| dc.description.abstract | Effective wastewater management is essential for nature conservation and promotion of health. Although Government efforts in supporting establishment of wastewater treatment plants have been shown, the projects are at times rejected by the community leading to wastage of resources, unsolved sewage disposal problems, and the spread of diseases emanating from poor sewage management. The study examined the influence of social, cultural and environmental factors on public perception toward sewerage treatment plants in Meru County, Kenya, whose solutions have often been facing rejection from the communities. The study targeted residents around Rwanyange, Gakoromone and Maua sewerage treatment plants in the County. Mixed methods approach was used with a convergent study design. A sample of 394 household heads was targeted. Cluster and simple random sampling techniques were used in selection of the areas and household heads respectively. Quantitative data was collected from households using structured questionnaires and analysed in descriptive statistics and inferential statistics using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26. Qualitative data was obtained from focus group discussions, analysed in NVIVO software and presented in narratives. Increased literacy level among communities increased the likelihood of positive perception by1.09asresidents would understand thus appreciate the roles played by the treatment plants (adjusted OR=1.09, 95% CI: 0.52-3.45, P=0.008). Perception varied with age with people aged>50years being 2.78 times more likely to exhibit positive perception towards the treatment plants compared to those aged 18-28 years (P<0.05). Community participation was key and its presence or absence determined residents’ perception (adjusted OR=5.95, 95%CI: 1.29-5.24, P=0.002) as it predicted acceptability and ownership of the solutions provided. Results also suggested that existence of taboos surrounding mixing of human faecal matter which affected communities’ openness to new ideas reduced the likelihood of positive perception towards the treatment plants by 34% (adjusted OR=0.66, 95% CI: 1.13-9.78, P=0.001). Women’s perception was likely to be more positive than for men, attributable to the fact that they bore the basic responsibility of sanitation and hygiene and care giving roles and availability of sanitation solutions would mitigate health risks for them and their children. Participants especially those who resided very near the treatment plants were also concerned of the odour that resulted from the plants and the impacts of the plants on soil contamination (adjusted OR= 0.75, 95% CI: 0.86-3.06, P<0.001). Public notion on the possibility of the treatment plants to result in underground seepage and concerns on the quality of air due to pollution significantly lowered perception by 52% and 60% respectively (P<0.05). The study concluded that public perception towards the treatment plants was affected by the interconnection of social, cultural and environmental factors. The study recommends a two-sided bottom-up approach of community involvement in all implementation stages of sanitation projects for increased acceptance, ownership and trust of solutions by beneficiaries. There is also need for reconnaissance studies that focus on understanding cultural issues for provision of context-specific sustainable solutions. Besides, policies that substantiate environmental awareness are critical for sustainable solutions. | en_US |
