Malindi, popular for its beautiful beaches and a celebrated tourist town, has a dirty secret. Three-quarters of the city’s 310,000 residents have no access to safely managed sanitation.
Residents are forced to rely on illegal and unsafe pit-emptying services and the waste that is collected is then dumped at an unregulated municipal dumpsite or disposed off in fields, open grounds, rivers and drains.
As a result, 90% of hand dug wells are contaminated with faecal waste causing serious health risks in the communities. The lack of proper waste management is also causing environmental damage and threatening marine life.
The problem is only set to worsen. As rapid urbanisation in Malindi continues, the amount of waste is forecast to grow exponentially. This is requiring city authorities to devise a plan for tackling the problems not just of today, but for years to come.
Watch our film to find out how WSUP has been working with city leaders to create an ambitious sanitation plan to tackle the problem:
The County Government of Kilifi and regional water and sanitation utility, Malindi Water & Sewerage Company (MAWASCO) with other partners like the regulator WASREB and the sanitation specialists at Sanivation, are taking steps to ensure that all residents in Malindi can access safely managed sanitation services.
Read the citywide inclusive sanitation plan for Malindi here.
Top image: An informal waste collector in Malindi