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Sanitation Context and Technological Challenges to Municipal Wastewater Management in Africa

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Wastewater Management and Technologies

Part of the book series: Water and Wastewater Management ((WWWE))

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Abstract

The debate on the municipal wastewater problem in the developing world is not new. However, the inaction on the part of governments or municipal urgencies is worrying in the face of persistent health burden arising from release of partially treated or untreated wastewater into the environment. The inaction derives in part from high costs and expertise constraints that are needed to set up and operate advanced wastewater treatment technologies. In part, the inaction even in the face of mounting threat to public health may be due to a deep-rooted perception that wastewater is not a resource or is inherently bad and must thus be disposed. Consequently, investment in safe disposal or in technologies for recycling and reuse of wastes remains low. In addition, population growth in many municipalities continues to increase and so is the production of high volumes of wastewater and other wastes. Furthermore, the situation is exacerbated by emerging pollutants of concern that cannot be removed from wastewater by existing technologies. Technologies that can overcome these constraints and challenges are needed for sustainable wastewater treatment in Africa, a continent that is suffering from water-stress and high burden of sanitation-related diseases. Existing evidence shows that chemically enhanced primary treatment (CEPT) is an ideal first step technology for wastewater treatment in the developing world because of its low cost, efficiency, and ease of implementation. This chapter presents the complex sanitation context in Africa. It summarizes the performance of commonly used wastewater treatment systems. In addition, it revisits the proposition that CEPT is an efficient, low cost and adaptable wastewater treatment technology that offers great promise to address wastewater treatment challenges facing municipalities in the developing world including Africa.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, Maseno University, Private Bag, Kisumu, Kenya

    Patrick Ogola Onyango

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  1. Patrick Ogola Onyango
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Correspondence to Patrick Ogola Onyango .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Environ. Engineering, Davutpasa Campus, Yıldız Technical University, Esenler, Istanbul, Türkiye

    Eyüp Debik

  2. Institute for Ecological and Sustainable Chemistry, TU Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Niedersachsen, Germany

    Müfit Bahadir

  3. Exceed Excellence Centre, Leichtweiß Institute for Hydroengineeri, Braunschweig, Germany

    Andreas Haarstrick

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Onyango, P.O. (2023). Sanitation Context and Technological Challenges to Municipal Wastewater Management in Africa. In: Debik, E., Bahadir, M., Haarstrick, A. (eds) Wastewater Management and Technologies. Water and Wastewater Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-36298-9_13

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