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.