Sustainable City in Africa Facing the Challenge of Liquid Sanitation

Esoh Elamé is a geographer, town planner, geologist and pedagogist. He is a professor at the University of Padua, Italy, as well as a permanent associate professor at the National Advanced School of Public Works and at Institut des Relations Internationales du Cameroun (IRIC) of the University of Yaoundé II, Cameroon. His research focuses on African cities and intercultural sustainable development.

• Introduction xiEsoh ELAMÉAcknowledgments xviiChapter 1 Sustainable Cities and Domestic Wastewater Treatment: The Case of Africa 1Esoh ELAMÉ1.1 Setting the context 11.2 Theoretical framework: the sustainable city in Africa 41.3 Methodological framework 91.4 Prospects for changes to be implemented 91.4.1 For a consensual and African definition of the city 101.4.2 Making the sustainable city a specific priority objective of urban planning in African cities 151.4.3 Sustainable African cities and Black African civilization 191.4.4 Making the sustainable city the symbol of the permanent fight against informal urban planning 201.4.5 Making the sustainable city a territory that now calls for the criminal responsibility of local officials and elected representatives 231.4.6 For a manifesto of African sustainable cities 241.4.7 Making the national urban policy (NUP) a tool for sustainable cities and the right to drinking water and decent sanitation 251.4.8 Making the national sanitation strategy a top priority in the process of building a sustainable city 261.4.9 The place of liquid sanitation in sustainable urban planning 271.4.10 Adopting a sustainable city approach to encourage the realization of liquid sanitation utilities 301.5 Conclusion 311.6 References 31Chapter 2 The National Sanitation Policy in Tunisia: Successes and Limitations 33Rebei HEDI2.1 Introduction 332.2 Urban liquid sanitation: Tunisia is ahead of the countries in the region 342.2.1 Early interest in urban sanitation 352.2.2 Evolution of sanitation indicators 362.2.3 Liquid sanitation in Tunisia: reasons for success 382.3 Wastewater treatment plants, a new polluter? 422.3.1 Aspects 422.3.2 Consequences 472.3.3 Case study 492.4 The necessary readjustments 532.4.1 ONAS’s strategy 542.4.2 Is a specialization of wastewater treatment plants possible? 552.4.3 Should the sewerage option be reviewed? 552.4.4 Opting for the circular economy? 562.5 Conclusion 582.6 References 59Chapter 3 Cameroon’s National Liquid Sanitation Strategy: Critical Analysis and Proposals 63Esoh ELAMÉ3.1 Background 633.2 Methodology 663.3 Theoretical framework 673.3.1 Strategic planning 673.3.2 Wastewater 693.4 Results 703.4.1 Existence of a national liquid sanitation strategy in Cameroon that is not based on a national urban policy 703.4.2 Existence of a national liquid sanitation strategy in Cameroon that is not based on a national sanitation policy 723.4.3 Cameroon’s national liquid sanitation strategy was the result of a mixed participatory process 743.4.4 Cameroon’s liquid sanitation strategic planning process undermines national sovereignty 753.4.5 Cameroon’s national liquid sanitation strategy lacks a "strategic vision" 753.4.6 The time horizon of Cameroon’s national sanitation strategy does not make it a strategy 763.4.7 The specific objectives of Cameroon’s national liquid sanitation strategy do not take collective sanitation into account 783.4.8 Improved sanitation facilities: not an appropriate long-term solution 813.4.9 Hygiene and sanitation promotion plans: an inappropriate solution 813.4.10 Cameroon’s national liquid sanitation strategy proposes technical solutions that are contrary to urban planning standards insofar as they encourage anarchic urbanization and urban sprawl 833.4.11 The strategy’s short-term action plan includes four outcomes that cannot be achieved in two years 853.4.12 The strategy’s medium-term action plan includes four outcomes that are difficult to achieve in five years 873.5 Conclusion 883.6 References 89Chapter 4 State of Play of Non-Collective Sanitation in Cameroon and Compliance Solutions for Sustainable Urban Planning 93Esoh ELAMÉ and Jacques MARTEL4.1 Introduction 934.2 Methodology 944.3 Results 954.3.1 Collective sanitation is totally absent in Cameroon 954.3.2 Cameroonian cities are dominated by autonomous sanitation of the informal type 974.3.3 Latrines are the most diffuse essential component of liquid sanitation in Cameroon 994.3.4 The distance between the latrines and the water points does not comply with WHO requirements: there is a risk of water table contamination 1034.3.5 Proposing specific provisions on the depth of septic tanks and water wells 1074.3.6 Reviewing the current legal framework for NCSs and clarifying the roles and missions of the different actors 1084.3.7 The practice of zoning for liquid sanitation in Cameroonian cities is completely unknown 1084.3.8 The role and missions of decentralized local authorities in liquid sanitation in Cameroon make them key actors in liquid sanitation in cities 1104.3.9 Lack of a public sanitation service in Cameroonian cities 1114.3.10 Cameroonian cities do not have a public sewage service 1124.3.11 In the Cameroonian context, there is a lack of sizing and construction rules for the different types of NCS facilities 1144.3.12 The treatment of septage is a major problem in Cameroonian cities that must be addressed 1234.3.13 Enforcing the polluter pays principle by municipalities for liquid waste 1324.4 Discussion 1334.5 Conclusion 1344.6 References 135Chapter 5 Industrial Water Management in Sarh (Chad): Spatialization of Socio-Environmental Risks 139Yamingué BÉTINBAYE, Ngaressem Goltob MBAYE and Michel TCHOTSOUA5.1 Introduction 1395.2 Methods 1405.2.1 Spatialization, socio-environmental risk and urban service 1405.2.2 A dialectical approach to examining the management of industrial water in Sarh 1425.3 Results 1455.3.1 An economy centered on four industrial units 1455.3.2 A health facility on the scale of industrial units 1465.3.3 Water management in industrial units in Sarh 1475.3.4 Water management at the Sarh regional hospital 1515.3.5 Industrial water management model and socio-environmental risks 1545.4 Discussion 1565.5 Conclusion 1575.6 References 158Chapter 6 Summary Diagnosis of the Excreta and Domestic Wastewater Collection System in the District of Douala III (Cameroon) 161Esoh ELAMÉ, Moni Augustine NATHALIE, Tefounou Marco BIANNY and Jacques MARTEL6.1 Introduction 1616.2 Contextual framework of the study 1626.3 Data collection 1636.4 Results and discussions 1656.4.1 The human capital of the Douala III district municipality does not allow for decent sanitation for the population 1656.4.2 The incoherence of the urban fabric makes it difficult for people to access liquid sanitation 1676.4.3 The spatial organization of the habitat does not promote decent sanitation in the district municipality of Douala III 1696.4.4 Lack of modern technical solutions to treat domestic wastewater produced by households 1716.4.5 Traditional latrines are the most commonly used domestic wastewater collection device in Douala III 1736.4.6 The lack of a sanitation network in the Douala III district leads to the dumping of gray water in channels and streams 1786.4.7 Lack of a municipal waste disposal service in the Douala III district 1806.4.8 The construction of sanitation facilities in the district of Douala III is achieved without expertise 1816.4.9 Industrial wastewater, as is the case with domestic wastewater, is not treated in the Douala III district 1836.4.10 The commune of Douala III does not have a rainwater collection system 1866.4.11 The sanitation facilities in Douala III produce significant environmental and health impacts 1906.5 Conclusion 1926.6 References 194Chapter 7 The Public Sewerage System in the District Municipality of Douala I: Status of the Issue and Some Technical Guidelines 197Arnaud Akini DAMSOU, Esoh ELAMÉ and Jacques MARTEL7.1 Introduction 1977.2 Theoretical framework: the concept of a sanitation network 1997.2.1 Definition of the sewerage system 1997.2.2 The components of a sewerage system 2007.2.3 Brief history of the sewerage system 2017.3 Results 2037.3.1 The legislative and regulatory texts that have existed in Cameroon to date have taken into account the concept of a public sewerage system in a mixed manner 2037.3.2 To date, there is no public sewerage system in the city of Douala, and even less so in the district of Douala I 2047.3.3 Liquid sanitation in the commune of Douala I is essentially autonomous 2067.3.4 The municipality of Douala I has a fairly structured urban fabric that allows for the design of a public sewer system 2087.3.5 The district municipality of Douala I includes functional neighborhoods likely to facilitate the establishment of a sanitation network 2127.3.6 The geomorphology of the Douala I district municipality facilitates the installation of a public sewerage system 2167.3.7 Physical characteristics of the water table in the Douala I district 2187.3.8 There is little land available to accommodate public sewerage works in the Douala I district municipality 2207.4 Conclusion 2217.5 References 222Conclusion 225Esoh ELAMÉList of Authors 229Index 231