Explain The Social And Cultural Factors Affecting Sanitation

3.0 The Social and Cultural factors that influence a sanitation project
Sanitation can best be defined as the way of collecting and disposing of excreta and community liquid waste in a germ-free way so as not to risk the health of persons or the community as a whole (WEDC, 1998). Sanitation systems properly designed, may not necessarily be appropriate for a group of people when relevant factors like social and cultural practices affecting sanitation and hygiene are not taken into account. Lack of sanitation facilities may be attributable to government, poverty, or other factors but community members are responsible for most of the factors that affect their environment and health. This is evident in communities who prefer the use of water for
Where the people are low income earners, provision of proper toilet facilities become a challenge. There is barely enough to feed the large families of these settlers which leaves little or no room for the provision of these facilities. People result to using the alternative of open defecation in the bush or along the beach which have no cost implications. There is therefore the need to subsidise a greater percentage of these projects and leave little or no cost at all to the end users for whom these projects are
The survey is carried out with respect to the existing sanitation facilities and the ones to be provided. If proper analysis is not done, the toilet to person ratio would not favour the people in the community thereby resulting in queuing to use the facility. Queuing may also deter people from using the facilities. A lot of pressure would be exerted on these facilities increases the rate of deterioration which would eventually result in poor sanitation and hygienic conditions which is detrimental to the health of the