Climate Resilient Urban Sanitation Accelerating the Convergence of Sanitation and Climate Action IMPRINT As a federally owned enterprise, GIZ supports the German Government in achieving its objectives in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development. Published by: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Registered offices: Bonn and Eschborn, Germany Friedrich-Ebert-Allee 32 + 36 53113 Bonn, Germany T +49 228 44 60-0 F +49 228 44 60-17 66 E [email protected] I www.giz.de Programme description: Sector Programme Sustainable Sanitation Contact: Mintje Büürma (GIZ) [email protected] Authors: Georges Mikhael (Aguaconsult), Leonie Hyde-Smith (University of Leeds), Bill Twyman (Aguaconsult), Delia Sánchez Trancón (Aguaconsult), Elise Jabagi (Aguaconsult), and Emily Bamford (Rocky Mountain Environmental Consulting) Concept and Sounding Board: Mintje Büürma (GIZ), Annkathrin Tempel (GIZ), Arne Panesar (GIZ), Sebastian Köcke (GIZ) Kathrin Brübach (R-Cities), Femke Gubbels (R-Cities) Design/layout: Julia Woollams, 31% Wool, London/United Kingdom Photo credits: Page 6: © VinothChandar, licensed under CC BY 2.0; Page 7: © Sustainable sanitation, licensed under CC BY 2.0; Page 11: © valkyrieh116, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0; Page 21: © Mikhael, 2014; Page 25: © Lior Sperandeo BORDA/GIZ; Page 31: © Dan Grinwis, Unsplash; Page 32: © anttilipponen, licensed under CC BY 2.0; Page 35: © Archivo GIZ/PERIAGUA; Page 37: © Abishek Naraya; Page 38: © Lior Sperandeo BORDA/GIZ; Page 41: © Danie van der Merwe, Wikipedia Commons; Page 43 left: © diario Los Tiempos, Cochabamba – Bolivia; Page 43 right: © Deutsche Welle, David Flores; Page 47: © Lior Sperandeo BORDA/GIZ; Page 61: © Ivan Bandura, Unsplash; Page 69: © EEJCC, Wikipedia Commons. 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All liability for any damage, direct or indirect, resulting from their use is excluded. On behalf of: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Division 103 – Water-, Sanitation- and Hygiene Management Postfach 12 03 22 53045 Bonn www.bmz.de GIZ is responsible for the content of this publication. Bonn, June 2021 CLIMATE RESILIENT URBAN SANITATION Accelerating the Convergence of Sanitation and Climate Action FOREWORD Cities are incredibly vulnerable to climate policymakers to achieve better outcomes. Being change. Although sanitation is a critical urban resilient is about identifying the most important system and service, it is not widely considered priorities for a city faced with multiple challenges, a climate change issue. While water has long recognizing that shocks and stresses are been recognized as a central component of interconnected, and solutions must be as well. climate change adaptation, there is only sparse In undertaking this assignment, we reached out to research and evidence on the impacts of climate our partners in four cities. We would like to extend change on sanitation infrastructure and services, our heartfelt thanks to them for providing us with and therefore limited discussion of effective deep insights into the current climate-related approaches for adaptation. challenges of urban sanitation in their cities, as However, we believe sanitation can be a crucial well as the opportunities for urban resilience which driver for climate change adaptation and may arise through sanitation. For Cape Town: we mitigation. Through investments in resilient would like to thank Amy Davison, Claire Pengelly, sanitation systems, we can safeguard public Gareth Morgan, and Mogamat Armeen Mallick; for health and further, create a sustainable economy Chennai: Abishek S. Narayan, Ashok Natarajan, around sanitation services, as well as foster Krishna Mohan Ramachandran, M R Jaishankar, innovation as a pivotal component of combating Phillip Ligy, Santhosh Raghavan, and Sheela Nair; climate change at the global scale. We also believe for Lusaka: Amanda Mallaghan, Bwalya Funga, that a shift to sustainable sanitation will require Chola Mbilima, and Mwansa Nachula Mukuka; and a coordinated effort with other urban services, for Santa Cruz de la Sierra: Carina Castro, Carlos a better understanding what resilient sanitation Gongora, Cinthia Asin, Erica Plata, Humberto systems are and how they can contribute to a Cáceres Magnus, Ivy Beltran, Jose Daniel Medrano, city’s overall resilience. We can continue to try Marco S. Salinas, and Ronald Pasig. to solve urban sanitation with single, targeted We would also like to share a special thanks to our interventions. But at the pace of growth, and the reviewers who gave us constructive and thoughtful pace of in particular climate-related challenges, feedback, inputs and points for discussion. This we will fail to provide adequate infrastructure includes Kim Andersson, Akshaya Ayyangar, and services. Without a doubt we must focus on Stefan Gramel, Christoph Lüthi, John Matthews, developing responses and solutions that have Elke Peetz, Thorsten Reckerzügl, Parama Roy, multiple benefits. Building holistic urban resilience Stephanie Wear and Juliet Willetts. Furthermore, requires that cities gain a better understanding of we would also like to thank our colleagues all their challenges including sanitation and seek to Anna Berg, Jens Götzenberger, Anna Kristina solve them holistically in partnership with people Kanathigoda, Robert Kranefeld, Helmut Lang, outside of government including technical experts, Brenda Mwalukanga, David Nonde Mwamba, community leaders, and businesses. Sandra Schuster and Marcel Servos for their The Sector Programme Sustainable Sanitation contributions to this study. at the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale We hope that reading this publication will be as Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the Resilient insightful and joyful as this collaboration and study Cities Network (R-Cities) – partnered to conduct has been for us. this study to improve our understanding of the impacts of climate change on urban sanitation and Katrin Brübach Arne Panesar the role and potential of sanitation in the context of urban and climate resilience. We are hoping Global Director of Programs, Head of Sector Programme to contribute to the wider understanding of these Innovation & Impact, Sustainable Sanitation, Resilient Cities Network Deutsche Gesellschaft issues, as well as provide a first set of guiding für Internationale principles that can support practitioners and Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Our climate is rapidly changing, with impacts acutely observed in urban areas where 55 per cent of the world’s population lives. Impacts are most prominently felt on the water cycle; however, drought, flooding and other extreme weather events are also impacting sanitation systems. This report has been commissioned by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, in collaboration with Resilient Cities Network (R-Cities) to better understand how climate change impacts will affect urban sanitation systems, and what needs to be done to address this. An ‘urban sanitation system’ refers to the (India), Lusaka (Zambia) and Santa Cruz de la combination of the sanitation service chain (i.e., Sierra (Bolivia). To date, the increased climate infrastructure and services for containment, resilience of sanitation services has been an transport, treatment, and disposal or reuse of indirect benefit rather than the primary driver of faecal waste) and the enabling environment within action. Adaptation responses to water scarcity and which it operates (e.g., institutional arrangements, droughts primarily focus on ensuring reliable water monitoring, planning). This system is susceptible supply services through diversifying and enhancing to four direct climate change shocks and stresses: water sources. As part of these efforts, cities such (i) extreme heat, (ii) water scarcity and droughts, as Santa Cruz introduced regulatory mechanisms (iii) increased precipitation, flooding, and extreme to ensure the regular emptying of pit latrines. In weather, and (iv) rising sea levels. The penultimate Chennai, wastewater recycling became a legal impact is reported to be the most significant for requirement for new developments. urban sanitation systems. Flooded onsite (i.e., pit latrines or septic tanks) and offsite (i.e., sewer To date, the increased climate networks) sanitation facilities are damaged – resilience of sanitation services has leading to a loss of access to sanitation – and / or been an indirect benefit rather than are no longer able to contain the waste, leading the primary driver of action. to the contamination of the environment