

Tel: +44 (0) 1509 222617
Fax: +44 (0) 1509 211079
Contact the contributor: r.e.scott@lboro.ac.uk

Water, Engineering and Development Centre, Loughborough University, UK

Kevin Sansom
Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC)
Loughborough University
Leicestershire, LE11 3TU
UK

Contact the contributor: k.r.sansom@lboro.ac.uk

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