Urban Expansion and its Impact on Wastewater Management in Masvingo Town, Zimbabwe: Designing for Resilience

Abstract

Rapid urban expansion has had a negative bearing on wastewater management and sanitation in developing countries, hence there is need for robust and efficient on-site sanitation facilities. The study sought to evaluate the urban expansion and its impact on wastewater management in a developing country case of Masvingo Town, Zimbabwe. The study objectives included investigating the impact of rapid urbanisation on the design capacity of the centralised wastewater treatment plant, characterisation of on-site sanitation technologies in newly built areas against the sanitation standards and to identify the impact of on-site sanitation technologies on the environment. Key informant interviews, questionnaires and secondary laboratory data on biological oxygen demand (BOD5) were used to collect the data. The population equivalence was used to determine the impact of rapid urbanisation on wastewater efficiency. Results indicate that a population equivalence of 282.86 BOD shows a decline in the efficiency of the wastewater facility that is affecting aquatic species along the Shagashe River. From a sample of 96 respondents, results indicate that onsite sanitation facilities are dominant in newly built residential areas, with limited sewerage networks and erratic supplies of water. The city is building resilience around on-site sanitation facilities within the realm of Water and Sanitation.