MBUJI-MAYI : Sanitation Status
Sanitation provision in Mbuji-Mayi (DRC’s third-largest city) 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 is reported to be the largest city in Africa without a piped water system (USAID 2009). This article briefly summarizes the current sanitation situation in Mbuji-Mayi.
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
Mbuji-Mayi is an urban agglomeration with a population of about 1.5 million people (Brinkhoff 2010). It lies in a flat area bounded by on three sides by the Mbuji-Mayi River and its tributaries the Muya and the Kanshi. Muya; for useful maps and information, see Mbuyi (1991). Climate is tropical wet and dry (Köppen classification Aw). We have no information on whether flooding is a significant problem. The primary industry is diamond mining (BBC 2006). We have no information on agricultural activity within the urban area. A large proportion of the population probably lives in low-income settlements, though we have no specific information on this. 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
We have no information on water resources. Mbuji-Mayi is reportedly the largest city in Africa without a drinking water system (USAID 2009). However, the World Bank (2008) reports 2006 data for the urban population of Kasai Oriental Province (about 2.1 million, versus Mbuji-Mayi population of about 1.5 million) indicating that 4% of the population have in-plot piped water and 10% use public standpipes.
Sanitation access
We have no information on the sanitation system in Mbuji-Mayi. If similar to Kinshasa, most of the population probably depends on low-quality latrines. We are not aware of any detailed mapping of high-sanitation-need districts, or of any specific policy for sanitation improvement in informal settlements.
Sewerage system
Mbuji-Mayi has no sewerage system.
Septage management (septage = nightsoil and/or sludge from onsite facilities)
No specific information.
Sewage treatment (sewage = sewered wastes and/or septage)
As far as we are aware, Mbuji-Mayi has no major facilities for treatment/disposal of wastewater or sludge.
Sanitation in low-income districts
No specific information.
Responsibility
Urban water supply is under the control of a state-owned utility (REGIDESO), regulated by the 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, this entity is reported to be scarcely active outside Kinshasa (USAID 2009). National water and sanitation policy is coordinated by an inter-ministerial agency, the National Water and Sanitation Committee (CNAEA) (USAID 2009).
Sanitation masterplan?
No information available: there is presumably neither a sanitation masterplan nor any more general strategic planning document.
Sanitation financing
No information available.
Major investments and donor interventions
We are not aware of any major current sanitation projects in Mbuji-Mayi. 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).
Sources and further reading
See USAID (2009).
References
BBC (2008) “Digging for diamonds and democracy”. News report 25 Jul 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/5213528.stm
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
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.
Mbuyi K (1991) Case Study: Mbuji-Mayi, Zaire. IN: The Management of Secondary Cities in Sub-Saharan Africa: Traditional and Modern Institutional Arrangements http://books.google.com/books?id=YMt341aTT8UC&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22The+Management+of+secondary+cities+in+sub-Saharan+Africa%22&source=bl&ots=DPe98RjdzT&sig=_QuuN_6TvKjw58lNMnicpN53qaM&hl=en&ei=Wc_aS9D2MpqamAOzurxx&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false
USAID (2009) Democratic Republic of the Congo: Water and Sanitation Profile. http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNADO929.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
