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.
