Equidade, segurança e sustentabilidade nos serviços de saneamento pela ferramenta CWIS-FiT em Nampula, Moçambique

Abstract

Citywide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS) promotes sanitation systems capable of ensuring equity among users and workers, service safety, and environmental and financial sustainability in cities such as Nampula, Mozambique, where sanitation challenges generate social, environmental, and economic impacts. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the inclusiveness of sanitation services in Nampula and their associated costs using the CWIS assessment framework. The research was conducted through a documentary review, identification of 5 low-income (LI) and 6 non-low-income (NLI) neighborhoods, and interviews with key informants in the sanitation sector. Using purposive and snowball sampling, 53 LI households, 39 NLI households, 1 municipal employee (Urban Planning and Sanitation Technician), 2 pit-emptying truck operators, and 1 manual pit-emptying group were interviewed, complemented by field observations. Data were analyzed using the Compendium of Sanitation Systems and Technologies (CSST), the Shit Flow Diagram (SFD), and the CWIS Financial Tool (CWIS-FiT). The institutional analysis indicated perceived overlaps in responsibilities and limitations in coordination among municipal, provincial, and national authorities, hindering service planning and management. The CSST identified 4 distinct sanitation systems, demonstrating the coexistence of sewered and non-sewered solutions and the need for integrated planning. The SFD revealed that wastewater flows are entirely unsafe (100%) due to the absence of wastewater and fecal sludge treatment. The business model analysis indicated that users connected to the sewer network pay 64.2% less for services than users of individual systems, while LI households face economic barriers that restrict their access to sanitation services. The tool showed that current tariff revenues are insufficient to ensure financial sustainability, estimating sustainable tariffs of Mts 58/month for sewered systems and Mts 198/month for non-sewered systems. It also demonstrated that private pit-emptying services generate financial surpluses, contrasting with the deficit observed in public management. The goal of 100% universal coverage through exclusively sewered systems within 20 years showed low feasibility, reinforcing the need to incorporate non-sewered solutions into long-term planning. Emptying and transport services generate profits for private operators, contrasting with financial deficits in the public sector resulting from low tariff revenues. The CWIS-FiT indicators classified equity and safety at an intermediate level (yellow) and sustainability at a critical level (red), indicating that universal sanitation coverage depends on strengthening governance, restoring financial sustainability, and integrating sewered and non-sewered solutions. The proposed inclusion strategies are: 1) fair tariff adjustments between sewered and non-sewered systems, with subsidies for LI households to cover operational costs; 2) formalization and registration of private operators to enable access to national social security, including health insurance; 3) prioritization of women in recruitment, particularly for decision-making positions; 4) external financing for expansion of the collection network, pit-emptying services, and construction of wastewater and fecal sludge treatment facilities; and 5) reuse of treated wastewater and fecal sludge as sources of income. It is concluded that the integrated application of the CSST, SFD, and CWIS-FiT enabled the identification of the main technological, institutional, and financial bottlenecks in the sector, providing a basis for planning more inclusive, safe, and sustainable urban sanitation strategies.