BEIRA
Exploring sanitation, land use development and inequalities in Beira
OVERVIEW
Until the 1950s, urban development in Beira was driven by port activities. In the 1960s, a sewer network was set up for the so-called “concrete” city by Portuguese colonial authorities. The rest of the urban settlement – the “cane city” – was inhabited by native Mozambicans, not formally planned, and came to depend on septic tanks and pit latrines.
Approximately one-third of the network was upgraded with EU funding of some 50 million euros in the 2007-12 period. The work included the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant, repairs to pumping stations, the cleaning and relining of the existing concrete pipes for one third of the 97 km sewer network, and the repair or replacement of elevation stations and outlets to the sea. Simultaneously, drainage across the central city was improved with a World Bank loan.
This sewer system was left largely unscathed by Cyclone Idai in March 2019 with damages largely limited to the pump stations and the wastewater treatment plant. However, the on-site facilities on which the majority of population are forced to rely were far more seriously affected: most septic tanks were flooded, and the majority of pit latrines destroyed.
RESEARCH APPROACH
Working in selected formal and informal neighbourhoods across Beira, we are documenting how infrastructural legacies, actual investments, and daily interventions of residents to fix and improve their access come together to shape the sanitation landscape and its inclusivity.
We especially explore the taboos that occur at the level of sanitation governance (how much is really allocated to sanitation compared to other services? How are long term inequalities addressed or reproduced by development projects?) as well as of users and providers (how do women cope with inadequate facilities, especially when menstruating? Who cleans, maintains and fixes sanitation and at what costs? Where is the waste disposed of?).
Fostering dialogue across institutions and in an intersectional perspective, taking into account the multiple elements which shape sanitation needs, access and experiences in Beira, we aim to support more inclusive, safe, and just sanitation pathways.
OUR TEAM
RECEIVE OUR LATEST NEWS
RESEARCH PERSPECTIVES
