FREETOWN: Sanitation Status

Sanitation provision in Freetown (capital of Sierra Leone) is grossly deficient, as in most cities in sub-Saharan Africa: most people do not have access to a hygienic toilet; large amounts of faecal waste are discharged to the environment without adequate treatment; this is likely to have major impacts on infectious disease burden and quality of life (Hutton et al. 2007). This article briefly summarizes the current sanitation situation in Freetown.

This page is part of the fully editable open-access reference source on the sanitation status of all major cities in sub-Saharan Africa. The resource considers the 40 urban agglomerations in sub-Saharan Africa with a current population of 1 million or more. To read some of the other 40 country profiles, go back tothe resource Homepage.

N.B These pages should be considered as incomplete provisional drafts, and contributions are actively requested from specialists with expert local knowledge of each specific city

Table of Contents

Background information
Water resources and supply: overview
Sanitation access
Sewerage system
Septage management (septage = nightsoil and/or sludge from onsite facilities)
Sewage treatment (sewage = sewered wastes and/or septage)
Sanitation in low-income districts
Responsibility
Sanitation masterplan?
Sanitation financing
Major investments and donor interventions
Sources and further reading
References
Other City Profiles

Background information

Freetown is an urban agglomeration with a population of about 1.2 million people (Brinkhoff 2010). It is a port city built around a pensinsula, with hilly topography. Climate is tropical monsoon (Köppen classification Am). Flooding is frequent and severe in some parts of the city (IRIN 2008). Pollutant industrial activities include food-processing and petroleum refining. There is significant urban agriculture activity within the metropolitan area (RUAF 2007). A significant proportion of the population lives in low-income settlements, including very poor informal settlements. Sierra Leone was affected by a civil war between 1991 and 2000.

Water resources and supply: overview

Water supply is largely from reservoirs in the hills close to the city (notably the Guma Reservoir); however, these reservoirs are too small to meet Freetown’s needs, and indeed ran dry in the dry season of 2006 (Kallon 2008, IRIN 2007, UNECA 2009). In addition, pumping capacity is inadequate, particularly to serve the poorer eastern districts of the city (IRIN 2007, WSSCC 2009). Many districts have no piped water and depend on local surface water and traditional wells: WSSCC (2009) estimates that only about 45% of the population of Freetown has access to the formal water supply, with informal settlements automatically excluded by the water utility (GVWC) as “non-viable”.

Sanitation access

We have no detailed information. There does not appear to be a significant sewerage system (though see below); Kallon (2008) states that in the wealthier western part of the city septic tanks are widely used. In low-income settlements Kallon (2008) reports use of pit latrines, stilt latrines with direct discharge to watercourses, and open defecation. WSSCC (2009) reports that “the situation is dire, particularly in the poorer, more recently settled, parts of the city”, and also notes that open defecation is frequent. A cholera outbreak occurred in 2006 (Kallon 2008).

Sewerage system

UNDP (2009) mentions the existence of a sewerage system in Freetown, but we have no further information on this: if it exists, it is likely to be very small and poorly functional.

Septage management (septage = nightsoil and/or sludge from onsite facilities)

Freetown City Council offers mechanical emptying services using its one and only vacuum tanker at a subsidized price of about US$37/load. As of July 2010, 3 private mechanical emptying operators with a total fleet of 4 European imported vehicles provide emptying services at an average price of US$ 73 per containment system emptied (price per load varies).

Manual emptying operators were generally ubiquitous and provided services to their communities and beyond. The average service fee was reported to be US$ 50 per containment system emptied. The lower-cost service fee combined with the ease of hiring the service (no need for travel outside the community) allows manual emptying operators to dominate the market. In a survey of 22 of Freetown's 63 sections, manual operators were hired nearly 60% of the time.

For more information on operational procedures, disposal and finances, refer to the document attached below (Mikhael, 2011).

Sewage treatment (sewage = sewered wastes and/or septage)

UNDP (2009) mentions the existence of a wastewater stabilization ponds in Freetown, but we have no further information on these: if they exist, they are likely to be small and poorly functional.

Sanitation in low-income districts

Informal settlements, some originated by Civil War refugees, are located particularly in hillside areas, mostly in the eastern suburbs (Kallon 2008). Very poor settlements include Kroo Bay, severely affected by flooding (IRIN 2008). We are not aware of any detailed mapping of high-sanitation-need districts, or of any specific policy for sanitation improvement in informal settlements.

Responsibility

A useful overview of water and sanitation responsibilities at the national level is given by WSCC (2009). The formal water is provided by the Guma Valley Water Company. WSSCC (2009) states that it is unclear whether the Ministry of Health and Sanitation or Freetown City Council is ultimately responsible for sanitation.

Sanitation masterplan?

No. There is a National Water and Sanitation Policy document (UNECA 2009), but this is an initial framework, with no detailed planning content, and scant consideration of sanitation in Freetown. WSSCC (2009) notes that a comprehensive National Environmental Health Policy published as an addendum of the National Health Policy: we have not accessed this document.

Sanitation financing

Some estimates of macro-scale financing requirements given in WSSCC (2009).

Major investments and donor interventions

Various major water supply projects have been undertaken with donor funding in recent years, including World Bank projects P002428, P0094848 and P104662. These investments aim to improve distribution of the existing water resources. However, according to Guma Valley Water Company managers cited in IRIN (2007), additional resource development will be necessary to resolve the problems. We are not aware of any major ongoing projects for sanitation improvement; see also UNECA (2009).

Sources and further reading

A useful source is WSSCC (2009).

For a map covering most of the city, see http://www.daco-sl.org/encyclopedia/8_lib/8_2/8_2b/8_2b_4n/freetown_wards.pdf

SEE: Freetown Sanitation Improvement Plan - Guma Valley Water Company, Freetown - Oxfam/3BMD/Atkins

References

Brinkhoff T (2010) City Population. http://www.citypopulation.de

Hutton G, Haller L & Bartram J (2007) Economic and health effects of increasing coverage of low cost household drinking-water supply and sanitation interventions to countries off-track to meet MDG target 10. Geneva, Switzerland, World Health Organization. http://www.irc.nl/page/38443

IRIN (2007) “Sierra Leone: Lots of rain but little water”. News report 16 Oct 2007. http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=74805

IRIN (2008) “Sierra Leone: Rampant disease washes in with flood water”. News report 21 July 2008. http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=79358

Kallon SB (2008) "Pollution and sanitation problems as setbacks to sustainable water resources management in Freetown". J Environ Health 71(5):34-7. http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Pollution+and+sanitation+problems+as+setbacks+to+sustainable+water+...-a0191018225

Mikhael, Georges (2011) "Sanitation Market Assessment, Volume II: Assessment of faecal sludge emptying services - Freetown, Sierra Leone"

RUAF (2007) Freetown. http://www.ruaf.org/node/1133

UNDP (2009) Sierra Leone: Water and Sanitation MDGs: Goals and Targets. Water and Sanitation MDGs: Goals and Targets. http://www.sl.undp.org/Goal7.htm

UNECA (2007) Water Supply & Sanitation Policy for Sierra Leone. http://www.uneca.org/awich/Reports/Sierra%20Leone%20%20Water%20and%20Sanitation%20Policy-Final.pdf

WSSCC (2005) Financing water, sanitation and hygiene in Sierra Leone. http://tilz.tearfund.org/Research/Water+and+Sanitation+reports/Making+every+drop+count.htm