Urban WASH in Emergencies, 2014.
From the 24 – 28 March 2014, RedR held a pilot course for 24 WASH experts on the subject of addressing the social, institutional and technical gaps that currently exist for water, sanitation and hygiene provision in the urban emergency context. This document, produced as a partnership between ALNAP and RedR, captures the key messages, lessons and experiences of both course facilitators and participants on the topic of WASH in urban emergency response.
Many specific lessons for the WASH sector in the urban context can be drawn from this discussion, including:
• Solid waste management can be of particular importance and there are multiple new technologies that can assist in this sector. • Vector control is more complex but just as essential in the urban environment, especially when considering dengue fever, which is on the rise across the developing world and particularly a threat to urban populations.
• Hygiene promotion remains a critical part of the WASH response but is potentially far more complicated, owing to the diverse target groups in urban settings. Schools are a particular asset for hygiene promotion.
• Diverse target groups may also mean a more responsive and greater range of WASH options may be needed to ensure effective service provision.
A recurring lesson from this discussion has been the emphasis on the interconnected and dynamic nature of the urban setting, and how this challenges ‘silo’-based, sector-structured responses. Recognising this characteristic, many lessons have wider applicability for humanitarian response more generally. Vector control, solid waste management and drainage are key examples of where success or failure in one area could greatly determine results in other sectors. These specialist and technical areas also clearly demonstrate the need for humanitarian agencies to ‘ know their limits and utilise external expertise – including potentially the private sector
