Water and sanitation service levels in urban informal settlements: a case study of Portee-Rokupa in Freetown, Sierra Leone

Abstract

Evidence-based data are fundamental in enhancing the delivery of sustainable and resilient water and sanitation services in informal settlements of urban cities in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This paper describes the water and sanitation service situation of an urban informal settlement of Freetown, Sierra Leone's capital city. Data were collected from 385 households through a cross-sectional design. More than 80% of the respondents use sachet water as the main drinking source and 59% use protected wells for non-drinking needs. One-third (32%) of the respondents use unimproved sanitation services. Lined pit latrines are the most used facilities (39%), followed by hanging toilets (14.3%). Sanitation facilities mostly shared (69.6%) with a poor hygiene level and the risk of using them at night are reported as main threats. These findings point to the need for greater priority for investments and improvements for safely managed water and sanitation services. HIGHLIGHTS Water and sanitation access mainly provides limited service levels.; Sachet water is the main source for drinking.; Access to piped water is limited in the community and available taps provide water during the rainy season.; Wells are the main sources for domestic water needs.; Pit latrines and hanging toilets are the most dominant in the community.;

Keywords

• drinking and domestic water
• informal settlement
• sanitation
• sierra leone
• urban