Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
values and wishes will need to be taken into account while designing the
technology or combination of technologies, which is not self-evident
[40,41].
Another obstacle for the implementation of decentralized technologies
and the reuse of resources could be institutional constraints or legislation.
Legislation could restrict the use of human excreta as a natural fertilizer
or pose restrictions on the quality of the effl uent if it is to be discharged to
a natural water body. In addition, the implementation of centralized tech-
nologies can be used by authorities to gain control over resources fl ows
to an area and hence the ability to infl uence its population. In the case of
decentralized technologies this is much less of a possibility, and hence
authorities could be less inclined to promote the approach proposed here.
The last obstacle discussed in this paper is the threat of the technolo-
gies to the public health. Although the technologies are envisaged to be
implemented in peri-urban areas where there is inadequate access to safe
water supply, wastewater treatment and solid waste management services,
and thus improve the living conditions of the inhabitants, improper con-
struction, operation or maintenance can result in serious health risks. This
is especially the case for EcoSan, which if not constructed, operated or
maintained properly can become hygienically unsafe and result in a source
of pathogens or vectors, thereby increasing the risk of infections.
2.6 CONCLUSIONS
As the research results have shown, the implementation and combination
of decentralized technologies allows for context-specific solutions to local
water supply, sanitation or solid waste dilemmas that are often relevant
in peri-urban areas. Moreover, it provides the opportunity to lessen en-
vironmental pollution and recover valuable resources to sustainably im-
prove livelihoods and the environment. However, in order to achieve this,
participation of users and stakeholders is crucial. As the experiences of
this project have shown, stakeholders still often favor traditional central-
ized solutions and, in order to facilitate the implementation of decentral-
ized solutions, an open and transparent planning process that highlights
advantages and possible disadvantages of decentralized over centralized
