Imagine a toilet that uses almost no water, doesn’t need to be connected to a sewerage system or mains water supply, and is easy to install.
This revolutionary type of toilet may become a reality in South Africa and improve sanitation problems in informal settlements, thanks to research conducted and funded by the Dutch government and its partners.
Cape Town has been chosen as one of the pilot locations of the prototype MobiSan dry sanitation technology toilets, and will work with Dutch partners over the next six months to assess its potential.
This is the first project of its kind to be piloted in Africa.
The MobiSan is a dry sanitation and urine diversion stand alone, portable and self-contained system, which does not affect groundwater. It stores urine and faeces separately, with the urine being channelled away into a container tank, and the faeces falling into a ventilated chamber containing sawdust. These are then mixed by means of a handle located on the outside, before being passed to a second chamber, where the process is repeated. The objective is to obtain a dry mixture that is pathogen free and therefore suitable for use in certain types of vegetable gardens.
The first toilets – in a 12-metre container unit, comprising 13 toilet closets and 12 separate urinals - were commissioned at an inauguration in the Pooke se Bos informal settlement, Athlone on 12 May 2009.
Dr Bulumko Msengana, the City’s Executive Director: Utility Services, the Dutch Minister for Development Co-operation, Bert Koenders, representatives of the Dutch consortium, City officials and community leaders were present at the inauguration.
The pilot project has arisen out of consultations between the City’s Water and Sanitation Department and the Dutch government and its associate companies, which began nearly three years ago when the need for alternative sanitation options in informal settlements was realised.
The Dutch government and the companies - Landustrie Sneek BV, Lettinga Associates Foundation and Vitens-Evides International – formed a consortium and received R4-million in Dutch government grant finance for the project.
A small scale mobile sanitation system utilising dry sanitation technology was designed and presented at the Sanitation Challenge International Conference in the Netherlands in May 2008.
A full-scale system was then built, and shipped to Cape Town, so that the project team could conduct research into the system. This includes the social impact on the community, and how the community interacts with it.
In establishing the local Mobisan pilot project, the local community leaders, municipal councillors, and the owner of the land, were consulted.
“Local residents will be employed for janitorial services for the Mobisan unit as well as any commercial spin-offs which arise from the use of the compost and fertiliser which arise from the operation. This means there is strong community involvement in the project,” said Lungile Dhlamini, Director: Water and Sanitation Services.
On successful trials and testing of this prototype the parties intend to introduce the concept in other parts of Cape Town, and South Africa.
“This exciting project has the potential to improve sanitation problems in our informal settlements and also provide employment and we await the outcome of the trials with great interest,” said Msengana.