Emmy Li , '25

Date of Award

Spring 2024

Document Type

Thesis

Terms of Use

© 2024 Emmy Li. This work is freely available courtesy of the author. It may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license. For all other uses, please contact the copyright holder.

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Environmental Studies Program

First Advisor

Gina Ziervogel

Second Advisor

E. Carr Everbach

Abstract

In South Africa, basic sanitation is considered a human right. Moreover, effective sanitation service delivery is fundamental in the ongoing transition to build sustainable cities and communities. An area of particular interest for city planners and government officials are informal settlements, which are often characterized by high vulnerabilities, large population densities, limited resources, and minimal state engagement. Due to their location and informal nature, these areas often lack sewage and drainage systems needed for effective sanitation. Unfortunately, communities that are most impacted by poor sanitation quality and service delivery are rarely consulted during the decision-making process for urban upgrades. This study aims to address this gap by following a process that engages communities in decision-making around a new project on alternative sanitation implementation. The research comes at the beginning of a larger project to understand the current situation. It focuses on the community’s perception of factors hindering effective sanitation service delivery in the present and future through the case study of Rasta Camp, an informal settlement located in Ocean View, Cape Town. This study highlights insights from three factors impacting sanitation service delivery: technology developments, community and municipal governance, and climate variability. First, alternative sanitation delivery focuses on the advancement of technology to adapt and improve sanitation infrastructure. However, the implementation of this technology must be evaluated within the context of social, cultural, environmental, economic, and political contexts. Second, effective sanitation service delivery requires social acceptability, which is strengthened by building trust and holding stakeholders accountable on both a community and municipal level. Arrangements between community liaisons and local ward councilors are critical to ensure that effective funding, communication, and collaboration occurs. Lastly, climate variability has and will continue to disrupt and exacerbate the issues in the settlement and associated sanitation service delivery. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to take proactive measures to understand climate impacts and develop stronger adaptation measures for sanitation.

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