Case Study 4: Toilet Crisis in Ilaje Otumara Community, Lagos

The Ilaje Otumara community in Lagos, Nigeria, is facing a serious toilet crisis. The community has an estimated population of 900,000 people, but only about 1% of the population has access to improved sanitation facilities. This means that the vast majority of people in Ilaje Otumara are using inadequate sanitation facilities, such as pit latrines or open defecation.

The lack of access to toilets has a number of negative consequences for the health and well-being of the Ilaje Otumara community.

📺 Watch this documentary to learn more about the sanitation challenge in the community.

Recall in lesson 6, Pareto analysis was one of the problem analysis techniques you learned about. We can apply the technique to the sanitation problem in the Ilaje Otumara community.

Pareto Analysis for Toilet Crisis in Ilaje Otumara Community, Lagos

Step 1: Identifying the Problems

In the Ilaje Otumara community, residents face several challenges related to sanitation and toilet facilities. Let's identify the main issues:

1. Limited Access to Toilets: Many residents don't have access to private toilets and rely on inadequate public facilities.
2. Poor Sanitation Conditions: The existing public toilets are often unsanitary and poorly maintained.
3. High Costs: Users are charged fees for using public toilets, putting an additional financial burden on the community.
4. Safety Concerns: Inadequate sanitation facilities expose residents, particularly women, to safety risks.
5. Dignity Compromised: Residents in the community suffer from a lack of dignity due to the dire state of sanitation facilities.
6. Resistance to Change: Some residents prefer enduring inconveniences rather than using public toilets.

Step 2: Ranking the Problems and separating the vital few (V) from trivial many (T).

We'll now rank the problems based on their frequency and impact, identifying the vital few:

1. Limited Access to Toilets: This is a critical issue affecting a large portion of the community.
2. Poor Sanitation Conditions: The unsanitary conditions and health risks make this problem significant.
3. Safety Concerns: Safety hazards are a substantial concern, particularly for women.
4. High Costs: While impacting residents, this issue is somewhat less severe compared to the first three.
5. Dignity Compromised: The impact on dignity is important but slightly less severe than safety concerns.
6. Resistance to Change: While an issue, it affects a smaller portion of the community and is less critical.

Now let’s separate the problems

Step 3: Focus on the Vital Few

The Pareto Principle suggests that focusing on the vital few issues (the top 20%) can lead to significant improvements. In this case:

1. Limited Access to Toilets: Addressing this issue is of utmost importance, as it affects a large portion of the community.
2. Poor Sanitation Conditions: Improving sanitation conditions is crucial to ensure the health and well-being of residents.

Step 5: Develop and Implement Solutions

Efforts and resources should be concentrated on solving the top two issues identified through Pareto Analysis. This might involve government initiatives, community involvement, and private sector participation to provide better access to clean and safe toilets and improve sanitation conditions in the community, ultimately enhancing the residents' quality of life.

By focusing on these vital few problems, the Ilaje Otumara community can make more efficient and effective strides toward resolving its toilet crisis.

🪞 Reflection Question: Imagine you are a computer science student working on a project to develop a sanitation solution for the Ilaje Otumara community in Lagos, Nigeria. What kind of sanitation technology would you develop? Why?