Management of ecosan system in urban areas:"ecosan_ue project case study'' in four sectors of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Ecological sanitation is an alternative to linear sanitation approaches that often end up to carry waste to water bodies. It is based on an ecosystem approach where the nutrient and organic matter contained in human excreta are considered as a resource in food production. While this approach is relatively straightforward in rural areas where the households can use the fertilizers in agriculture, it is more complex in urban areas where the households generally do not engage in farming. In such a setting a collection, hygienization and reuse often need to be done off site. To show that EcoSan approach can be suitable also in urban areas, a pilot project in Ouagadougou called EcoSan_UE Project has been implemented during three years, 2006-2009.

The main objective was to facilitate access to ecological, sustainable, healthy and affordable sanitation systems for the populations of the disadvantaged, rapidly growing sectors of Ouagadougou. These systems should protect human health as well as contribute to food security and the protection of natural resources. The project should also strengthen the capacity of CBO1 and SME2 to engage in the EcoSan system. A total of 932 UDDT3 were built in the four sectors concerned by the project and in each sector a collection circuit and an Eco-Station was implemented as well as participative tests with urban farmers on the use of urine as liquid fertilizer.

An institutional arrangement was set up to manage the EcoSan system put in place; which involves local associations at three levels: collection and transportation, treatment and packaging as well as delivering of the EcoSan fertilizers. This way the project has had a coordinating role, while the implementing activities are outsourced to the associations. The coordinating role is transferred to the municipality in 2009. The cost of the local associations can be reduced as they also benefit from a small collection fee from the household and an income from selling hygienized excreta to the farmers. The system thus becomes bearable from municipal point of view and provides jobs and business opportunities.