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Subsidising
moulds instead of latrines
Problem:
How can subsides be reduced and phased out in low cost sanitation programmes?
Reality:
Low-cost sanitation can not depend on subsides for ever.
- The SanPlat is the easiest way of improving a traditional
latrine to become hygienic, child safe and modern.
- The SanPlat is by itself the first step in phasing out of
subsidies in a Low-Cost Sanitation Programme. In stead of paying for skilled labour and
building materials, more and more sanitation programmes in Africa are introducing the
SanPlat as a simple form of reducing subsidies.
- Commonly, a SanPlat is provided free of charge as a project
contribution to sanitation improvements, while the family contributes with materials and
labour for the latrine in which the SanPlat will be installed. In most cases the
traditional latrines can be built by the family itself using local freely available
materials at no cost.
- As a second step many projects are introducing a symbolic
price for the SanPlat which now becomes a more prestigious product. Increasing the price
will eventually create a market for non subsidised sanitation. As subsidies are reduced
the portion of what goes to administration is becoming higher as the level of subsidies
are reduced. And controlling subsidies is not a stimulating or easy job.
- Decentralising production is an other way to cut costs and
pave the way for local management and privatisation. It has, however, proven to be
difficult to combine decentralisation with subsides, as it is very time consuming and
expensive to control many producers.
Solution:
A way around these problems has been introduced with the new SanPlat mould.
With the new moulds 10 SanPlats can be made out of one bag of cement
(!) and the production cost will stop around 2 USD. No special skills are required and any
layman can learn to make excellent SanPlats with a few days practice. This makes the
SanPlat system still better for local production with increased possibilities to reach out
to the most remote corners of the programme.
Establishing more and more SanPlat producers is a natural way of
keeping prices down and quality high, as it paves the way foe competition, increases the
service and gives the clients a freedom of choice.
- Providing moulds free of charge or selling them at a
subsidised prize becomes a natural way to approach a free sanitation market, where the
producer is allowed to sell SanPlats to whom he wants to at the price and the quality that
the market demands.
- Eventually the subsidies can be withdrawn also on the moulds,
and the role of the project becomes to sell moulds at a market price to an increasing
number of SanPlat producers. The individual family and the private sector will take care
of the rest.
The New Moulds Make It Possilbe:
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