Suction pump on the outskirts of Maputo, Mozambique

In Maputo, like in many other cities in lower-income countries, the sanitation system is struggling under the strain of growing demand. Initially devised for a population of less than a quarter of a million, Maputo has grown at a supersonic rate since the end of the 15 year civil war that ravaged Mozambique until the 1990s. Today, of the estimated 1.5 million people living in the city, 15-30% still have no access to improved facilities for disposal of their faecal waste, especially in congested and unplanned settlements.

 

This picture shows staff from a local residents’ association in Maputo operating the only suction pump available to families not living along access roads in this neighbourhood. Thanks to this service, the sludge collected is subsequently transferred to mobile tankers towed by a tractor and treated at the central wastewater treatment station.

 

In places like Maputo, we are seeing change – thanks in part to new technologies and community-led initiatives.

 

Photo: Mariana Matoso/ODI

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