Sanitation and dignity rise and fall together | Jen van den Bussche | TEDxJohannesburg

Quick Overview

Jen van den Bussche argues that access to dignified sanitation is a fundamental human right, emphasizing that without safely removing human waste, high-density cities cannot be healthy or sustainable, and showcases community-led initiatives like the WASH program in Diepsloot, South Africa, which have successfully improved dignity and saved significant amounts of water through cyclical maintenance and active citizenship.

Key Points: Access to sanitation, including urination, defecation, and menstruation management, is core to human dignity, as stated by Human Rights Watch. Lack of access to sanitation costs South Africa's economy US$5.5 billion every year across 18 African countries due to health costs, time loss, and productivity loss. The WASH (Water, Amenities, Sanitation Services, Upgrading Program) initiative in Diepsloot, South Africa, which began in 2005, involves local residents and plumbing professionals in upgrading communal toilets. Cyclical maintenance, Lesson 1 from the WASH program, significantly reduces costs; regular maintenance saved 4,000 liters of water per day per toilet over four years. Lesson 2 emphasizes using quality products, illustrating that cheap, low-quality plumbing parts fail quickly, leading to higher long-term replacement costs. Active citizenship, demonstrated by plumbers and residents working together on Mandela Day, is key to creating livable, healthy, and functional cities. The speaker encourages participation in the conversation about sanitation by contacting info@stickysituations.org.

Context: Jen van den Bussche delivers this TEDxJohannesburg talk focusing on the critical link between sanitation, human dignity, and urban sustainability, particularly in informal settlements like Diepsloot, South Africa. She highlights the severe economic costs associated with poor sanitation and champions community-driven solutions, drawing parallels to successful international projects like Australia's 'Housing for Health' program, which demonstrated significant health benefits from improved housing environments.