Supporting Marginalized Communities by improving sanitation and protecting marine and freshwater ecosystems
Picture this: 1,000 timber houses on stilts are clustered on the shore of a tropical island. There is no sewer system underneath them. So, raw sewage plummets directly into the sea, the ebb and flow of the tides mixing it with household trash and plastic debris. The stench, not to mention the risk of disease, is overwhelming. It sounds almost nightmarish. But for years, this has been the situation facing residents of Lok Urai, an impoverished “water village” in Sabah.
The region, which includes the states of Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo, has more than 2,600km of coastline. A 2015 study estimated there are 10,185 water village homes in Sabah.
Without proper sanitation, some 50,000 residents are discharging an estimated 4.2 trillion litres of untreated wastewater directly into the ocean annually, say researchers from the Universiti Putra Malaysia
UNEP launched an initiative seeking to address pressing sanitation and wastewater management challenges faced by the floating villages in Sabah. These communities, living in floating homes above the sea, often lack access to essential sanitation services, leading to environmental degradation and significant public health risks. Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems (DEWATS) play a crucial role in addressing wastewater management and sanitation challenges in marginalized communities.
KEY INFO ABOUT THE PROJECT
The "Enhancing Wastewater, Nutrient Management and Sanitation Provision for Coastal Communities in Sabah" initiative is expected to have a profound impact on both the immediate community and the broader region. The project is focused on the installation of modified Individual Sewage Treatment Plants (ISTPs) to improve wastewater treatment, enhance sanitation infrastructure, and foster long-term sustainability through decentralized sewerage management systems. Additionally, the project aims to create entrepreneurial opportunities to generate revenue for ongoing maintenance and to build local capacity, as well as supporting the enabling environment for improvements made.
- Region: Sabah, East Borneo
- Timeframe: May 2024 to June 2025
- Budget: 300,670 USD
- Financial Partners: SDG Malaysia Trust Fund
- Execution: UNEP, UN-Habitat and ACT Malaysia
OBJECTIVES
By improving sanitation and wastewater systems, the community living in the floating village of Lok Urai will benefit from safer and more reliable wastewater management, hence reducing the risk of waterborne diseases.
On an environmental level, the project aims to significantly reduce marine pollution. The discharge of untreated sewage and nutrient into the surrounding water will be minimized, safeguarding marine biodiversity and protecting the livelihoods of the community members who depend on fishing as their primary source of income.
Economically, the project empowers the community through the development of sustainable income sources. The fish trading program and eco-tourism homestay initiative will provide a means for the community to generate revenue, ensuring they can fund the ongoing maintenance of the installed ISTP systems.
By building essential skills in wastewater management, system maintenance, and business development, the project will not only help the community maintain the sanitation systems but also foster a sense of ownership and resilience, ensuring the community is prepared to manage future challenges.
The lessons learned will help shape future sanitation policies, promoting more effective, scalable solutions for similar regions facing comparable challenges.
STAKEHOLDERS
The primary stakeholders of the project include the community living in the village of Lok Urai, comprising residents, schoolchildren, and teachers who directly benefit from improved sanitation infrastructure.
ACT Malaysia serves as the implementing partner, overseeing project activities. UNEP and UN-Habitat provide financial and technical support. JPP Sabah, the wastewater operator of Sabah, also plays a critical role as the key agency responsible for managing sewerage services and contributing to policy development for sanitation in Sabah.
The solutions brought forward by the project will serve as a replicable model for other marginalized floating communities around the world.
Local entrepreneurs and businesses contribute through revenue-generating programs like fish trading and homestays, essential for maintaining sanitation infrastructure. External stakeholders such as private sector entities, donors, and environmental advocacy groups play vital roles in funding, scaling, and monitoring the project's long-term impact.
KEY ACTIONS
16 tanks were installed under homes and a school in Sabah. The tanks are designed to be transportable by boat, easy to install on timber columns below toilets and simple to manoeuvre among the stilts supporting floating villages. They are made of fibre-reinforced plastic, the same material villagers use for their fishing boats, which can withstand long exposure to seawater. Monitoring the performance of the installed ISTP tanks will be done until the end of the project.
With a capacity of 360 litres, each tank can serve a family of 5 and discharge treated wastewater into the ocean after 7 hours of treatment time, using just 15 watts of electricity – less than many lightbulbs.
The other activities for the project focus on entrepreneurial programs, engaging stakeholders, and evaluating outcomes. The homestay construction is expected to be finalized by end of the year. Following this, the evaluation of the fish trading and homestay programs will be captured in a comprehensive report and will guide future sanitation initiatives.
Stakeholder engagement activities include two technical workshops to strengthen the policies around coastal settlements, as well as wastewater operations in Sabah.
Awareness raising activities in surrounding communities about sanitation will also be held in parallel in March-April 2025.
PHOTO GALLERY
BENEFICIARY CORNER
“Sewage disposal used to be unregulated and it was not pleasant to see. Since the new toilet was installed at the school, I noticed the students are happier and much encouraged to be in school.”
Normina Abdul, headmistress of the village’s alternative learning centre.
“The tanks are good, suitable and comfortable to use. In the long term, I would like to see a fabrication yard to produce quality tanks in the village. It would help generate new income for the community.”
Nordin Rahman, who is in charge of installing and maintaining the tanks.
“The toilet is so good and comfortable to use. I really, really want one tank installed at my own home”.
Patrilya binti Patrik, a Standard 6 student.
"Lok Urai’s remote location made it difficult for authorities to provide cost-efficient centralized wastewater treatment systems. The tank’s lightweight makes them easy to transport to remote areas."
Rahinah Ibrahim from Universiti Putra Malaysia, who led a team of five researchers that invented the treatment tanks.
WAY FORWARD
Wastewater and sanitation infrastructure are essential for public health and environmental protection. The UNEP-funded pilot is a successful example of an alternative and low-cost technology for wastewater treatment, economic development and community empowerment, and has great potential for large-scale replication
Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems (DEWATS) play a crucial role in addressing wastewater management and sanitation challenges in marginalized communities.
Villagers are keen to see the project expanded and experts say the tanks could help many of the thousands of floating villages across the region struggling with sanitation. African floating villages could benefit as well.
This project contribute to SDG 1 (No poverty), SDGs 6 (Water and Sanitation for All) and 14 (Life Below Water).
For more information about this project, contact: unep-gwwi@un.org