Igarashi, J. orcid.org/0009-0005-9949-418X, Evans, B. orcid.org/0000-0001-9815-3141, Sleigh, A. et al. (4 more authors) (2023) Does “Low Cost” Urban Sanitation Exist? Lessons from a Global Data Set. Environmental Science & Technology. ISSN 0013-936X
Abstract
In this paper, we report results from, and demonstrate the value of, a global database for the collection and aggregation of reliable and comparable cost data for urban sanitation systems as they are built and operated on the ground (rather than the "as planned" costs that are often reported). We show that no particular "mode" of urban sanitation (for example "sewered sanitation" or "fecal sludge management") can be meaningfully described as "low cost" when compared to other modes. We show that economies of scale may operate for systems that transport waste from pits and sealed tanks by road as well as for sewerage. We use a case study example to show the value of being able to compare local costs to global benchmarks and identify that operational considerations such as low connection rates may be more significant in determining overall cost liabilities for urban sanitation than technical considerations such as population density, size, and degree of centralization/decentralization.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society. This publication is licensed under CC-BY 4.0. |
Keywords: | urban, sanitation, cost, costing standards, benchmarking |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Civil Engineering (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 10 Nov 2023 15:52 |
Last Modified: | 10 Nov 2023 15:52 |
Published Version: | https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.3c05731 |
Status: | Published online |
Publisher: | American Chemical Society (ACS) |
Identification Number: | 10.1021/acs.est.3c05731 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:205125 |