Browsing by Author "Salvatory, Siliacus"

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An Evaluation of Sustainability Potential of Existing Septic Systems: A Fuzzy-Based Indexing Approach
(MDPI, 2022-05-05) Salvatory, Siliacus; Machunda, Revocatus; Mwamila, Tulinave
In this study, a fuzzy-based indexing approach (FIA) is developed based on a conceptual framework regarding social, environmental, economic, and technical dimensions to evaluate the overall sustainability potential of existing septic systems (SSs) of around 200 Tanzanian residential buildings in Mwanza city. FIA required the following six steps: selecting, measuring, normalizing, weighting, and aggregating the sustainability indicators (SIs) or dimensions, as well as interpretation of the indices similarly to conventional sustainability indices to aggregate the four sustainability dimensions. In total, 18 SIs were selected based on a literature review. Input data obtained for each indicator were from the social survey and laboratory analysis. The results showed that the entire SSs in the city had a general sustainability index (GSI) of 0.42. The index fell on the verge of the “danger” category, indicating that corrective measures are needed. In conclusion, FIA is simple and transparent, it provides a both theoretical and practical basis for sustainability evaluation, does not require vast quantities of data, and does not demand an advanced computer software package. Moreover, FIA is a proper method to evaluate and improve SS sustainability in the city or provide the information to decision makers, designers, and researchers to scrutinize the decision possibilities in a multidimensional manner.
Sustainability assessment of existing septic systems in residential buildings: a case study of Mwanza city, Tanzania
(NM-AIST, 2022-07) Salvatory, Siliacus
Septic system (SS) is the oldest anaerobic wastewater treatment system still widely employed today in suburban and urban areas. The sustainability of SS in developing countries, including Tanzania, is restricted by several constraints (e.g., poor installation and hydraulic overloading (technical issues), poor resource recovery practices (economic issue), maintenance and awareness (social issues), etc.). Efforts have been done to improve SSs’ sustainability, but the improvement is hindered by a lack of information on how to guarantee SSs sustainability mainly, at the household level. Therefore, this study was aimed to assess the SSs’ sustainability in residential buildings in Mwanza city, Tanzania emphasizing economic, environmental, technical, and social aspects. The sustainability assessment (SA) was accomplished by study area and sustainability indicators (SIs) selection methods, diverse data collection methods, and the Fuzzy-based Indices Approach (FIA) (data analysis method). The results from SA show that 18 out of 50 indicators were selected as appropriate indicators for SA of 200 households having SSs in the Nyegezi area. Also, the entire systems in the city had an index of 0.42 and fall in a danger state. It was concluded that the SIs assessed were relevant to the studied system. They demonstrate the importance of matching any set of indicators to the characteristics of the specific sanitation system being examined. Indeed, corrective measures must be suggested for immediate livelihood improvement and sustainability considerations. The study provided a tool and framework for assessing the sustainability of SSs in Tanzania using a set of most 18 relevant SIs.