A Holistic Approach to the Assessment of Sanitation Development in Mexican Villages

Lack of, or inadequate sanitation development is a serious issue worldwide, especiallyin developing countries, where it severely affects human health, the environment andthe economy. Despite the 'Water Decade' (1980-1990) and the repeated commitment ofthe international community to address sanitation development as a priority, theproportion of people enjoying good sanitary conditions in developing countries has notimproved during the 1990s. During the last 30 years, post-colonial engineering-orientedapproaches to sanitation development were gradually supplanted by multidisciplinarystrategies. However, the specialists (e.g. engineers, epidemiologists, economists,sociologists, anthropologists, etc.) involved in development programs tend to viewsanitation development from the narrow perspective of their respective discipline. As aconsequence, sanitation development is perceived in a fragmented way.This research assumes that this fragmented perception is a major cause of the currentstate of sanitation worldwide and proposes to improve the understanding of sanitationdevelopment by viewing it as a whole. A methodology principally based on qualitativemethods of investigation was set up to assess sanitation development in a holistic way.This approach was then tested on three communities in Central and South Mexico. Foreach case study, the main factors influencing sanitation development and theirrelationships were identified and organised graphically on paper in the form ofconceptual maps.The holistic approach to the assessment of sanitation development is comprehensive andtransparent. Despite some weaknesses, the conceptual maps successfully highlight thediversity and the interconnectedness of the factors influencing sanitation development.This research identifies major political, cultural, or economic factors hinderingsanitation development throughout Mexico and explains how they interact as a system.As a consequence, this study constitutes an original and valuable attempt tocounterbalance the habit of breaking up sanitation development into distinct andseparate disciplines. It calls for more interaction in development programs, convertingmultidisciplinary teams into interdisciplinary teams. Although this study efficiently tackles the fragmented perception issue, a deeper insightinto sanitation development can be gained by addressing it in more detail from criticalmacro-economic and macro-political perspectives. Testing of the holistic approach tothe assessment of sanitation development in the context of real life projects is requiredto validate its usefulness as a decision-making aid.