KINSHASA: Sanitation Status
Sanitation provision in Kinshasa (capital of the DRC) 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 Kinshasa.
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
Kinshasa is a the second-largest urban agglomeration in sub-Saharan Africa, with a population of about 8.6 million people (Brinkhoff 2010). It is built on a flat plain with settlement (especially unplanned settlements) extending to hilly areas; often sampy with high water tables in falt areas; it lies across the River Congo from Brazzaville, the capital of Republic of Congo. Soils are sandy in most of the city. Climate is tropical wet and dry (Köppen classification Aw). Flooding is frequent and very severe, causing major damage to buildings and roads (BTC 2008). Pollutant industrial activities include food-processing and textiles. There is significant agricultural activity within the urban area (Mayeko 2008). A large proportion of the population lives in low-income settlements, including very poor informal settlements. DRC was severely impacted by the Second Congo War from 1998−2003, and armed conflict continues in parts of the country.
Water resources and supply: overview
According to World Bank (2008), and considering the 2006 urban population of Kinshasa Province, 18% of people have in-plot piped water, while 54% use a public standpipe; thus about 38% have no access to the piped supply. EURATA (2005) states that there is currently treated production of about 300,000 m3/day, versus a requirement of 700,000 m3/day; water quality at treatment is reported to be acceptable, but is often poor at point-of-use. AFD (2008) states that most people in Kinshasa’s low-income districts do not have access to piped water, and use highly polluted local surface water resources. See also Observateur (2009). Note: we have no yet reviewed relevant World Bank project documentation for information on this aspect.
Sanitation access
No detailed information is available on the sanitation situation in Kinshsa, though it is undoubtedly very poor. It seems likely that wealthy and middle-income households generally have septic tanks, while the low-income majority mostly use low-quality pit latrines. Many latrines are constructed from non-durable materials (bags, scrap metal, pal leaves), and last only for two or three months (Katsongo 2008). There is no sewer system, though MacDougall & McGahey (2003) note that the stormwater drainage system in the centre of the city has become a de facto open sewerage system through illegal connection of toilet drains. A map of drainage system in central Kinshasa is given in PURUS (2008). Public toilets are rare (MacDougall & McGahey 2003). An interesting French-language video on the severe stormwater drainage problems in Kinshasa has been produced by with support from BTC (Belgian Technical Cooperation).
Sewerage system
Kinshasa has no sewerage system (though, as noted, many toilet drains are reported o discharge to the city’s stomwater drainage system).
Septage management (septage = nightsoil and/or sludge from onsite facilities)
Formally, the Programme national d’assainissement (PNA) is responsible for emptying latrines, but emptying typically costs about 40 US$, which is clearly prohibitive for most of the population (MacDougall & McGahey 2003). No information is available on private-sector pit emptying, or on dumping sites. MAPET (Manual Pit Latrine Emptying Technology, hand-operated pump used to evacuate fecal sludge) has been piloted in Kinshasa (MacDougall & McGahey 2003). Over-flowing septic tanks and latrines were found to be a frequent problem (MacDougall & McGahey 2003).
Sewage treatment (sewage = sewered wastes and/or septage)
As far as we are aware, Kinshasa has no major facilities for treatment/disposal of wastewater or sludge.
Sanitation in low-income districts
A map indicating the location of low-income districts (including traditional settlements = anciennes cites, planned estates = cites planifiés, and informal settlements = quartiers excentriques et d’extension) is given by Lusamba (2007). See also map of urbanisation types and population densities in PURUS (2008), indicating very high population densities in the communes of Burubu, N’djili and Mavina. 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
Urban water supply is under the control of a state-owned utility (REGIDESO), regulated by the Ministry of Energy comprises a Department of Water and Hydrology of the Ministry of Energy. The Programme national d’assainissement (PNA), under the Environment Ministry, is formally responsible for sanitation planning, disease prevention, solid waste disposal, excreta and liquid waste disposal, pollution prevention and control, domestic and industrial hygiene, drinking water quality, and public health education (Katsongo 2005). However, institutional capacity for dealing with sanitation is minimal. National water and sanitation policy is coordinated by an inter-ministerial agency, the National Water and Sanitation Committee (CNAEA) (USAID 2009).
Sanitation masterplan?
No detailed information. It is possible that a Plan d’actions pour l’assainissement de la ville de Kinshasa is currently being prepared by the German consulting firm IGIP; this has not been confirmed. The DRC’s most recent Poverty Reduction Strategy document (RDC, 2006) states that plans for the period 2006- 2015 include execution of a Plan Décennal de la REGIDESO and a Plan Directeur de l’Eau pour Kinshasa, and implementation of the recommendations of the Plan d’actions pour l’assainissement de la ville de Kinshasa.
Sanitation financing
No detailed information available.
Major investments and donor interventions
EU “Programme d’assainissement urbain de la ville de Kinshasa” 13 Nov 2008, 22 million euros; this project does not involve excreta disposal, but centres on cleaning of stormwater drains, and assistance in development of improved solid waste management systems. It includes work in the communes of Gombe, Barumbu and Kinshasa.
The World Bank has a number of ongoing water and sanitation programmes with major components in Kinshsa, but these largely involve water supply, stomwater drainage and institutional capacity building, rather than sanitation per se (see http://go.worldbank.org/KPMUDAVVT0). World Bank (2008; see Annex 2) lists major current donor-funded water and sanitation projects in DRC; see also a useful overview of donor involvement in USAID (2009).
USAID (2009) Democratic Republic of the Congo: Water and Sanitation Profile. http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNADO929.pdf
PURUS (2008) Termes de références pour production de documents cartographiques de l’EIES simplifié des travaux du PURUS. planet-4u.info/purus/Tdr%20carto-PURUS-déf.doc [NOT CURRENTLY ACCESSIBLE ONLINE]
World Bank (2008) Project Appraisal Document: DRC Urban Water Supply Project. http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2008/12/23/000333038_20081223000400/Rendered/PDF/465450PAD0Repl120080IDAR20081031113.pdf
Sources and further reading
World Bank (2008) provides very useful information on water supply in Kinshasa and Lubumbashi:http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2008/12/23/000333038_20081223000400/Rendered/PDF/465450PAD0Repl120080IDAR20081031113.pdf
References
AFD (2008) Water, sanitation and hygiene in Kinshasa’s outlying neighbourhoods. http://www.afd.fr/jahia/Jahia/site/afd/lang/en/pid/18507
BTC (2008) “Assainissement Kinshasa” (video). http://www.btcctb.org/casestudy/sanitation-kinshasa.
Brinkhoff T (2010) City Population. http://www.citypopulation.de
EURATA (2005) “Profil Environnemental” – République Démocratique du Congo – Rapport provisoire. EURATA – European Union Rural & Agricultural Temporary Association – Octobre 2005. http://ec.europa.eu/development/icenter/repository/RDCongo_CEP_2006.pdf
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
Lusmaba KM (2007) Portrait des quartiers populaires à Kinshasa (RDC): un territoire, une identité. SPED3-Institut d’études du développement, Université catholique de Louvain-la-Neuve.. http://www.uclouvain.be/cps/ucl/doc/dvlp/documents/lusambakibayu.pdf
MacDougall J & McGahey C (2003) Three community-based environmental sanitation and hygiene projects conducted in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Activity Report 119, USAID, New York.
Mayeko KK (2008) Wastewater Use and Urban Agriculture in Kinshasa, DR Congo. IN: Redwood M (2008) Agriculture in urban planning: Generating Livelihoods and Food Security. Earthscan 2008. http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-135156-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html
Observateur (2009) “Accès à l'eau potable à Kinshasa”, news article 13 Nov 2009. http://www.lobservateur.cd/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=695:a%20cces-a-leau-potable-a-kinshasa&catid=45:economie&Itemid=65
RDC (2006) Document de Strategie de Croissance et de reduction de la pauvreté. http://planipolis.iiep.unesco.org/upload/Congo%20DR/PRSP/Congo%20DR%20PRSP%20Fre%202006.pdf
UNEP/GRID-Arendal (2002) Water availability in Africa. UNEP/GRID-Arendal Maps and Graphics Library. http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/water_availability_in_africa.
USAID (2009) Democratic Republic of the Congo: Water and Sanitation Profile. http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNADO929.pdf
PURUS (2008) Termes de références pour production de documents cartographiques de l’EIES simplifié des travaux du PURUS. planet-4u.info/purus/Tdr%20carto-PURUS-déf.doc NOT CURRENTLY ACCESSIBLE ONLINE
World Bank (2008) Project Appraisal Document: DRC Urban Water Supply Project. http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2008/12/23/000333038_20081223000400/Rendered/PDF/465450PAD0Repl120080IDAR20081031113.pdf
Other City Profiles
4) ANTANANARIVO (Madagascar) 3
7) BRAZZAVILLE (Republic of Congo) 3
12) DAR ES SALAAM (Tanzania) 3
14) DURBAN THEKWINI (South Africa) 3
18) JOHANNESBURG-EKURHULENI (South Africa) 3
23) KINSHASA (Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC) 3
27) LUBUMBASHI (Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC) 3
31) MBUJI-MAYI (Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC) 3
35) OUGADOUGOU (Burkina Faso) 3
36) PORT ELIZABETH (South Africa) 3
