Innovation Sanitation In Peri-Urban Areas (project closed)

Project closed: 2008

In the densely-populated peri-urban neighborhoods in Brazil, domestic liquid wastes are disposed of in latrines or septic wells. In Sao Paulo, Brazil, the primary catchments for the city’s water supply system (Billings and Guarapiranga reservoirs), are being quickly overrun by unplanned urbanization. As such, the consequences for public health are severe: infant mortality rate (65 per 1000 in Parelheiros and Grajaú) is much higher than in the population at-large in Brazil. Thus, the need for an urgent sanitation solution is pronounced. This project investigates such an approach for provision of adequate sanitation and aims to:

1. Test and develop a new technological approach using a permeable reactive material in septic well construction.
2. Enhance the capacity of stakeholders in informal settlements to prevent groundwater contamination through provision of in-situ sanitation.
3. Replicate similar solutions in other developing countries.