The latrine ownership ladder: A conceptual framework for enhancing sanitation uptake in low-income peri-urban settings

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the latrine ownership ladder as a conceptual policy framework to enhance sanitation uptake in low-income peri-urban areas.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws from literature and a case study in a Ghanaian peri-urban community to highlight the challenges that undermine sanitation uptake in low-income peri-urban areas and the prospects of various levels of facility sharing as conceived in the latrine ownership ladder approach.

Findings

The authors argue that the infrastructural and other socio-economic challenges of low-income peri-urban areas prevent some households from acquiring their own latrines. For such households, a more responsive approach to latrine promotion and prevention of open defecation would be the recognition of shared ownership regimes such as co-tenant shared, neighbourhood shared and community shared, in addition to the promotion of household latrines. The paper identifies provision of special concessions for peri-urban areas in policy formulation, education and technical support to households, regulation and enforcement of sanitation by-laws among complimentary policy interventions to make the latrine ownership ladder approach more effective.

Originality/value

The paper provides an insight into the debate on redefining improved sanitation in the post-2015 era of the Millennium Development Goals and offers policy alternatives to policy makers in low-income countries seeking to accelerate the uptake of improved latrines among peri-urban and urban slum dwellers.

Citation

Obeng, P.A., Keraita, B., Oduro-Kwarteng, S., Bregnhøj, H., Abaidoo, R.C. and Konradsen, F. (2015), "The latrine ownership ladder: A conceptual framework for enhancing sanitation uptake in low-income peri-urban settings", Management of Environmental Quality, Vol. 26 No. 5, pp. 752-763. https://doi.org/10.1108/MEQ-05-2014-0079