Adopt or Adapt: Sanitation Technology Choices in Urbanizing Malawi
Adopt or Adapt: Sanitation Technology Choices in Urbanizing Malawi
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DOI：
10.1371/journal.pone.0161262
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发表时间：
2016-08-17
期刊：
影响因子：
3.7
通讯作者：
Brown, Joe
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Chunga, Richard M.;Ensink, Jeroen H. J.;Brown, Joe
本文介绍了一项混合方法研究的结果，该研究考察了马拉维低收入、快速城市化地区的财产所有者采用的适应策略，以解决坑式厕所的局限性，坑式厕所是处理人类排泄物最常用的方法。一个特别的挑战是，随着人口密度的增加，建造新厕所的空间不足：传统的做法是盖上满坑，然后简单地搬到一个新的地点，但对空间的需求不断增加，需要新的方法来延长厕所的使用寿命。在此背景下，我们从2013年1月至9月通过48次深度访谈和对来自27个低收入城市地区的1300名业主的明确偏好调查收集了卫生技术选择的数据。结果显示，考虑更换坑厕空间的业主选择排空坑厕服务的可能性是新建平板坑厕的1.8倍（p = 0.02），但考虑更换坑厕空间与采用当地推广的新型生态卫生技术（ecosan）的意愿之间没有显著关联。业主更倾向于采用现有的已知技术，在旧的坑式厕所位置建造替代坑式厕所，减少更换坑式厕所的频率，或者在坑式厕所满了的时候清空坑式厕所。这项研究强调了采用全新卫生技术的潜在挑战，即使这些技术对最终用户具有明显的优势。为了扩大规模，快速城市化城市的替代卫生技术应具有明显的优势，价格合理，在多个家庭共享时易于使用，其设计应借鉴现有的适应战略和当地知识。
This paper presents the results of a mixed-methods study examining adaptation strategies that property owners in low-income, rapidly urbanizing areas in Malawi adopt to address the limitations of pit latrines, the most common method of disposing human excreta. A particular challenge is lack of space for constructing new latrines as population density increases: traditional practice has been to cap full pits and simply move to a new site, but increasing demands on space require new approaches to extend the service life of latrines. In this context, we collected data on sanitation technology choices from January to September 2013 through 48 in-depth interviews and a stated preference survey targeting 1,300 property owners from 27 low-income urban areas. Results showed that property owners with concern about space for replacing pit latrines were 1.8 times more likely to select pit emptying service over the construction of new pit latrines with a slab floor (p = 0.02) but there was no significant association between concern about space for replacing pit latrines and intention to adopt locally promoted, novel sanitation technology known as ecological sanitation (ecosan). Property owners preferred to adapt existing, known technology by constructing replacement pit latrines on old pit latrine locations, reducing the frequency of replacing pit latrines, or via emptying pit latrines when full. This study highlights potential challenges to adoption of wholly new sanitation technologies, even when they present clear advantages to end users. To scale, alternative sanitation technologies for rapidly urbanising cities should offer clear advantages, be affordable, be easy to use when shared among multiple households, and their design should be informed by existing adaptation strategies and local knowledge.