Changes on the ground in Diepsloot, Johannesburg

With Six months on from when the Diepsloot Sanitation Studio was implemented the changes on the ground continue.

This brief report from Diepsloot is a summary of some of the ‘measures of success’?

• water use remains significantly reduced in the 10 improved toilets, whilst toilet use is as high or higher than 6 months ago …. what has changed? … LEAKS were reduced by installing better taps and cisterns
• the lower maintenance needed on the 10 improved toilets meant more time to MAINTAIN the other unimproved toilets and WATER USE has dropped in these toilets (and we hope the 100 other toilets being maintained)
• WATER DATA, collected by WASSUP from water meters, quantifies the improvements
• FLUSH DATA collected by WASSUP from data loggers, quantifies the use received by the toilets
• design and construction of a paved area and garden around the toilets to reduce erosion and improve access
• the paved area captures toilet cleaning water and splash from washing at tap points and diverts the wastewater to an integrated garden bed away from the street and contact with people
• sponsorship of new doors by a local plumbing business, improve PRIVACY and use will increase and be spread more evenly amongst all toilets
• WASSUP and STICKY SITUATIONS hosted the Diepsloot Sanitation Studio and allowed the generous support of the WorldSkills Foundation and the two plumbers who participated in the works to be focussed on important change.

The WASSUP team in front of the paved area that surrounds the toilets, water and drain points

WASSSUP planting the garden bed at the end of the paved area 

One of the improved toilets after 6 months use
– each toilet is subject to an average of around 100 flushes a day (between the hours of 6am and 9pm)  and the toilet and tap points combined use an average of 3,000 litres a day compared with 6,000 litres used by the unimproved units.

The same toilets before and after 6 months of work

This work has been done in 10 toilets. WASSUP maintain 120 toilets and want the work to continue. 

The benefits of similar work continuing to improve all these toilets and then more broadly across Diepsloot would seem to be obvious.