Levels of household exposure to solid waste dumpsites and associated loss to health in urban Kenya and Senegal

ABSTRACT

The primary goal of solid waste management to protect the health of the population, particularly low-income groups, has been hindered by lack of local data to pinpoint priorities and identify appropriate interventions across African cities. To fill this gap in order to inform policy and action, this paper examines different levels of exposure to solid waste dumpsites and associated health outcomes in Nairobi, Kenya and Dakar, Senegal. Using representative survey data of households, the study found higher primary exposure of households to the major dumpsite in Nairobi than in Dakar (70% versus 33%, respectively), following the physical proximity of Nairobi municipal dumpsite to large settlements. While there are higher levels of perception of risks to health associated with exposure to dumpsites in Nairobi than Dakar, the linkages between levels of exposure to dumpsites and incidences of morbidities (diarrhea/cholera and respiratory infections) was consistent in the two cities. The protective roles of gender and age of household head in Dakar and the net implications of socio-economic differences, highlight context-specific inputs needed in policy and program interventions. The low incidences of morbidity in Dakar than Nairobi provide empirical evidence supporting the negative health implications of siting dumpsites close to human settlements.

KEYWORDS:

• Solid waste
• dumpsite
• household
• vulnerability
• primary exposure
• informal settlements
• Nairobi
• Dakar
• sub-Saharan Africa

This article is related to:

Research for city practice

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research and paper was supported by the Urban Africa: Risk Knowledge (UrbanARK) program, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the UK Department for International Development (DFID) Humanitarian Innovation and Evidence Programme under Grant No. ES/L008777/1.

Notes on contributors

Blessing Mberu

Professor Blessing Mberu is a demographer who specialises in migration, urbanizationa and urban health issues in Africa.

Michael Mutua

Dr. Michael Mutua is a Social Statistician and Public Health Expert. He has extensive experience in data management and statistical analyses.

Caroline Kabaria

Dr. Caroline Kabaria is an engineer who specialises in remote sensing and spatial epidemiolgy.

Dickson Amugsi

Dr. Dickson Amugsi is  a public health scientist with expertise in public health nutrition and nutritional epidemiology.

Kanyiva Muindi

Dr. Kanyiva Muindi is a Public Health Expert with expertise in  Field Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Her work spans Urban Risks,  Air Pollution and Fecal Waste Management in urban Africa.