Assessing Current Water Supply to Sustain Water Uses in Public Toilets within Kampala
Abstract
Public toilets are a vital component in creating sustainable, accessible and comfortable cities for
all. They are common sanitation options in most cities and towns of developing countries that aim
at eliminating open defecation. For the case of the Kampala, public toilets are mostly waterborne
toilets that are connected to piped water supplied by The National Water and Sewage cooperation
(NWSC) or groundwater from shallow wells in some rare cases. Water used in the toilets should
be of great concern since the city attracts a big number of people who are passing through heading
to other destinations and others coming for work. The type of water supply used should have
enough water of acceptable quality to be used for the personal hygiene of the users in addition to
cleaning and flushing of the toilet. From a sample of 100 toilets distributed within Central Kampala
division, this study aimed at assessing the quality of water supplied to the toilets while putting in
consideration the possible deterioration points of water due to storage or contact by the users. The
design, operation and maintenance of the toilets was also compared for all the toilet facilities.
Checklists, questionnaires and interviews were used to collect information that was analyzed using
SPSS.