Ecological Sanitation in Morocco Promotion of the Urine-Diversion Dehydration Toilets-Case of Dayet Ifrah

Abstract

Problem statement: Most of people in rural areas in Morocco don’t have adequate systems of collection, evacuation and transport of black and gray water. They simply defecate in nature. There is a huge demand, which cannot possibly be met by conventional sanitation systems due to the enormous costs of the pipe network, lack of water and serious environmental drawbacks in order to avoid the disadvantages of conventional wastewater systems. For this reason, we have thought to promote ecological sanitation, or “ecosan“ for short, that recognizes human excreta and water from households not as a waste but as resources that can be recovered, treated where necessary and safely used again. Ecosan is a philosophy which houses a multitude of different technologies applied in ecological sanitation projects such as Urine Diversion Dehydration Toilets (UDDT). Approach: The scope of the study was to highlight the ecosan promotion strategies and policies for its adoption by the future ecosan users in Morocco and to show that the development of ecosan pilot systems adapted to the sociocultural context of Morocco is possible and can be used as model for rural areas. Ecosan systems studied had been implemented in a small rural area in Morocco called “Dayet Ifrah”. But, it’s necessary at the beginning to sensitize people in Dayet Ifrah and to convince to adopt and accept urine diversion dehydration toilets. Marketing has been more successful than anything else in changing the behavior of people when they can see direct personal benefits. Choosing a (social) marketing approach means that the attractiveness of the product is one important factor. That was what happened in 2009. Results: After this phase of sensitizing, results reveal that the households were convinced of the benefits these infrastructures afford them. Ecosan reduces the health risks related to sanitation, contaminated water and waste, prevents the pollution of surface and groundwater, prevents the degradation of soil fertility and optimizes the management of nutrients and water resources. Conclusion: The users are satisfied with the ecosan approach to cleanse their wastewater. Our work shows that ecosan can succeed in very poor populations. It is particularly relevant as locomotors of agricultural economics.