Sanitation infrastructure transformations in a small town (Uganda)

The sanitation ladder has been used to measure progress in sanitation but its visual representation as a unilineal path, with everyone eventually connected to a water borne system, is limiting as the infrastructure is not linear, with comon setbacks and intermittency. This study has looked at how sanitation infrastructure has transformed with time in households and institutions in Bushenyi-Ishaka. It also sought to understand the different drivers associated with sanitation infrastructural changes. Primary data was collected through interviews and unstructured observations. While it is evident that there was a change from open defecation to latrine construction and use due to enforcement of state rules, it was shown that the subsequent upgrade and improvement of sanitation infrastructure was due to financial ability. Availability of water was also a contributing factor towards change but this did not assure effective use of the flush toilets as their use was limited to night time and during the rainy season. The empirical findings also validated that infrastructure transformation is not a unilinear process as community members make innovations and changes in order to enjoy the benefits that come along with having a sanitation facility. Additionally, infrastructure development is unequal as community members invest in sanitation systems and infrastructure which is affordable to them and not necessarily all community members can afford these upgrades. It was also revealed that institutional sanitation infrastructure transformed with time to accommodate the high enrolment of students and the rate of change is dictated by parents and the local government.