![[SPLASH Project] Risk-based Participatory WASH Planning and Citizen-data WASH Statistics for African Peri-urban Settlements](https://wash.africa.kyoto-u.ac.jp/splash/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/logo-splash.webp){kind=logo}
Background
Poor WASH conditions in sub-Saharan Africa
Drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) are multiple barriers and vital for human health. However, 410 million, 760 million and 900 million people, respectively, do not have access to basic WASH in sub-Saharan Africa.
Serious impact on human health
Diarrhea is the 5th largest cause of <5-year mortality, 58% of which are associated with poor WASH. Sporadic cholera outbreaks occur in peri-urban low-income settlements (compounds), especially that of Lusaka, Zambia, where water and sanitation infrastructure is poor.
SPLASH PROJECT
Our focus
Problems are not limited to water supply infrastructure
People typically collect water at shared yard taps and store it in buckets at home. Water stored at home is often contaminated due to germs of living space even if water from the taps is clean. Unsanitary living space causes fecal exposure through various pathways. People’s actions are needed to clean their living space. However, they do NOT have a sanitary toilet BUT a mobile phone.
SPLASH PROJECT
Our approach
Experienced, not taught
People can realize diarrhea risk and have motivation to improve WASH if they can see germs in their living space by naked eyes through a participatory coliform survey.
People can also design localized WASH action plans if they can visualize infectious pathways and quantify diarrhea risk, supported by App.
Bigdata from people’s surveys could be WASH statistics if inaccurate data are properly corrected.
SPLASH PROJECT
Overall goal
- To improve WASH and prevent diarrhea and cholera outbreaks
- To realize evidence-based policy making by WASH statistics
SPLASH PROJECT
Project objectives
- To develop a method of App-supported participatory E. coli survey and diarrhea risk visualization for self-designing of WASH action plans.
- To create a WASH quality database based on participatory E. coli data.
Research Themes
To develop an assay of simultaneous enteropathogen quantification and clarify diarrhea risk structures
To estimate the risk reduction by remedial measures of better WASH
To create social networks for the implementation of WASH action plans
To develop a method of App-supported participatory risk-based WASH planning
To develop an algorithm to correct inaccurate people's E. coli data for database
SPLASH PROJECT
Social implementation of the methodology
Effectively mitigate diarrhea risk
- To pilot the developed methodology in local communities of peri-urban Lusaka.
- To evaluate and validate the methodology.
- To develop guidelines and organize workshops for effective use.
