MAPUTO: Sanitation Status
Sanitation provision in Maputo (the capital of Mozambique) 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 Maputo.
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
Maputo is an urban agglomeration with a population of about 1.9 million people (Brinkhoff 2010). It is a port city at the mouth of the River Matola. It comprises two municipalities, Maputo and Matola. Climate is tropical wet and dry (Köppen classification Aw). Low-lying coastal areas of Maputo have been judged to be at risk from climate change-induced sea level rise (UN-Habitat 2009). Flooding is frequent in about 12 low-income districts (BPD 2005; AllAfrica.com, 2010). Pollutant industrial activity includes aluminium smelting, cement manufacture and food processing. We currently have no information on urban agriculture in Maputo. A large proportion of the population lives in low-income settlements, including very poor informal settlements.
Water resources and supply: overview
Treated water production in Maputo was estimated at 186,000 m3 per day in 2007, with about 15 hours service per day. A major EU-funded water supply project, including construction of a new treatment station on the Umbeluzi Riiver, is reportedly underway (AIM 2010). About 35% of the population is currently reported to have piped supply (in-plot or public standpipe) (WSUP 2009); similarly EIB (2006) reports that only 40% of the population of Greater Maputo has access to adequate drinking water.
Sanitation access
The city centre is covered by a sewerage system reported to serve about 24% of the population; about 15% of people use septic tanks, 36% improved latrines, and 28% unsanitary latrines (BPD 2005; data for 2000). In low-income communities with high water tables, flooding of latrines and septic tanks is widespread. Neither open defecation nor public latrines appear to be widespread. Cholera is a significant problem (BPD 2005).
Sewerage system
The sewerage system serves wealthy and institutional districts in the centre of the city (BPD 2005).
Septage management (septage = nightsoil and/or sludge from onsite facilities)
BPD (2005) reports a that a CBO called ADASBU has attempted to set up a small-scale pit-emptying service in the poor district of Urbanização, but that this is not commercially viable because of the need to transport the sludge long distances to the waste treatment plant; ADASBU has been refused permission to dump the sludge in the municipal sewer running close to Urbanização (in view of concerns about public health and sewer overload/clogging).
Sewage treatment (sewage = sewered wastes and/or septage)
There is a treatment plant at Infulene
Sanitation in low-income districts
Low-income informal settlements are located both in the city centre and in peri-urban areas (BPD 2005). These include Urbanização, Maxaquene A, Chamanculo C, Mavalene B and Liberdade. 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
Overall formal responsibility lies with the National Water Directorate (Direcção Nacional de Águas, DNA). According to BPD (2005), responsibilities for urban sanitation are distributed between DNA and a number of other public bodies, namely the Environmental Health Department of the Ministry of Health, with responsibility for water quality and sanitation standards; the Drainage Office, with responsibility for wastewater treatment and management of the sewer mains; the Environmental Health and Cemeteries Directorate of Maputo Municipal Council, responsible for solid waste management; and the Municipal Water and Sanitation Directorate of Maputo Municipal Council, responsible for stormwater drainage, “wastewater management” (?) and septic tank de-sludging (by both direct service provision and sub-contracting). See BPD (2005) for further information. BPD (2005) states that the National Water Policy of 1995 “provided opportunities for beneficiary participation, decentralized autonomous and financially self-sustaining sanitation services, and encouraged a more prominent role for the private sector in service provision”.
Sanitation masterplan?
The DNA completed a Strategic Sanitation Plan in 2004, with funding under the National Water Development Project; this plans covers Maputo and other cities (Matola, Beira, Dondo, Nampula, Pemba and Quelimane); it extends over a 15-year planning horizon in three phases (short-, medium- and long-term); it encompasses wastewater disposal, stormwater drainage and solid waste management.
Sanitation financing
No specific information available.
Major investments and donor interventions
UN-Habitat “Improving water and sanitation in Mafalala neighbourhood”, part of UN-Habitat WAC II programme, http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=3289&catid=270&typeid=13&subMenuId=0. This project appears to additionally target the Hulene, Laulane and Mahotas districts.
EU: investments in Maputo are noted by World Bank (2007). The 95m € Maputo Water Supply Project (Euroepan Investment Bank, approved 27 Feb 2006) is basically water supply, not sanitation.
WSUP Maputo Programme (“Tchelumane Project”), aiming to provide water and sanitation services for a targeted 160,000 people in 8 low-income districts (bairros) of Maputo/Matola, including Maxaquene A, Chamanculo C, Mavalene B and Liberdade. Total programme cost us about 5m US$, about 80% water supply and 20% sanitation. Sanitation interventions include subsidized provision of public and in-plot toilets for very poor households; assistance with set-up of microcredit schemes for household sanitation improvement; technical studies, capacity building and direct assistance to improve effectiveness of pit emptying by small-scale service providers. http://www.wsup.com/whatwedo/maputo.htm
Sources and further reading
·Wikipedia “Water supply and sanitation in Mozambique”: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_supply_and_sanitation_in_Mozambique
References
AIM [Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique] (2010) Mozambique: Dramatic Increase in Maputo Water Supply Under Way. Press release 16 April 16 2010. http://washafrica.wordpress.com/2010/04/16/mozambique-dramatic-increase-in-maputo-water-supply-under-way/
AllAfrica.com (2010) “Mozambique: Hundreds of Maputo Houses Flooded”. News report 28 Jan 2010. http://allafrica.com/stories/201001280972.html
BPD (2005) Sanitation Partnerships: Maputo Case Study. http://www.bpdws.org/bpd/web/d/doc_119.pdf?statsHandlerDone=1
Brinkhoff T (2010) City Population. http://www.citypopulation.de
EIB [European Investment Bank] (2006) Maputo Water Supply Project. Press release 27 Oct 2006. http://www.eib.org/projects/news/maputo-water-supply-project-mozambique.htm
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
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.
UN-Habitat (2009) Adaptation to and mitigation of climate change in the city of Maputo, Mozambique. http://www.unhabitat.org/downloads/docs/CCCI_MaputoMozambique.pdf
World Bank (2007) Project Appraisal: Mozambique: Water Services and Institutional Support Project. http://web.worldbank.org/external/projects/main?menuPK=51447259&pagePK=51351007&piPK=64675967&theSitePK=40941&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=51351213&theSitePK=40941&entityID=000020439_20070822115203&searchMenuPK=51351213&theSitePK=40941
WSUP (2009) Programme Fact File: Maputo, Mozambique. http://www.wsup.com/whatwedo/documents/Maputo_Project_Factfile_28_Oct_09.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
