Sanitation and Hygiene
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Rashidi Iddi, Doglas Benjamin Mmasi, Anna Mremi
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30 June 2026
19
15
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Volume 3 Issue 1
Page 1 - 25
Multi-Criterial Optimization Model for Faecal Sludge Management in Informal Settlement: Balancing Technical Feasibility, Financial Sustainability, and Community Participation in Mwanza, Tanzania.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56542/wi.jwempo.v3.i1.a6.2026
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Keywords:
Faecal sludge management, Informal settlements, Multi-criteria optimization, Onsite sanitation, Sub-Saharan Africa, Willingness-to-pay
Abstract
Proper faecal sludge management in urban informal settlements continues to be a significant sanitation challenge in Sub-Saharan Africa. This research presents an extensive multi-criteria optimization model that integrating technical, financial, and social aspects of Faecal sludge management in Igogo Ward of Mwanza City in Tanzania. A convergent mixed methods design was employed which combined structured household surveys (n=150), key informant interviews (n=18), and focus group discussions (n=10). Geographic Information Systems were used for spatial and multi-criteria analysis. The Result was 84.7% of households used pit latrines, 56.0% non-lined pits, and 78.7% were inaccessible to emptying by trucks, 47.3% of the latrines were located in flood-prone areas. The willingness-to-pay sanitation services (82,109 TZS) was lower than the price of manual emptying (90,192 TZS), which illustrates the major affordability gap. Household income was the factor that had a statistically significant effect on willingness-to-pay (R^2=0.784, p<0.001). Average per capita water consumption (67.3 L/day) was significantly below WHO requirement of 100 L/day, which resulted in the degradation of sanitation facilities. The research recommends intermediate emptying technology, flexible mobile payments system, targeted subsides, improved institutional enforcement and integrated water-sanitation planning to enhance faecal sludge management in Tanzania and support progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 6.2.
