Institutional Sanitation

This book proposes Regenerative Sanitation as the next era of sanitation management and attempts to provide a foundation for the study of sanitation on the premise that sanitation is a complex and dynamic system that comprises of social-ecological, technological and resource systems. The preconception is that sanitation will deliver maximal benefits to society only when there exists a cyclical integration of the three subsystems to enable appropriate linkages between ‘technological design’ and the ‘delivery platform’ so as to achieve optimal and sustained sani-solutions. It also calls for the rethinking of sanitation to change the narrative towards more progressive trajectories such as resource recovery and reuse rather than just amelioration. It explores the contributions to food security, livelihood support, urban regeneration, rural development and even local economies. A new paradigm, theory and ten principles for ensuring practical and effective sanitation solutions and management is presented. In addition is a unique conceptual framework applicable to both developed and developing countries, and to all stages, processes and cycles of delivering sanitation solutions that could critically evaluate, analyse and provide credible, adequate and appropriate sanitation solutions. All of which culminates in a strategic and practical application platform called ‘Sanitation 4.0’ that advocates for total rejuvenation and comprehensive overhaul with eight key strategic considerations for the implementation. Regenerative Sanitation: A New Paradigm For Sanitation 4.0 is inter and trans- disciplinary and encourages collaboration between engineers, scientists, technologists, social scientists and others to provide effective and practical user-centred solutions. It includes relevant case studies, examples, exercise and future research recommendations. It is written as both a textbook for researchers and students as well as a practitioners’ guide for policymakers and professionals.

Institutional Governance and Regulation of Water Services aims to provide the key elements of policy, governance and regulation necessary for sustainable water and sanitation services. On policy matters, it covers important aspects including separation of policy and delivery, integrated planning, sustainable cost recovery, provisions for the poor, and transparency. Regulation and Regulatory Bodies are presented in their various forms, with discussion of why some form of independent scrutiny is essential for sustainability. The focus is on what works and what does not, based on consideration of basic principles and on case studies in both developing and developed countries. The early chapters discuss the key elements, with later chapters considering how these elements have come together in successful reforms of public sector operations. A chapter is devoted to the successful use of the private sector based on lessons learnt from ‘failures’ of private contracts and the need for the application of sound procurement principles. The current trend is for a public sector model which benefits from business approaches, the so-called corporatised public utility. Experience since the publication of the first edition in 2007 reinforces the importance of the key elements for sustainable water services. This second edition brings the material up to date and with some increased emphasis on public participation in its many forms. It refers to the opportunity for progress provided by the UN Declaration of Water and Sanitation as a Human Right, but only if it is implemented in a practical and sustainable way. Institutional Governance and Regulation of Water Services is aimed at providing an informative source for national and local governments responsible for water policy, for water utility managers, and for students who will be the policy makers of tomorrow. It is a teaching aid for courses on water policy, governance and regulation. About the Author: Michael Rouse is a Distinguished Research Associate at the University of Oxford and manages the Institutional Governance and Regulation module of the University’s MSc Course on Water Science, Policy and Management. He was formerly Head of the Drinking Water Inspectorate in London and has extensive knowledge and experience of water governance and regulation, including all aspects of audit and enforcement, and the governance issues related to both public sector management and privatisation. He has wide knowledge of water technical and operational matters, based on his applied research and development background at the Water Research Centre, where he spent 9 years as Managing Director. Michael has a good understanding of international water matters and advises governments on policy and regulation. He is a Past President of the International Water Association. He is a visiting professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing and at the Shanghai Academy of Social Science. In 2000 he was awarded the CBE (Commander of the British Empire) for his professional services.

This report presents the institutional progress made in selected member countries towards achieving sanitation goals, as reported in an ESCAP-led survey. Institutional progress consists of changes in administrative, legal and financial rules and practices that have been made with sanitation goals in mind. It also includes the 'slow-moving' institutions, which are social norms and practices, general awareness of the public and the ensuing demand for sanitation services.

Urban sanitation and solid waste sectors are under significant pressure in East Africa due to the lack of competent institutional capacity and the growth of the region’s urban population. This book presents and applies an original analytical approach to assess the existing socio-technical mixtures of waste and sanitation systems and to ensure wider access, increase flexibility and ecological sustainability. It shows how the problem is not the current diversity in waste and sanitation infrastructures and services and variety of types and scales of technology, of formal and informal sector involvement, and of management and ownership modes. The book focuses instead on the lack of an integrative approach to managing and upgrading of the various waste and sanitation configurations and services so as to ensure wider access, flexibility and sustainability for the low income populations who happen to be the main stakeholders. This approach, coined "Modernized Mixtures", serves as a nexus throughout the book. The empirical core addresses the waste and sanitation challenges and debates at each scale - from the micro-level (households) to the macro-level (international support) - and is based on the results of a five-year-long interdisciplinary, empirical research program. It assesses the socio-technical diversity in waste and sanitation and provides viable solutions to sanitation and waste management in East Africa. This book provides students, researchers and professional in environmental technology, sociology, management and urban planning with an integrated analytical perspective on centralized and decentralized waste and sanitation configurations and tools for improvement in the technology, policy and management of sanitation and solid waste sectors.