south asia city partners convening dakar emptying certification

FS Emptier Certification Program Learnings from the Dakar Experience By: Suraj, Chanchal, Xiaoqin, Hrudananda, Katarina, Ashley, Kabindra, Avinash Why is certification needed? Technical shortcomings • Improve quality of emptier equipment • Give access to affordable financing for truck upgrades Organizational shortcomings • Enforce approved codes of conduct • Efficient service delivery (through trained manpower) • Effective health and safety standards Administrative shortcomings • Formalize the sector • Crack down on illegal dumping and manual emptying • Encouraging participation in emptier association Status of certification program • Waiting to be signed into law by the President of Senegal • In pipeline, should happen any time • Once signed, there will be 2-year grace period to get into compliance • Will have 10-point system for licensing trucks • E.g., good pump, low sound pollution, truck signage, quality hose • Loans for truck upgrades already being made under the Guarantee Fund Improvements expected from certification program üHEALTH & SAFETY Following implementation of certification program, owners of emptying companies will be required by law to provide PPE for employees Improvements expected from certification program üBETTER QUALITY TRUCKS Affordable, equitable access to finance for new trucks -Below-market interest rates -Group collateral, easing access to loans for SME 29 loans already made! Improvements expected from certification program üWELL TRAINED & PROFESSIONALIZED OPERATORS - Owners undergo 6-part training program - Join emptier association to qualify for loans - Develop consensus around compliance, penalties, standards, etc Think about it – additional ideas • Monitoring and law enforcement of existing emptier operation (User or Third party monitoring ?) • Performance rating of desludging operator (real time update and linked incentives) • Integration of MIS into existing call centre operation • Organized user feedback and grievance redressal system • Single window system of FSM, Senegal (with backward and forward linkages) • Introduction of geo-spatial data base with real time update Testimony from a de-sludging operator “I started the business 10 years ago But since the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s program started 5 years ago, I’m doing much better We are getting more jobs from the call center because it’s organized And I have 4 new trucks now and 20 people working for me.” “The price for an emptying job has gone down But we are getting many calls so it’s good.” Safety and medical preventions Making cones, warning triangles, fluorescent vests, fire extinguishers, flashing lights were not find during the visit Safety and medical preventions No gloves, masks, suits, nonslip boots,etc for protection of the workers, the drinking water tank ( dug well so don’t drink enough water , concentration of sludge is high and water source is quite near to the septic tanks…… Safety and medical preventions Liquid was still remained in the pipe and ran everywhere on the ground, the emptier using sand to cover…… ... Loans for truck upgrades already being made under the Guarantee Fund Improvements expected from certification program üHEALTH & SAFETY Following implementation of certification program, owners of emptying companies will be required by law to provide PPE... Formalize the sector • Crack down on illegal dumping and manual emptying • Encouraging participation in emptier association Status of certification program • Waiting to be signed into law by the President of Senegal...Why is certification needed? Technical shortcomings • Improve quality of emptier equipment • Give access