Community-led total sanitation(CLTS)implementation in West Mamprusi Municipal Assembly in Ghana.What do communities think eleven years on?

Objective Access to improved sanitation is a fundamental human right and an important aspect of Public Health.However,an estimated thousands of people in Ghana especially,the West Mamprusi Municipal Assembly(WMMA)still have no access to adequate toilet facilities.This has brought untold health repercussions to the inhabitants,the community,and the environment at large.To address this menace,the community-led total sanitation(CLTS)was implemented.This study aimed to assess communities’perspectives on the implementation of CLTS and to understand the factors influencing its success and failures.Methods A mixed-method approach involving sequential qualitative and quantitative methods was employed in this study.Participants for the quantitative study were randomly selected and surveyed using questionnaires.The qualitative study employed focus group discussion involving purposively sampled participants including assembly members,opinion leaders,and assembly staff.Results The CLTS program in WMMA realized an apparent use of construction and proper use of household latrines leading to a reduction of open defecation free(ODF)and two communities achieving sanitized status in the history of the study area,enabling the training of latrine artisans and natural leaders to facilitate the CLTS expansion and sustainability,improved sanitation and hygiene,strengthened the enforcement of community rules and regulations and many others.Conclusion The CLTS program has received more widespread acceptance in the study area than the previous government policy of constructing public toilets,which was greeted with massive failures due to poor implementation.To ensure that gains achieved through CLTS implementation are sustained longer,it is recommended that chiefs and opinion leaders should be involved in the CLTS programs to ensure checks and enforcement.The entrenchment of bylaws and more education to address enduring myths and misconceptions will sustain the program.Subsidies in the form of sanitation loans for latrine construction materials by the government and supporting non-governmental organizations(NGOs)will be paramount in sustaining ODF.

Rural Resilience: A Comprehensive Study on Water Supply, Sanitation, Disease Patterns, and Hygiene Practices in Munshiganj, Bangladesh

This research project investigates the current status of water supply, sanitation, and hygiene practices in Munshiganj District, Bangladesh. Data collection involved a structured questionnaire and a reconnaissance survey. Findings reveal that 30% of individuals rely on surface water (hand-tube wells, rivers, and ponds), prioritized as canal > river > pond, while 70% depend on groundwater (subterranean electric motor, deep tube-well). Drinking water is generally sufficient, with 95% reporting adequacy throughout the year. About 45% use hand tube-well water, 28% use deep tube-well water, and 11% use supply tap water for various purposes. Bathing trends include underground water through electric motor > pond > hand tube-well water > river, while for cooking, the order is underground water through electric motor > pond > hand tube-well water > river. Toilet water supply ranks as supply tap water > hand tube-well water > deep tube-well water. Although sanitation awareness is high, some lack knowledge of good hygiene practices. After defecating, handwashing methods include soap, ash, soil, or water. Children’s waste disposal varies, with some discarding it in open areas. Approximately 40% suffer from diseases like Diarrhoea due to unsafe water, primarily affecting children and elders. Training exists, but a significant portion lacks sanitation education. Dry skin or exposure to cold water may cause temporary irritation. Local government involvement in sanitation efforts is less active compared to non-governmental organizations. Results emphasize the need to enhance community awareness of safe water supplies and sanitation practices. .

A Device to Improve Collaborative Practices of Sanitation Department Agents of a Territory: The Case of the Lamkansa District in Casablanca

The aim of this article is to strengthen and improve the collaboration between professional agents of a service that manages one of the technical processes acting on a given territory by synchronizing the spatio-temporal dimensions including all agents assembled for the task. This proposal was tested in the Lamkansa neighborhood in Casablanca, Morocco. The employed approach is based GIS resources and on systemic analysis of communication present in a territory. We were inspired by several methodological developments that carried multi-actor processes in land use planning. We focused our work on strengthening the collaboration between professionals, field agents and office agents, in the process of design and monitoring the liquid sanitation system. The device is based on geolocation and synchronous feedback of topological, geographical, and multimedia data related to the liquid sanitation network. Thanks to a geo-collaborative, participative, and motivating logic, we reduced the management costs of the network and made it faster and more efficient by equally mobilizing another type of non-specialized actors (the inhabitants). This device uses spatial and temporal dimensions to consolidate collaborative work tools through ICT and GIS technologies that thematize and exchange information collected in the field. Furthermore, this device raises great interest as it entails the concept of integration of several actors in a geo-collaborative mode while combining geomatics with communication and information sciences.

Looking up Prescriptions to Treat Infectious Disease:Anti-epidemic Books of Medical Formularies and Epidemic Prevention and Control in the Qing Dynasty

Copying,compiling,publishing,disseminating,and referencing anti-epidemic books of medical formularies were common activities during the outbreak of epidemics in the Qing dynasty.Its emergence,motivated by epidemic disease again and again,was important component parts of epidemic prevention and control.They played a unique role as media on affairs such as treating patients suffering from infectious diseases,mobilizing peoples to make contributions to anti-epidemic activities,integrating and popularizing knowledge of epidemic prevention.Anti-epidemic books of medical formularies were important to link peoples,things,and substances related with epidemic prevention and control,and were a kind of motivation to actively deal with the infectious disease,control the epidemic,and maintain health.Compared to other common measures,anti-epidemic books of medical formularies participated in many prevention and control practices deeply,which actually built a low cost,spontaneous,dispersed and non-institutional system to respond to epidemic,and the system had characteristics of stronger conductibility,bigger coverage area,and better external benefits.

Network Pharmacology, Molecular Docking and Experimental Exploring Molecular Mechanisms of Yinqiao Anti-Epidemic Formula in Regulating Mucosal Immune System of Respiratory Tract

[Objectives]To explore the molecular mechanisms of Yinqiao anti-epidemic formula(YQAEF)in regulating mucosal immune system of respiratory tract.[Methods]The active components of YQAEF were obtained from the TCMSP database,and RMIS targets were obtained from the GeneCards database.A"YQAEF components-RMIS targets-pathways"network was constructed by analyzing the above data to screen core targets for molecular docking verification.A mouse model of acute upper respiratory tract infection(AURI)was developed.Based on the experimental models,the key pathway target genes screened by network pharmacology were verified in vivo.[Results]The main active components of YQAEF involved in the regulation of the RMIS included quercetin,acetic acid,and raffinose.Key targets,such as angiotensin-converting enzyme(ACE),galactosidase alpha(GLA),matrix metalloproteinase 2(MMP2),Serpin Family E Member 1(SERPINE1),and myeloperoxidase(MPO)and important viral infection and endocrine resistance signaling pathways were included in the regulation of the RMIS with YQAEF.Molecular docking assays showed that the key targets had good binding activities with the components of YQAEF.Based on the results of network pharmacology,key target proteins in ACE,GLA,MMP2,SERPINE1,and MPO were selected for experimental verification.The results showed that ACE/ACE2 and MPO expressions were increased in the oral and throat mucosa of the AURI mice.Under YQAEF treatment,the expression levels of ACE/ACE2 and MPO were decreased.[Conclusions]This study revealed the mechanism of YQAEF in the regulation of RMIS,which is associated with multiple components,targets,and pathways.Further experiments confirmed that YQAEF interfered with MPO and ACE/ACE2 signaling pathways to regulate the RMIS in the oral and throat mucosa tissue of mice with AURI,and provide a new direction for exploring the potential antiviral mechanism of YQAEF.

Data complexity-based batch sanitization method against poison in distributed learning

The security of Federated Learning(FL)/Distributed Machine Learning(DML)is gravely threatened by data poisoning attacks,which destroy the usability of the model by contaminating training samples,so such attacks are called causative availability indiscriminate attacks.Facing the problem that existing data sanitization methods are hard to apply to real-time applications due to their tedious process and heavy computations,we propose a new supervised batch detection method for poison,which can fleetly sanitize the training dataset before the local model training.We design a training dataset generation method that helps to enhance accuracy and uses data complexity features to train a detection model,which will be used in an efficient batch hierarchical detection process.Our model stockpiles knowledge about poison,which can be expanded by retraining to adapt to new attacks.Being neither attack-specific nor scenario-specific,our method is applicable to FL/DML or other online or offline scenarios.

Field survey of a sustainable sanitation system in a residential house

Sustainable sanitation is an approach for more ecological and sustainable water resources management. In this paper, we proposed one of the new integrated waste treatment systems： an ＂sustainable sanitation system＂ that includes separation of the black water from water system by a non-flushing toilet （bio-toilet）, and a gray water treatment based on a biological and ecological concept. Sustainable sanitation system also converts the domestic waste to soil conditioners and fertilizers, for farmland use. As one of the case studies, Environmentally Symbiotic Housing in which people actually live using the bio-toilet for the black water treatment and the household wastewater treatment facility for the gray water was introduced. The availability of this system was investigated by analyzing the sawdust used in the bio-toilet and the quality of the effluent in the household wastewater treatment facility. As the result, the water content of the sawdust did not exceed 60% in any of the sampling points and the BOD and COD of the effluent of the household wastewater treatment facility were below 10 and 20 mg/L respectively, due to the low loading. Compared to the pollution load on the water environment created by the conventional system, it was found that the effluent of the house has a lower load than the tertiary treatment and the volume of the water consumption is 75% of the conventional system.

Does nest sanitation elicit egg rejection in an open-cup nesting cuckoo host rejecter?

Background: Nest sanitation behavior is one of the most important means to ensure high reproductive efficiency. In avian brood parasitism, nest sanitation behavior may be a pre-adaptation of host birds that allows them to identify the parasitic eggs, so that egg discrimination behavior may have evolved from nest sanitation behavior. However, whether nest sanitation behavior could improve egg rejection in cuckoo hosts was inconclusive.Methods: In this study, we investigated the relationship between nest sanitation and egg discrimination behavior in a potential cuckoo host, the Brown-breasted Bulbul(Pycnonotus xanthorrhous) with two experimental groups. In the first group, we added a blue, non-mimetic egg to the nest of the host, while in the second group we added a blue, non-mimetic egg and a peanut half-shell.Results: The results showed that in the first group, the probability of rejecting the non-mimetic eggs was 53.8%(n = 26 nests). In comparison, all of the Brown-breasted Bulbuls in the second group were able to rapidly remove the peanut shells from the nest, but only 52.6%(n = 19 nests) rejected the non-mimetic eggs. The rejection rates of the non-mimetic eggs in both experimental groups were not significantly different.Conclusions: Our study indicated that nest sanitation behavior of Brown-breasted Bulbuls did not influence their egg recognition and that egg discrimination ability of Brown-breasted Bulbuls was not directly related to nest sanitation behavior.

Nest sanitation facilitates egg recognition in the common tailorbird, a plaintive cuckoo host

Nest sanitation is a ubiquitous behavior in birds and functions to remove foreign objects that accidentally have fallen into their nests. In avian brood parasitism, the host’s ability to recognize and reject parasitic eggs is a specific anti-parasitic behavior. Previous studies have shown that egg recognition may have evolved from nest sanitation behavior;however, few studies have offered evidence in support of this hypothesis. In the current study, we added one real white egg and one model egg to the nests of common tailorbirds (Orthotomus sutorius), the main host of plaintive cuckoos (Cacomantis merulinus), to explore the relationship between egg recognition ability in hosts and nest sanitation behavior. Results showed that common tailorbirds rejected both non-mimetic blue model eggs and mimetic white model eggs at a similar rate of 100%, but only rejected 16.1% of mimetic real white eggs. The egg rejection behavior of common tailorbirds towards both real and model eggs was consistent. However, when both blue model eggs and real white eggs were simultaneously added to their nests, the probability of rejecting the mimetic real white egg increased to 50%. The addition of blue model eggs not only increased the occurrence of nest sanitation behavior but also increased the ability to recognize and reject parasitic eggs. This suggests that nest sanitation may facilitate egg rejection in common tailorbird hosts.

Sewerage Force Adjustment Technology for Energy Conservation in Vacuum Sanitation Systems

The vacuum sanitation is the safe and sound disposal approach of human excreta under the specific environments like flights, high speed trains and submarines. However, the propulsive force of current systems is not adjustable and the energy consumption does not adapt to the real time sewerage requirement. Therefore, it is important to study the sewerage force adjustment to improve the energy efficiency. This paper proposes an energy conservation design in vacuum sanitation systems with pneumatic ejector circuits. The sewerage force is controlled by changing the systematic vacuum degree according to the amount of the excreta. In particular, the amount of the excreta is tested by liquid level sensor and mass sensor. According to the amount of the excreta, the relationship between the excreta amount and the sewerage force is studied to provide proper propulsive force. In the other aspect, to provide variable vacuum degrees for different sanitation requirements, the suction and discharge system is designed with pneumatic vacuum ejector. On the basis of the static flow-rate characteristics and the vacuum generation model, the pressure response in the ejector circuit is studied by using the static flow rate characteristics of the ejector and air status equation. The relationship is obtained between supplied compressed air and systematic vacuum degree. When the compressed air is supplied to the ejector continuously, the systematic vacuum degree increases until the vacuum degree reaches the extreme value. Therefore, the variable systematic vacuum degree is obtained by controlling the compressed air supply of the ejector. To verify the effect of energy conservation, experiments are carried out in the artificial excreta collection, and the variable vacuum-degree design saves more than 30% of the energy supply. The energy conservation is realized effectively in the new vacuum sanitation systems with good application prospect. The proposed technology provides technological support for the energy conservation of vacuum sanitation systems.

Cholera in Guinea: The Implication for Safe Water Sources and Sanitations

Objectives: To lay stress upon the importance of adequate water and sanitation in the prevention of cholera in Guinea. Methods: The data on deaths and cases of cholera in Guinea from 2000 to 2011 were downloaded from the WHO Official website. The data on deaths and cases of cholera outbreak which occurred in Guinea from 02 February to 15 October 2012 were collected from the Guinean Ministry of Public Health. The cholera index case is confirmed by a laboratory test. Cholera cases were defined as individuals over one year old who had had watery stools with or without vomiting. Cholera incidence and case fatality rates between different areas of cholera occurrence in the country over time were computed. Results: Over the overall 12-year period (2000-2012), the case fatality rate showed a somewhat sign of slight rising trend when the incidence rates increased rapidly. During the seven consecutive years of cholera outbreaks in Guinea, between 2003 and 2009, the most affected areas were Conakry, Dubreka, Coyah, Boffa, Forécariah, Guékédou, Dalaba and Télimélé. In 2012, Cholera outbreak resulted in an incidence rate of 23.23 per 10,000 population and a case fatality ratio (CFR) of approximately 1.8%. Cases and deaths were reported in 12 prefectures out of 34: Conakry, Coyah, Forecariah, Fria, Boffa, Dubréka, Boké, Mamou, Kindia, Kankan, Kerouané and Dabola. Conclusion: Cholera is an important health problem in Guinea. Any earnest attempts to improve water and sanitation alongside with promotion of good hygienic practices will likely ward off the threat of cholera in the country.

Improving Self-Supply of Urban Water and Sanitation Projects through Microfinancing in Nigeria

Most water and sanitation projects in poor neighbourhood of urban Nigeria are executed through self-supply option. This is defined as an incremental improvement of WASH products e.g. water and sanitation structures by a household or small group of households which are financed by their own effort and investment. It is indeed a concept which complements conventional water supply and sanitation funded by government. The aim of this paper is, therefore, to investigate the extent of the use of innovative financing especially group saving approach to improve water and sanitation projects in Awka town, Nigeria. Towards achieving the aim, data were collected through questionnaires which were designed and administered on the respondents between January and April, 2016 and from other secondary sources. Data were analyzed using Principal Component Analysis and Component scores to establish the extent of the use of this option in the 9 component quarters of the town. Result shows that some quarters have perfected using the self-supply option while in others, it is yet to be widely accepted. It is finally recommended among others that the urban water policy as well as urban water safety plan should be revised to include the option as a way of improving domestic water supply and sanitation in the town.

Sanitation Mapping of Groundwater Contamination in a Rural Village of India

Availability of clean water and adequate sanitation facilities are of prime importance for limiting diarrheal diseases. We examined the spatial information on the groundwater quality and sanitation facilities of a village in southern India using Geographic Information System (GIS) tools. Place of residence, position of wells and latrines were mapped and well water samples were tested for microbial contamination (Total Coliform Counts (TCC), Fecal Coliform Counts (FCC) and Fecal Streptococcal Counts (FSC)). A well structured questionnaire was administered to 50 residents of the selected areas to elicit information on water collection, handling and storage. The location and distances of wells from latrines were determined using the Global Positioning System (GPS) device and a tape rule respectively. Data on 170 cases of various water-borne diseases were collected from primary health centers in the study area. Groundwater in the village was found to be microbiologically unfit for consumption. Analysis using direct observations supplemented by GIS maps revealed poor planning, design of the wells and improper siting of wells from latrines which were found to be the possible reasons of groundwater contamination. There was a significant difference in TCC between covered and uncovered wells (p < 0.01) but no significant differences were observed in the FCC, FSC and well covering. The mean distance (6.44 ± 2.37 m) of wells from the latrines in the study area was below the limit (15.24 m or 50 ft) set by United State Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). TCC and FCC increased with a decrease in distance between the wells and latrines with a significance (p < 0.01). A moderate negative correlation (r = -0.593, r = -0.470) was ensued between the distance from latrine and coliform count. This study accentuates the need to set standards for the siting of wells from latrines and need for treatment.

Environmental Sanitation Practices: A Case Study of Solid Waste Management in Semi-Urban Communities in Orlu, Imo State Nigeria

Background: Environmental sanitation is a fundamental process that is a key public health intervention which is essential for social, economic and overall health development of communities. Objective: To determine Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Environmental Sanitation in Semi-Urban Communities in Orlu, Imo State, Nigeria. Methods: A cross sectional descriptive design using a multistage random sampling technique to select 426 participants from households and business premises in semi-urban communities in Orlu Local Government Area of Imo State. Data was collected using a pretested, semi structured, interviewer administered questionnaire. Descriptive analyses were done with frequencies and summary statistics to assess the respondents’ knowledge, attitude and practices of environmental sanitation. Results: The results revealed that the mean age of the respondents’ was 37.0 ± 2.2 with a male to female ratio of 1:1.2. Despite high awareness about environmental sanitation (95.0%) reported among the respondents, proportion of them with good knowledge about environmental sanitation (22.9%), attitude (38.6%) and practice (20.8%) towards environmental sanitation was low. The mean quantity of waste generated per week per household or business premise was 14.1 ± 0.94 kg with a majority of the respondents (80.0%), not separating their waste before disposal. The commonest solid waste component generated was organic/perishable materials (74.8%) and the commonest disposal practice reported was open dumping (49.8%). Conclusion: A lot of attention is still required in the development of basic sanitation infrastructure and also, in the promotion of strategies or interventions that influence behavioural change towards environmental sanitation especially in developing countries like Nigeria.

China's Anti-epidemic Diplomacy Boosts Global Public Health Governance

In 2020 with a pandemic sweeping the world,global political and economic orders seriously disrupted and tens of millions of human lives threatened,the spread of the novel coronavirus is the world's number one challenge.China has efficiently organized domestic epidemic control and vigorously promoted international cooperation in the battle against the pandemic by advancing head-of-state diplomacy.In this ongoing crisis,China has actively led the way for global public health governance,promoted the building of a community with common health for mankind,and demonstrated the actions of a responsible major country.

Comparative assessment of intestinal helminths prevalence in Water,Sanitation and Hygiene(WASH) intervention and non-intervention communities in Abeokuta,Nigeria

Objective:This study compared the prevalence of intestinal helminths in Water,Sanitation and Hygiene(WASH) intervention and non-intervention communities in Abeokuta,Nigeria.Methods:Stool samples were collected from 225 respondents in a study carried out between July and November,2014.Stool samples were examined for presence of helminths using Formol-Ether concentration method.Data collected from stool samples were analyzed using SPSS for Windows(version 16).Results:Results showed that,at the intervention community,88 out of 113 respondents were infected with at least one helminth infection while at non-intervention community,80 out of 112 respondents were infected.This result revealed overall helminth prevalence of78% at Mawuko and 71% at Isolu.In both intervention(Mawuko) and non-intervention(Isolu) communities,hookworm was the most prevalent helminth observed(21% and18%,respectively) followed by Ascaris lumbricoides(13% and 13%,respectively),Taenia sp.(4% and 3%,respectively) and Trichostrongylus sp.(1% and 3%,respectively).Cases of single infections of Trichuris trichiura,Strongyloides stercoralis and Hymenolepsis nana were observed only at the non-intervention community.However,S.stercoralis occurred in the multiple infections observed at the intervention community.Significantly more(p < 0.05) cases of infections were observed in male(46%) at the intervention community than female(31%) while in non-intervention community females(39%) were significantly(p < 0.05) more infected than their male counterparts(32%).Conclusions:This study concludes that the Community Led-Total Sanitation intervention programme,which was executed in Mawuko was not effective as expected.

Financing of sanitation services in the slums of Kampala and Dar es Salaam

This paper presents an assessment of the extent and conditions under which private financing can be a realistic approach for sanitation in slums. It is based on a cross-sectional study comparing two slum communities in East Africa, where 250 households from Bwaise III in Kampala, Uganda and 379 households from Temeke in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania were interviewed in 2010. Also, 10 key-informant interviews and 8 focus group discussions were conducted in addition to field observations. Findings show that majority (85%) of households used unimproved, private-shared pit latrines. These privately owned latrines had many structural shortfalls besides poor operation and maintenance while the public latrines provided by third-party were structurally sound but were under-utilized in residential slum neighorhoods. This is attributed to the presence free or at least cheaper alternatives which the community members preferred instead of paying per-visit user-fees. For the few who were willing to pay, willingness to pay was positively associated with the presence of a facility User committee and having been sensitized. In this context, a combination of these factors made cost recovery as well as operation and maintenance very minimal. The poor status of privately owned shared pit latrines matched the limited income levels of households. Similarly, cost recovery for public facilities was dependent on the number of users who were willing to pay: the more the users, the more the cost recovery. A combination of private and public financing is thus necessary to fund different but complementary aspects of sanitation in slums.

Food Sanitation Knowledge, Attitude, and Behavior for the University Restaurants Employees

The purpose of this study was to discuss the food sanitation knowledge, attitude, and behavior for the employees of university restaurants, and furthermore, to explain the interrelations of these various were occurring at school. A questionnaire survey procedure was used. Each two constructs of food sanitation attitude and behavior were analyzed by factor analysis. Data was analyzed by description, Pearson’s correlation and multiple regression analysis. The correctness rate toward the whole sanitation knowledge of trials was 70%. The overall attitude toward food sanitation was prone to positive and the attitude of employee self-responsibility was superior to the attitude of food sanitation practice. The sanitary guiding behavior was better than the sanitary habit behavior;and there was a significant relationship indicated through Pearson correlation analysis among three various. The sanitation knowledge and sanitation attitude showed a 42.6% predictive power to behavior, the attitude was mediated between knowledge and behavior. The university restaurant employees shared a more pessimistic view toward the benefits of training and the institutions could establish a committee for monitoring food nutrition and sanitation. It provides valuable information for development employees training while seeking to raise school restaurant food safety levels.

Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Factors Associated with Child Illness in Tanzania

Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) are critical to ensuring health and preventing disease in Tanzania where approximately one-third of childhood deaths are related to poor hygiene. This study explored associations between WASH practices and childhood illness. Data came from a cross-sectional survey of 5000 female caregivers living in the Lake Zone region of Tanzania. Measures included self-reported presence of fever, diarrhea, cough and various WASH factors. Multiple logistic regressions were used. Thirty-seven percent of children experienced fever, 26% diarrhea, and 11% cough in the previous two weeks. Unimproved toilets were positively associated with fever (OR 1.25, CI 1.03 - 1.53, p < 0.05) and animal enclosures were negatively associated with diarrhea (OR 0.76, CI 0.61 - 0.96, p < 0.05). Unsafe disposal of a child’s stool was associated with both fever (OR 0.77, CI 0.67 - 0.89, p < 0.05) and diarrhea (OR 1.18, CI 1.0 - 1.38, p < 0.05). Eating soil was associated with both fever (OR 2.02, CI 1.79 - 2.29, p < 0.05) and diarrhea (OR 2.23, CI 1.95 - 2.57, p < 0.05). Eating chicken feces was associated with both fever (OR 2.07, CI 1.66 - 2.58, p < 0.05) and diarrhea (OR 2.38, CI 1.9 - 2.98, p < 0.05). Water shortages were associated with fever (OR 1.21, CI 1.07 - 1.36, p < 0.05) and cough (OR 1.48, CI 1.22 - 1.81, p < 0.05). Policy makers and program designers should consider increasing access to water and sanitation to improve children’s health.

Alternative Sanitation and Strategic Directives for the Well Water Security in Cotonou (Benin) and Lomé(Togo)

In the coastal cities of West Africa, land use change, rapid population growth, bad sanitation systems and poor environmental governance degrade the quality of groundwater. This study aimed to assess alternative, acceptable, affordable sanitation disposal and practices for groundwater quality rehabilitation in the cities of Cotonou and Lomé. The study was based on the participatory transdisciplinary approach, field surveys, feedback from interactions with stakeholders, experiences of the practitioners and institutional consultations. This multi-stakeholder approach helped to appreciate ecological aspects of sanitation disposal and its implications on water quality improvement. SWOT model was used to analyze the relevance of assessed ecological system. Well water quality is deteriorated by traditional waste management disposal. Ecological sanitation systems are septic tanks on polyethylene, above-ground latrines and phytoremediation technique in the swamp areas. Collected wastes are used for composting and biogas production. Based on the optimist scenario at 2030 horizon, kind success factors of groundwater security are participation of citizens, existence of sanitation market, valorization of the waste by category, low-cost disposal adaptable to the individual, household and neighborhood’s scales. The strategic directions rely on funding and public policies for WASH, ecological sanitation disposal, cultural environment and good sanitation practices for emergence of new sanitation system to secure and sustain well water quality. But the social acceptability of ecological disposal is limited by the society’s multicultural heritage. These findings could help in decision-making concerning urban groundwater quality protection in the African coastal cities.