Assessment of user behaviour change post sanitation enhancements : a case of Kanyama, Lusaka.
Date
2022
Authors
Sibbenga, Chisenga Chibuye
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The University of Zambia
Abstract
Kanyama, a Peri Urban Area (PUA) in the city of Lusaka, Zambia, has 95 percent of the
toilet type which are pit latrines, and majority (67 percent) of those are classified as
unimproved, with isolated cases of Open Defecation (OD). These poorly constructed pit
latrines leach their contents to the surrounding soil or overflow during the rainy season,
affecting shallow wells and boreholes, hence leading to disease outbreaks such as cholera,
which are common in Lusaka. Inadequate sanitation as well as poor sanitation practices are
some of the main causes of infections like cholera and diarrhoea, and continue to be the
leading causes of death in children under the age of five in Sub-Saharan Africa, including
Zambia. It is for this reason that the Lusaka Sanitation Programme (LSP) implemented a
project to construct improved toilets in combination with user education programmes and
sanitation marketing in order to improve sanitation, as well as sanitation practices in PUAs
of Lusaka, including Kanyama Compound. The main objective of this study therefore, was
“to investigate user behaviour change following the LSP sanitation interventions in
Kanyama, and to understand the associated barriers and facilitators of behaviour change”.
This mixed method, predominantly qualitative study was guided by a theory based
framework, the Integrated Behavioural Model for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (IBM WASH), to assess the intermediate outcomes of the sanitation intervention in terms of
consistent toilet use and maintenance of the improved toilets. Methods of data collection
included document review, semi-structured interviews, field observations as well as Focus
Group Discussions (FGDs). The study revealed inconsistent sanitation practices in terms of
regular use and maintenance of improved toilets, therefore, the study suggest that the
sanitation intervention may not be effective to bring about sustained changes in sanitation
behaviours due to a number of technological and behavioural barriers identified and
ultimately the expected impact on public health outcomes may not be realized. The key
barrier to behaviour change was sharing a single toilet among many users, with 93 percent
(n=30) of respondents sharing with other households, and a maximum of 36 people sharing
one sanitation facility. Other barriers include technology design and location, rapid filling
rate of pits, challenges in accessing pit emptying services and conflicts over toilet
maintenance responsibilities for shared facilities. The main facilitators to regular toilet use
and maintenance were ease of use and maintenance, lack of smell and lack of effect of
seasonality on toilet use. Success of the intervention depends on addressing the barriers to
behaviour change through designing interventions that incorporate behaviour change as a
component in sanitation programming and creating an enabling environment through
implementation and enforcement of policy and regulation pertaining On-site Sanitation
(OSS) and Faecal Sludge Management (FSM).
Key Words: Sanitation intervention; Behaviour change; Sanitation practices; improved
toilet
Description
Thesis
Keywords
Sanitation--Zambia. , Toilets--Zambia. , Urban sanitation survey--Zambia.