At least 29 percent of faecal sludge produced in septic tanks in Kampala is not safely managed, a Makerere University don has revealed.
Dr Swaibu Semiyaga, a senior lecturer at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, Design Art and Technology ( CEDAT) said the challenge is more pronounced in large institutions like markets, schools, hospitals, and some raised apartments that are not connected to the national sewer system and rely on septic tanks. These, he said, are always overwhelmed by sludge accumulated by bigger populations.
Available records indicate that only 15 percent of buildings are connected to the national sewer, leaving the 85 percent to opt for septic tanks and pit latrines some of which resort to emptying sewerage into drainage channels, leading to contamination of water sources.
“In Kampala, only 71 percent of the faecal sludge being produced in septic tanks is safely emptied, and taken to treatment plants for treatment. The remaining 29 percent is not safely emptied. People can have pit latrines that do not contain what goes inside. They may be commented to the drainage channels or underground water and people are exposed to pathogens. Sewerage overflows are a common site in Kampala,” Dr Semiyaga said during a stakeholders meeting on the introduction of sustainable and innovative solutions for waste water treatment, held at National Water and Sewerage Corporation plant in Bugolobi on November 14.
He, however, said that government through Kampala Capital City Authority(KCCA) and National Water and Sewerage Corporate had resolved to partner with Terao Litech, a Japanese company to pilot sustainable and innovative solutions for waste water treatment in Kampala using advanced septic tanks dubbed Johkasou.
Mr Shuichiro Nakayama, an official from waste management and recycling department, Johkasou promotion office in the Japanese Ministry of Environment said advanced septic technology aim to address the global sanitation challenges particularly in Africa and Asia where sanitation infrastructure remain undeveloped.
“Through our innovative approach, we aim to create a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable future for communities around the world,” he said.
The 2017 sanitation survey done by KCCA in Kampsla city established that pit latrines are the predominant sanitation technology in Kampala at 66 percent and the majority of these are unlined pit latrines (38 percent) which pose significant risks to groundwater and environmental pollution according to the researchers.
The study also indicated that most unlined pit latrines were situated in Kawempe while the least number of unlined pit latrines were found in Central Division.
In addition, flush toilets to the sewer and septic tanks constituted 33 percent of the sanitation technologies in the City.
In terms of population served, septic tanks, lined pit latrines and unlined pit latrines each cover 30 percent of the City’s population respectively. Only 8% of the population accessed the municipal sewer network services and a total of 1,506 properties equivalent to a population of 11,000, lacked sanitation facilities.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 6.2 aims to achieve universal access to adequate and sustainable sanitation and hygiene for all and to end open defecation.
According to the Ministry of Health, 14 million people in Uganda still practice open defecation.