1

ACCESSIBILITY TO WATER SUPPLY

AND

WASTE DISPOSAL FACILITIES:

A CASE STUDY OF OWORONSHOKI HOUSING, LAGOS.

BY

OLUSANYA OLUWATOBI OPEYEMI

149051073

(M.E.D)

A Research Project Report Submitted in Partial Fulfilment for the

Degree of Master of Environmental Design in the

Department of Architecture

University Of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos-state.

JUNE 2016

LECTURERS: PROF. O.S OKEDELE,

DR TONY IWEKA,

DR OMOEGUN

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ABSTRACT

Despite the essence of water supply and decent waste disposal services to

mankind, access to these basic services is a challenge in Oworonshoki slum area.

The paper examined accessibility to water supply and waste disposal services in

Oworonshoki slum area and the accompanying consequences. In the analysis of

water supply, it was established that the contribution of private individuals

constituted 64% of daily water production while public water provision effort

constituted 36%.

The existence of slum still has a serious problem for attainment of sustainable

urban development in most countries especially Nigeria. The study was

conceptualized on the need to evaluate the accessibility of water supply and waste

disposal in promoting conducive living and to reduce the issue of diseases arising

from the area due to poor hygiene. The evaluation was based on measurable

objectives and the study adopted a case study design combining both quantitative

and qualitative methods that involved pre-field work, field work, data collection

and analysis. The sample size consisted of 25 respondents and drawn from a target

population that consisted of households in Oworonshoki. Emphasis was on

analysing the accessibility and usefulness of water supply and waste disposal for

an improved living standard in the study area.

Keywords: Slum, Waste, Waste Management, Environment, Environmental

Sanitation, Sanitation

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Pages

Title Page 1

Abstract ` 2

Table of contents 3

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1. 0 Background of study 6

1.0.1 Water, sanitation and hygiene 9

1.0.2 Current situation in Urban services 11

1.0.3 Two key deficiencies; Sanitation and water 13

1.1. Statement of problem 17

1.2 Aim 17

1.2.1 Objectives 17

1.3 Research questions 17

1.4 Scope of study 18

1.5 Definition of terms 18

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 Literature review 20

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2.1.0 Barriers preventing improvements in water, 21

Sanitation and hygiene

2.1.1 Supply constraint 22

2.1.2 Demand constraint 22

2.1.3 Institutional constraint 24

CHAPTER THREE

STUDY AREA AND RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.0 Study area 27

3.1 Historical background 27

3.2 Location 27

3.3 Access to site 28

3.4 Climate 28

3.5 Topography 28

3.6 Population 29

3.7 Drainage system 29

3.8 Research Methodology 29

3.9 Study Design 30

3.9.1 Nature and sources of data 30

3.9.2 Methods of data collection 31

3.10.0 Data Presentation 31

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3.10.1 Accessibility to housing basic services 32

3.10.2 Water supply 32

3.10.3 Environmental Quality 34

CHAPTER FOUR

4.0 Data Presentation, Analysis and interpretation 37

4.1 Availability, accessibility and management of water 37

4.2 Results and discussion 39

CHAPTER FIVE

5.0 Summary of the Findings, Conclusions and Recommendations 41

5.1 Research question 1 41

5.2 Research question 2 42

5.3 Recommendations 42

5.4 Conclusion 44

CHAPTER SIX

6.0 REFERENCES 47

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0 BACKGROUND OF STUDY

Water is a precious resource and vital for life. Without it we would die within

days. Access to a safe and affordable supply of drinking water is universally

recognized as a basic human need for the present generation and a pre-condition

for the development and care of the next. Water is also a fundamental economic

resource on which people’s livelihoods depend. In addition to domestic water

use, households use water for productive activities such as farming and livestock

rearing in rural areas, or horticulture and home-based microenterprises in urban

settlements. Water shortage, poor quality water, or unreliable supply have

profound effects on people’s well-being. Providing safe water alone is not

enough, however, as water can quickly become unsafe, and the faecal–oral

transmission of diseases can occur in other ways. If people do not have adequate

and appropriate sanitation facilities or the chance to develop good hygiene

practices, diseases can be spread through the contamination of water or through

other pathways in the home environment. At any one time around half of all

people in developing countries are suffering from one or more of the six main

diseases associated with inadequate water supply and sanitation: diarrhoea,

ascaris, dracunculiasis, hookworm, schistosomiasis, and trachoma. Improving

the health of the poor is a frequently cited goal of water and sanitation projects.

The relationship is difficult to establish in practice at the project level, but over

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the longer term it can be demonstrated that there are significant health-associated

benefits from improvements in water supply and sanitation provision,

particularly when these are associated with changes in hygiene behaviour.

Every year, millions of the world’s poorest people die from preventable diseases

caused by inadequate water supply and sanitation (WS&S) services. Hundreds

of millions more suffer from regular bouts of diarrhoea or parasitic worm

infections that ruin their lives. Women and children are the main victims.

Burdened by the need to carry water containers long distances every day, they

must also endure the indignity, shame, and sickness that result from a lack of

hygienic sanitation. The impact of deficient water and sanitation services falls

primarily on the poor. Unreached by public services, people in rural and peri-

urban areas of developing countries make their own inadequate arrangements or

pay excessively high prices to water vendors for meagre water supplies. Their

poverty is aggravated and their productivity impaired, while their sickness puts

severe strains on health services and hospitals. Apart from the overwhelming

social arguments, there are also powerful economic and environmental reasons

for improving WS&S services for the poor. Human waste is a major polluter of

rivers and groundwater resources. As water demand rises inexorably with social

and economic progress, scarcity of water becomes a major consideration in

development planning. Industrialization and food security may both be

threatened, unless water resources are protected and conserved. For all these

reasons, improved WS&S services have been seen as a high priority need by the

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development community for more than 20 years. So why is the suffering and the

squalor virtually unabated in so many countries? There are many reasons, and

the problem is a complex one because solutions depend on a mix of political,

social, technical, and institutional approaches, most of them involving changing

established practices.

While the problem of inadequate water supply and sanitation exists in both rural

and urban areas, the problem is particularly pressing in cities. The water,

sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure of many cities is therefore stressed beyond

current capacity, and infrastructure investments have not kept pace with rapid

and unplanned urbanization.

Urban areas are characterized mainly by lack of basic services such as potable

and safe water, well-laid out drainage system, sewage network, sanitation

facilities and appropriate solid waste disposal. The above led to a focus on the

access on the basic services in urban areas. The focus of this paper is about

understanding the study area and the problem faced in accessing basic services

such as water supply and waste disposal facilities in Oworonshoki.

Slum in most developing countries are characterized by poor infrastructure

facilities such as solid waste disposal, sewage disposal, drainage and water

supply which leads to environmental pollution and in absence of sufficient

number of community toilets, these people are forced to excrete in the

open(Bhardwaj,2007).

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The accumulation of garbage in Oworonshoki was found to be a consequence of

lack of dumping sites in the communities, the uncollected garbage often

accumulated and blocked drainage turned the areas messed up and impassable

during the rainy season. Health is an important issue of present time in

Oworonshoki, unhygienic conditions, open defecation system are the major risk

factors to people in the area. Urban Services is primarily focused on water,

sanitation, and hygiene services (WSH), thus, while the broader infrastructural

challenges may take years to be satisfactorily solved, there is scope for

developing interventions that can improve access to WSH services quickly,

efficiently, and cheaply in the short run.

The definition of urban services is very broad and includes the following

three tiers:

Tier 1: Sanitation, Solid Waste, and Drainage

Tier 2: Water, Security, Electricity, and Housing

Tier 3: Education and Health

The tiered definition reflects the ranking and prioritization of the broad set of

urban services for the purposes of this initiative.

1.0.1 WATER, SANITATION AND HYGIENE

To define Water, Sanitation and Hygiene services, we follow Evans (2005):

Hygiene:

i) Safe storage of water;

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ii) ii) Safe treatment of foodstuffs;

iii) iii) Safe hand washing practices.

Sanitation:

i) Safe “on-site” collection, storage, treatment and disposal/re-use/recycling of

human excreta; ii) Connection to sewage systems;

iii) Management/re-use/recycling of solid waste;

iv) Collection and management of industrial waste products;

v) Management of hazardous wastes (hospital wastes, chemical/radioactive and

other dangerous substances).

Water Provision and Management:

i) Access to water network–at household, neighbourhood, or local level;

ii) Drainage and disposal/re-use/recycling of household waste water

(“grey water”);

iii) Drainage of storm water;

iv) Treatment and disposal/re-use/recycling of sewage effluents.

Next, we review the current state of service delivery and access for the urban

poor, and lay out some stylized facts about poverty, urbanization, water, and

sanitation.

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1.0.2 CURRENT SITUATION IN URBAN SERVICES: THE

URBANIZATION OF POVERTY

Migration from rural to urban areas has increased in the last few decades,

especially in the developing world. The rural poor usually come to large cities

to take advantage of job opportunities and improved living standards not

available in their previous areas of residence (Glaeser 2011).

Moving to cities is also often the primary method of income diversification for

rural agricultural workers (Banerjee & Duflo 2006). Indeed, it can be a very

productive move, even for temporary migrants (Bryan, Chowdhury and

Mobarak 2011).

However, cities and peri-urban centers have often been unprepared to absorb

expanding populations and provide adequate urban services--housing,

sanitation, health, and education, among others–to meet the needs of these

rapidly growing new populations. Consequently, migration has shifted the locus

of global poverty to the cities, a process now recognized as the “urbanization of

poverty” (UN-Habitat 2003a).

In many cities, water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure is stressed beyond

current capacity, and infrastructure investment has not kept pace with rapid and

unplanned urbanization (WaterAid 2007). Temporary and seasonal migrants can

exacerbate the service provision challenge, as these migrants often live in

temporary shelters without improved sanitation, waste disposal or water

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facilities. They introduce volatility in the slum populations, and are not

integrated into pre-existing social networks, making it more difficult to

introduce community solutions to institutional problems (UN-Habitat 2003a).

Furthermore, this problem of overcrowded cities with inadequate urban services

is getting more serious. From 1975 to 2007, the growth rate of urban populations

in the developing world was 3.35 percent annually--more than three times larger

than the growth of the rural population. In 2007, the world’s urban population

surpassed the rural population.

The urban poor face huge challenges in their daily lives. Almost a billion people

(more than one-third of the urban population), primarily in the developing world,

live in slums. Living conditions in slums are characterized by overcrowding,

high levels of unemployment or underemployment, deficient urban services

(water, sanitation, education, and health), and widespread insecurity, including

violence against women (UN-Habitat 2003b).

The progress achieved in urban service provision has allowed around 200

million people living in cities to gain access to water, sanitation facilities, and

durable housing. As a consequence, from 2000 to 2010, the proportion of urban

residents in developing countries living in slums decreased from 46 percent to

36 percent. However, the progress is still not enough as the number of people

moving to slums is increasing: the proportion of slum dwellers decreased

because the growth of the urban population more than compensated the growth

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of the slum dwellers. This is especially true in sub-Saharan Africa, and Western

and South-eastern Asia.

1.0.3 TWO KEY DEFICIENCIES: SANITATION AND WATER SUPPLY

Access to water and sanitation among the urban poor:

Sanitation coverage is especially low in cities. Despite the fairly flexible and

expansive definition of improved sanitation, such facilities are used by less than

two-thirds of the world population.

A slum dweller is defined as someone who lives in housing with at least one of

the following characteristics:

i) lack of improved sanitation;

ii) lack of improved water supply;

iii) lack of durable housing;

iv) lack of security of tenure, and

v) lack of sufficient living area

(UN-Habitat 2003b).

WHO (2011) defines a sanitation facility as “improved” if the facility is one that

is likely to hygienically separate human excreta from human contact. Improved

sanitation facilities include: flush or pour-flush to piped sewer system, septic

tank or pit latrine, ventilated improved pit latrine, and pit latrine with slab and

composting toilet. However, sanitation facilities are not considered improved

when shared with other households, or open to public use.

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There are great disparities across regions regarding sanitation coverage. In the

developed world, access to improved facilities is essentially universal, while in

the developing regions, only around half of the population has access to them.

Among the 2.6 billion people in the world who do not use improved sanitation

facilities, the greatest numbers are in Southern Asia, but there are also large

numbers in Eastern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Significant progress has been

made since 1990 in Northern Africa, South eastern Asia, and Eastern Asia

WHO (2011) defines a drinking water source as “improved” if, by nature of its

construction and design, it is likely to protect the source from outside

contamination, in particular from fecal matter. Improved drinking water sources

include: piped water into a dwelling, plot or yard, public tap/stand pipe, tube

well/borehole, protected dug well, protected spring, and rainwater collection. On

the other hand, unimproved drinking water sources are: an unprotected drug

well, unprotected spring, cart with small tank/drum, tanker truck, surface water

(from a river, dam, lake, pond, stream, canal, irrigation channel and any other

surface water), and bottled water (if it is not accompanied by another improved

source).

Intermittent service, which results in unreliable availability and inadequate

volumes of often contaminated water, causes a large number of households to

store water in household reservoirs, and supplement piped water with water from

tanker operators and water vendors (Water and Sanitation Program 2007).

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The respondents highlighted the following deficiencies: 44 percent faced water

scarcity, 90 percent reported that the drains were overflowing, and 99 percent

reported that the nearby dumpsters were emptied less than once a month. When

asked about priorities regarding urban facilities, slum dwellers identified water

as the most problematic issue (50 percent of respondents), followed by sewage

and drainage (20 percent), and garbage (15 percent).

The health impacts

A substantial literature seeks to establish the deleterious effects of lack of access

to water and sanitation on health outcomes, particularly in urban areas.

Inadequate access to safe water and exposure to pathogens through the poor

treatment of solid waste leads to adverse health consequences, particularly

diarrheal diseases. Diarrhea is responsible for an estimated 21 percent of under-

five mortality in developing countries--2.5 million deaths per year (Kosek et al.

2003), and over 4 percent of the world’s disease burden (WHO, 2011).

Approximately 88 percent of all diarrhoea infections worldwide are attributed to

unsafe water supply, the lack of safe hygiene practices, and basic sanitation

infrastructure (Evans 2005). Consequently, interventions that improve

sanitation, water, and hygiene are of first order importance to achieve a better

quality of life.

Densely populated environments are particularly prone to the diffusion of

pathogens, and these problems affect the urban poor in particular. The urban

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poor have a lower life expectancy at birth, and a higher infant mortality rate than

both the rural poor and the urban non poor (Bradley et al., 1992). Furthermore,

inadequate disposal of solid waste is also a threat to the natural environment (and

indirectly to health), as it can contaminate surface and groundwater with

organics, nutrients, and solids (Hogrewe et al., 1993). It is estimated that by

piping uncontaminated, chlorinated water to households, it would be possible to

reduce diarrheal disease by up to 95 percent (Fewtrell and Colford 2004).

Safe hygiene practices and improved sanitation can have a large impact on health

threats for children under five (Hutton and Haller 2004; Waddington and

Snilstveit 2009). The lack of proper sanitation (defecation in plastic bags,

buckets, open pits, and public areas) in crowded slums contributes to serious

health and environmental risks for entire populations, and the poor are

particularly vulnerable to infection from contaminated water and other disease

vectors.

The methodology section describes the procedure which involved the sample

selection method used to get information from the residents living in the area.

This research hence is focused on addressing the problem faced in accessing

basic services in Oworonshoki and how the environmental and health condition

of the residents can be improved.

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1.1 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

The impact of deficient water and sanitation services falls primarily on the poor.

Unreached by public services, people in rural and peri-urban areas of developing

countries make their own inadequate arrangements or pay excessively high

prices to water vendors for meagre water supplies. Their poverty is aggravated

and their productivity impaired, while their sickness puts severe strains on health

services and hospitals. Such is the situation of the community in oworonshoki

slum area, lack of reach to potable water and

1.2 AIM

The aim of this research is to analyse the accessibility, adequacy and

affordability of water supply and waste disposal provided in the study area and

also to implement ways to improve the environmental condition of the slum

dwellers.

1.2. 1 OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this project were:

1) To assess the water supply and waste disposal situation in Oworonshoki slum

area,

2) To identify water supply and sanitation problems in the area and propose

solutions to improve the water supply and sanitation situation.

1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The research aimed to answer the following questions:-

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Are the residents of Oworonshoki aware of the implications of

indiscriminate waste disposal?

How adequate, affordable and accessible are the portable water and waste

disposal services provided for the slum dwellers?

What ways can the human accessibility to the source of water in the

environment be changed?

What ways can waste disposal be improved on?

1.4 SCOPE OF STUDY

The scope of study was limited to Oworonshoki area, based on the fact that the

study objectives is to analyse adequate, affordable and accessible water and

waste disposal facilities in the study area and the target population included

households and residents in the area.

1.5 DEFINITION OF TERMS

SLUM: Slum is a contiguous settlement where the inhabitants are characterized

by having inadequate housing and basic services such as water and power

supply, sanitation/ It is often not recognized by the public authorities as an

integral part of a city.

WASTE: Waste is the leftovers, products whether liquid or solid having no

economic value which must be thrown away.

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WASTE MANAGEMENT: This is the act to maintain acceptable

environmental quality, sound public health.

ENVIRONMENT: Environment refers to the total surroundings of humans that

support life.

ENVIRONMENTAL SANITATION: This is the intervention to reduce

people’s exposure to disease by providing a clean and liveable environment.

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CHAPTER TWO

2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW

(Census, 2001) In India, urban areas are characterized mainly by lack of basic

services such as potable and safe water, well-laid out drainage system, sewage

network, sanitation facilities and appropriate solid waste disposal. The above

led to a focus on the access on the basic services in urban areas. In a study

Kimani et al (2007) reported that slum areas in Nairobi continues to be

characterized by lack of clean water, inadequate toilet facilities, poor garbage

disposal and drainage mechanisms. The slum dwellers of Ghana also lack basic

environment facilities such as sanitation, drinking waste supply, (Osumanu,

2007).

Jamwal(2004) reported that blocked drains, putrefying waste, children

defecating in the common images in the slum areas of Delhi. Sundari(2003)

reported poor solid waste management in the slums of Tamilnadu with 67%

households having no arrangement for the safe disposal of waste while only

27% have access to dustbins whereas, 6% were found disposing their garbage

by burning. The slum communities are characterised by degraded and abysmal

environmental conditions with increasing problems of encroachment on

unauthorised land especially on river banks and flood plains, and inadequate

sanitation facilities leading to dumping of household waste into nearby water

bodies. For example with a total household of 2553, Ayigya Zongo hasonly

four public toilet facilities serving 67% of the slum dwellers. This is a common

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phenomenon in the six selected slum communities as 91% of the respondents

expressed their dissatisfaction to the worsening state of sanitation in the

communities. This situation puts pressure on the available facilities resulting in

poor management and indiscriminate defecation especially in open spaces

(nature reserves), and has been a major cause of diseases like cholera, typhoid

and malaria in these communities. Additionally, considering the planning

implications of the location of these toilet facilities (KVIP), it was noted that

the KVIPs are located in close proximity to residential houses which

contravenes Ghana planning standards and building regulations. This produces

obnoxious stench and has adverse health implication on the slum dwellers who

live close to these facilities.

Regarding liquid waste management, the predominant methods of disposal in

these communities are gutters created by gullies (51%) and open surface

(29%). This was more pronounced in Sisakyi where 92 percent of households

use open space liquid waste disposal method, thus serving as a breeding

ground for mosquitoes.

2.1 BARRIERS PREVENTING IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER,

SANITATION, AND HYGIENE

In this section, we identify the key sets of barriers to innovation and implementation of

improved water and sanitation, elaborating broadly on the demand, supply, and

institutional constraints.

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2.1.1 Supply Constraints

The first barrier to improvement of urban services is insufficient supply, especially of

networked services. As mentioned earlier, a high percentage of the urban poor remain

excluded from water and sanitation networks. In fact, less than 15 percent of those living

in Asia and Africa have access to sewer sanitation (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

2011). Less than 50 percent of the poorest urban residents in Africa, and less than 40

percent in Asia have access to piped water (WHO and UN-Habitat 2010).

A number of explanations have been proposed for the inadequate supply of safe

water, and especially, sanitation. Building water and sanitation infrastructure is

costly and may involve numerous technical, bureaucratic, and legal constraints

(Water and Sanitation Program 2007).

Overcoming these constraints is further complicated by the complementarities in water

and sanitation provision: many of the safest sanitation improvements require adequate

water supply, and modern sanitation solutions without water may actually be

counterproductive for health. Water infrastructure must, therefore, be provided either

before sanitation infrastructure is built, or ideally as a joint project, which in turn

increases the costs of service provision. Improvements in the planning and delivery of

services are essential to promote more efficient use of water resources.

In addition to these, climate change is altering the availability and quantity of water

throughout the world. Furthermore, the "urbanization of poverty" and the massive internal

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migration of people from rural areas to cities are placing growing pressure on increasingly

scarce water resources

(UNEP 2011). Both these trends increase the threats to public health posed by poor WSH

services in densely populated areas. Thus, moving forward, it is critical that policymakers

and researchers search for ways to overcome not just current constraints to adequate water

supply, but develop possibly pre-emptive responses to evolving challenges. For example,

if the infrastructure is indeed stressed beyond carrying capacity, can public policies or

other innovative interventions affect the quantity or composition of the population that

needs to be served? Because of the links between water and sanitation, such research has

the potential to impact water supply, sanitation, and other urban services all at once.

2.1.2 Demand Constraints

Even in places where a sewage system or piped water network exists, and where it would,

in principle, be possible to connect households to it, there may be demand constraints that

limit people's access to these services.

There are various potential reasons for limited demand. The primary constraint may be

low willingness to pay. Randomized experiments in Zambia (Ashraf et al. 2010) and

Kenya (Kremer et al. 2009; Kremer et al. 2011) suggest that the willingness to pay for

improved water quality is low (in terms of money spent on chlorine or time allocated to

water collection). Yet, given that investing in improved water and sanitation services is

believed to provide high returns to health outcomes, the reasons for such low uptake are

difficult to rationalize. The poor may be liquidity constrained, they may not fully

24

understand the benefits of the new technologies, have a wrong assessment of its costs, or

there may be other behavioural or institutional constraints. If liquidity constraints are the

main barrier to uptake of WSH services, then there is an argument to be made for public

subsidies for such services, given the positive health and environmental externalities

associated with increased use of water and sanitation systems. Moreover, aid in kind (in

the form of reduced prices for water) could theoretically be justified in light of

paternalism, imperfect information or interdependent preferences (Currie and Gahvari

2008). Regardless of the type of subsidy used, the subsidy should be designed to provide

an efficient allocation of services and ensure sustainability. The standard subsidy for

water, however, hardly covers the cost involved in giving someone access to the network,

but does provide for continuous supply of very cheap water. This may be regressive (as

the poor are most likely to be unable to pay for the fixed investment costs) and inefficient

(as it leads to waste of water). Recent work suggests that helping the poor borrow for the

fixed cost of connection, and then charging a more reasonable price for water may

increase both access and satisfaction (Devoto et al. 2011). Additional research on efficient

ways to permit the poor to better access existing infrastructure is likely to be valuable.

Lack of demand for these urban services may stem from the fact that slum dwellers often

live in housing without registration or titling, which discourages them from investing in

new services (Field 2005; S. Galiani and Schargrodsky 2010). Transient migrants are very

common in fastgrowing slums, and usually come to urban areas during off-seasons in

rural agricultural work in order to diversify their income sources (Banerjee and Duflo

25

2006, Bryan et al. 2011). They lack incentives to invest in urban services, and it is

difficult to integrate them into existing networks.

2.1.3 Institutional Constraints

There are also institutional constraints that prevent the poor from accessing adequate

urban services.

For example, centralized supply solutions may not be sustainable or even work at all if

regional and local levels of government are not involved to adapt the solutions to specific

local needs (Tearfund 2007). Mismatches between demand for improved sanitation and

the type of services provided often results in unused or underused sanitation

infrastructure.

In addition to these, moral hazard and free-riding problems typical of collective action can

arise when the sanitation or water infrastructure is shared, and must be jointly maintained.

Although examples of communal solutions to these coordination problems exist (for

example, communal sanitary facilities, garbage collection, or maintenance of drainage),

they must be structured carefully to ensure that incentives are correctly aligned, the

institutions (i.e. rules of the game) are well designed, and that the community can

successfully monitor its members.

Finally, not all individuals in the community may approve the development of water and

sanitation services. For example, small, private, water-service providers–tanker operators,

private kiosk operators, household resellers, door-to-door vendors, and operators of small

boreholes and private piped networks–have a vested interest in preventing the

26

construction of formal network-based services. Some of these provide good quality

service under competitive conditions, but the price of water is usually much higher than

that of the main water utility, and they are most often informal and unregulated providers.

Any novel interventions must account for the pre-existing market conditions.

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CHAPTER THREE

3.0 STUDY AREA: OWORONSHOKI

3.1 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:

Owo now Oworonshoki, is an irregular oval land bounded by Lagos and 3rd

mainland bridge. A substantial amount of residents of present Oworonshoki

engage in trading and fishing. The traders are mostly involved in small,

medium scale-business, usually in front of their homes.

The original settlers of Oworonshoki are the Aworis, who were the children of

the Olofin of Eko. The Aworis who were mostly nomadic fishermen, migrated

from Ife through Agboyi and Isheri Olofin due to scarcity of resources and

constant war and finally settled in a final location approved by Ifa due to

abundance of fish.

3.2 SITE LOCATION

Fig1. Site location map

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The study location is Oworonshoki community in Kosofe Local Government

Area (LGA) of Lagos State, Southwestern Nigeria.

Oworonshoki is located within the mainland part of Lagos State. Up north, the

study location share boundaries with Bariga Local Council Development Area.

The lagoon is situated at the western part of Oworonshoki community while it

shares boundaries with Ifako and Ogudu at the east and south respectively.

Oworonshoki can be linked through land and water transport systems. The

lagoon connects Oworonshoki and Lagos Island together.

3.3 ACCESS TO THE SITE

The site has a major access road on Oworo Road.

3.4 CLIMATE

Oworonshoki climate is classified as Tropical. The average temperature is

27.1c. The minimum annual rainfall is 1694mm. There are two rainy seasons

with the heaviest rainfall from April to July and dry season from December to

March.

3.5 TOPOGRAPHY

The topography of Oworonshoki is approximately 10m above sea level with a

steep slope of 5m. The soil is mostly marshy and clayey especially on the

lowlands of the eastern shoreline of Lagos Lagoon.

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3.6 POPULATION

As at 2013, Oworonshoki community has an estimated population of about

202,972 with 111 streets and two geographical distribution into areas/wards A

and B as divided by a major road named Oworo Road.

3.7 DRAINAGE SYSTEM

The result of the survey reveals that 12.7% of the area lacks drainage, while

87.3% seen to have one form of drainage or the other which is stagnant and flows

to nowhere in particular.

3.8 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The research aims at improving the quality of life (in terms of quality of

dwellings and environment) of slum dwellers through urban renewal rather

than demolition or eviction in Oworonshoki.

This study was carried out in three stages:

Stage 1: This stage involved a desk study in which documents and records

relating to water supply and waste disposal in Oworonshoki are used.

Stage 2: This stage involve the use of questionnaires and oral interviews with

residents of the area through simple random sampling methods, mostly,

landlords. Information obtained was used to update the data collected during

the desk study.

Stage 3: Analysis of collected data during questionnaire distributions and

random oral interviews conducted in the Oworonshoki community.

30

• A total of 25 respondents were given questionnaires and interviewed, while

there was an observation of infrastructural facilities and building conditions

also.

The streets chosen in Oworonshoki are as follows:

1. Olorunfunmi Street

2. Adabale Street

3. Oyenuga Street

4. Balogun Street

5. Abiola Street

6. Oduduwa Street

7. Oyekunle Street

8. Adebanwo Street

9. Mabawonku Street

10. Ogunyomi Street

3.9 STUDY DESIGN

The study improvised a case study design combining both quantitative and

qualitative methods which employed the following steps: - Pre-field work, field

work, data collection, data analysis and interpretation.

3.9.1 NATURE AND SOURCES OF DATA

Two types of data were collected namely: Primary and Secondary.

31

The primary data was collected from the field and gave the major information

about the accessibility, adequacy and affordability of water supply and waste

disposal in the study area.

The secondary data was sourced through literature review, documents and

projects

Variable Type of Data Source of Data Data Instrument

Water supply Primary Household Questionnaire

Waste

disposal(sanitation)

Secondary Individual Interview

Fig2. Data collection methods

3.9.2 Methods of Data Collection

The methods used here includes: Interviews, Photography and Document review

Interview: Primary data was collected from households through questionnaires and

interviews.

Data collected included access to housing facility

32

Photography: Photographs were used to gather information which was then referred to

during the analysis of data to provide proper interpretation of different view countered

during the research.

Document Review: Secondary data was mainly sourced through documents such as reports

and Books with information related to the study

3.9.3 Data Collection Instruments

Questionnaires: Households questionnaires were used to collect data. The aim of the

Questionnaire was basically to gather information on the neighbourhood view about the

situation of the environmental facilities such as water supply and waste disposal in the study

area and its effect on their livelihoods.

3.10 DATA PRESENTATION

3.10.1 ACCESSIBILITY TO HOUSING BASIC SERVICES

The accessibility of housing and some basic services and amenities are used to

enhance the quality of lives and to improve the living standard of the people.

These are facilities that make the environment functional. They are;

3.10.2 WATER SUPPLY

The sources of water distribution vary from pipe-borne water, well water or

borehole and tanker services. The major source of water in the study area was

pipe-borne water (64%). Water from the public mains hardly ran in the

buildings. The one from public taps situated along the streets was however

utilized by 36% of the respondents.

33

The available water supply in the area is not potable, due to poor provision

made for the supply and distribution of the water. Most of the pipes laid for the

distribution of the water were laid in the drainage system and as such

contaminating the water. Thus the quality of the water is affected in various

degrees by the presence of colour and odour.

The implication of this findings is that 36% of residents of Oworonshoki

depend on water supply from unsafe sources thereby lowering the quality of

housing in the area.

Fig 3. Water Pipe Line inside Drainage Channel.

34

Fig 4. Sources of water supply

In the study area, water supply was found to be irregular and problem was

observed aggravated during summer months.

Not only the quantity but quality of the drinking water was also found to be

below optimal standards as the water pipes were found broken at several points

which resulted into impairment of the water quality. People were often seen

breaking water pipes at several points in order to meet their water requirements.

The water supply was found to be unfit for drinking as majority of the slum

dwellers complained about the water quality during the personal interactions. In

the present study, the incidence of water borne diseases such as cholera,

dysentery, diarrhoea etc. was common in the slum. The awareness of causes and

ill effects of the water pollution was reported to be negligible as only seventeen

respondents out of ninety eight respondents were found aware about it.

64%

36%

WATER SUPPLY

PIPE BORNE WATER

TAP WATER

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3.10.3 ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY

The quality of the environment depends on the functionality of the available

physical infrastructure. The infrastructure is to enhance the functionality of the

environment. Such infrastructure includes; refuse disposal system.

REFUSE DISPOSAL SYSTEM

For residents of the study area, refuse is dumped in the abandoned drainage

channel

Fig 5. Waste disposal in Oworonshoki

36

Fig 6. Pie Chart: Refuse Disposal System

From the field survey, (36%) of the wastes are usually dumped, (48%) collected

by waste management, while (16%) are usually burnt. Physical site visits

confirm that some areas of the study area on which buildings are erected are

made up grounds mostly filled with refuse. As a result, the land is unstable. The

implication of these is that the area will not only be unhealthy but destroy and

pollute the environment.

48%

36%

16%

METHOD OF WASTE DISPOSAL

Waste Management Agency

Dumped

burned

37

CHAPTER FOUR

4.0 DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

Data collection for the study was undertaken through questionnaires,

discussions, extensive field surveys. Structured questionnaires with both open

and close-ended questions were used. The gathered data were analysed using

simple percentage and descriptive and inferential statistics. Frequencies,

percentages, mean and standard deviation was also used to determine the

analysis for the research.

4.1 AVAILABILITY, ACCESSIBILITY AND MANAGEMENT OF

WATER

Less than 5mins 72%

5 to 10mins 28%

More than 10mins 10%

Fig 7. Distance of house from source

Adequacy of water supply

Adequate in all seasons 52%

Adequate in some

seasons

10%

Always inadequate 38%

Fig 8. Percentage of adequacy of water supply

38

None 69%

Some 20

All 11%

Fig 9. Percentage of Male Fetching Water

5-9yrs 12%

10-14yrs 64%

15-19yrs 16%

19 and above 8%

Fig 10. Percentage of female fetching water

About half of the slum dwellers were of the view that the water supply was

adequate in all seasons, whereas the other half complained that it was often

inadequate. Most of the respondents were presently depending on well for

supply of water.

It was found that females were solely responsible for fetching water. Further

analysis showed that in practically all houses it is mainly the young girls aged

10-14years were carrying out this activity. Fetching of water was easily

accessible from their homes, it took less than 5minutes to get to the source of

water.

39

4.2 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Out of 25 residents who responded to the questionnaires, Residents in the

community depend on two main sources of water for their daily water supply

needs, Public Tap and bore hole. Residents who responded to the questionnaires

indicate that the public tap flows for about 6hrs a day. According to them, at

certain times water does not flow for weeks and under such conditions residents

depend almost entirely on water vendors for their domestic activities. Some

pipelines to water tanks are exposed and in some cases run through earth drains

containing waste water leading to accumulation of algae in some of the water

tanks that are rarely cleaned. These factors make the quality of water which

serves as the source of drinking water to some residents questionable. It was

gathered from interviews that 25litres bucket of water from the vendors cost

about 70 naira. However, compared with commercial rates, the slum dwellers

pay large sums for their drinking water. In the case of shortage of water in the

community, 72% of respondents depend on water vendors while 28% depend on

public tap. The cost of water can therefore be said to be expensive in the

community. There is therefore need to achieve universal access to water and

improved sanitation and improve their quality of life.

Access to basic sanitation is a huge challenge to residents in the slum in that the

facilities available are not adequate and not accessible. Sanitary conditions in

the slum is also in a deplorable state due to indiscriminate dumping of waste and

choked drains with stagnant water serving as breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

40

Piles of waste are not uncommon sights in the community generating offensive

smell to residents some of whom sell food just beside them. However, there is

an allocated refuse dump site in the community where residents are expected to

dump their waste. As a result, informal waste collectors convey refuse from

some residents to the dump site.

There is the need for a multi-sectorial collaboration to ensure that poverty

reduction strategies include access to potable water and basic sanitation for the

urban poor.

41

CHAPTER FIVE

5.0 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND

RECOMMENDATIONS

The summary of findings is organized according to the result of each of the

research questions tested

5.1 RESEARCH QUESTION 1:-

• How adequate, affordable and accessible are the portable water and waste

disposal services provided for the slum dwellers?

The residents of the community who responded to the questionnaire indicated

that the source of water is easily accessible in almost all seasons, although during

shortage of water, water from the source is inadequate and the cost of water from

water vendors is relatively high. Every solid waste management program needs

funding. Unfortunately, especially in the era of tightening budgets, it is very

difficult to find the needed human and material resources. Shortage of waste

receptacles is another significant reason identified by the residents for

indiscriminate waste dump. Waste receptacle should be easily accessible to the

people; there are many areas in the community without waste receptacles.

Drainages have been completely blocked with refuse. Sometimes waste

receptacles are not emptied for days even though they have been filled with

wastes. As a result, people dump their refuse on the ground, or in thje gutter.

42

5.2 RESEARCH QUESTION 2:-

Are the residents of Oworonshoki aware of the implications of

indiscriminate waste disposal?

The number of respondents indicating that they are aware of the effects of solid

waste in their environment is a clear indication of such problems. They accepted

that solid waste is a breeding ground for disease vectors, they also agreed that

many diseases can be prevented if waste are properly administered and managed.

They are aware that many diseases can be prevented if solid wastes are properly

treated. They agreed that polluted air from refuse dumping sites brings out odour

and respiratory diseases. That source of water can be contaminated by seepage

from refuse dump sites, they agree that both underground and surface water can

be polluted from refuse dump.

5.3 RECOMMENDATIONS

The following recommendations were made based on the findings:

1. Government

- Government should provide refuse receptacles in large quantity and place

them at intervals of not more than 200m apart in both residential and

commercial areas.

- Monthly environment sanitation should be introduced.

43

- Private sector participation should be allowed in waste collection and

management. This will ensure prompt clearance of waste from dumping

sites.

- Government should sponsor public health education through programmes

on television stations, radio

- Create awareness through bill boards, fliers, posters that enlighten people

on the need to keep the environment clean.

- Sanitary or dumping sites should be properly selected and managed by the

government. This should be far from sources of water.

2. Individuals

- The community leaders, landlords should encourage better sanitation

practices by creating laws that prohibits indiscriminate dumping of waste.

- Every household should have a refuse to be deposited at the central refuse

bin for a total collection.

- People should be fined whenever they go against the environment laws

- Sorting of useful waste should be practiced by individuals. This will

reduce the volume of wastes that will be thrown away

- Recycling though expensive should be enhanced.

3. Organizations

- They should assist the government in creating awareness on public health

implications of indiscriminate waste dumping by:-

44

- Donating waste receptacles to localities

- Produce bill-boards, posters and filters that will cater for diverse audience

- Participate in community service of cleaning some places in various

localities

5.4 CONCLUSION

This study reveals that residents in the urban slum community depend solely

on public taps, well water, pipe borne water and water from water vendors as

the only source of water supply for their daily activities. Pipe-borne water is

sold at exorbitant prices to residents; approximately 11 times stipulated

commercial rates. As a result the residents are exposed to adverse health

effects. Erratic flow of pipe borne water in the community has necessitated

storage of pipe borne water in ground level concrete tanks which contributes to

contamination of water. The community depends entirely on poorly maintained

public latrines (pan latrines and KVIP) with offensive odour, fly nuisance and

lack user privacy. These factors in addition to inadequate facilities, lack of

money and behavioural factors contribute to the practice of open defecation in

the slum. Indiscriminate dumping of refuse in the slum as a result of lack of

waste collection containers also poses health risks to residents. There is

however the willingness to pay for waste collection services in the slum. A low

level of political commitment to improving the conditions in the slums exists

in that efforts over the years to improve water and sanitation across the country

45

has been targeted at only certain parts of the country to the neglect of slums.

The study recommends the provision of adequate and well-maintained mobile

household toilet facilities by private sanitation service providers due to the fact

that the community lacks adequate land space to construct household latrines

and an improvement in the operation of public latrines in the community.

Health education of residents would also be very instrumental in ensuring a

change in attitude with regards to indiscriminate dumping of waste and open

defecation in the community. Adequate number of communal skip containers

need to be provided at vantage points in the community to collect refuse in the

community. Pipelines carrying potable water should be completely covered to

prevent ingress of external contaminants through pipe joints and these should

be connected to elevated polyethylene tanks instead of ground level concrete

tanks. Moreover, there is the need for the formation of a water vendors

association in order to ensure effective management and price regulation of

water supply services in the community. In sum, efforts to improve the living

conditions of urban slum areas and curtail urban slum formation should be

intensified and be given the necessary political commitment to ward off the

numerous health risks to which urban slum dwellers are exposed. Developing

countries, though poor, should develop area-specific solutions to their

problems in the management of municipal solid waste. Consideration of the

composition of MSW can help developing countries make the correct choices

in importing MSW handling equipment. For example, there is no need to

46

import compactor trucks which are suitable to less dense MSW; dense MSW

which needs no compaction but just needs hauling trucks which might be

cheaper. Other management issues that need be taken into consideration

include decentralization through subdivision of urban areas into small units

(boroughs) in order to enhance management and service provision. Community

involvement through neighbourhood groups of people from middle and higher

income groups and business individuals can provide the needed solution in

mobilization of community-based efforts. Clean neighbourhood groups can

mobilize financial resources and engage private groups or hire private trucks to

occasionally collect and dispose MSW from their neighbourhoods. Other

measures include cultivation of a sense of clean environment through clean

community awareness programmes.

These can go a long way in sensitising people to keep the environment clean.

Regular activities such as clean-up of the neighbourhoods, schools, parks and

roadsides can be effective in changing the attitudes even among the poor

communities. In general, the proper management of municipal solid waste is

determined by the attitudes of people towards waste, such as the ability to

refrain from indiscriminate dumping.

47

CHAPTER SIX

6.0 REFERENCES

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Andrea Telmo C. (2002) “A water supply and sanitation study of the villageof

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APHA (American Public Health Association) Standard methods for

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Bartram, J and Cairncross, S (2010). Hygiene, Sanitation and Water: Forgotten

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Charls Peprah et al.(2015). “Analysis of accessibility to water supply and

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