Infrastructure – Asivikelane https://asivikelane.org Tue, 28 Apr 2026 08:26:48 +0000 en-ZA hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.9 Improving disaster preparedness = safer communities https://asivikelane.org/improving-disaster-preparedness-safer-communities/ https://asivikelane.org/improving-disaster-preparedness-safer-communities/#respond Wed, 10 Dec 2025 14:17:43 +0000 https://asivikelane.org/?p=9208 In March 2025, we asked 5,308 residents across 202 informal settlements in 8 municipalities what types of disasters they experienced over the past year. Residents experienced floods and fires which leads to loss of homes and belongings as well as illness. Residents asked for early weather warnings, functional communication networks and taps with enough pressure for fires.

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]]> https://asivikelane.org/improving-disaster-preparedness-safer-communities/feed/ 0 Basic training and tools can fix minor faults https://asivikelane.org/basic-training-and-tools-can-fix-minor-faults/ https://asivikelane.org/basic-training-and-tools-can-fix-minor-faults/#respond Wed, 10 Dec 2025 14:13:51 +0000 https://asivikelane.org/?p=9205 In March 2025, we asked 5,308 residents across 202 informal settlements in 8 municipalities about communal services. Even when faults with taps and toilets are reported promptly through official channels, residents struggle to get them fixed. 79% of residents said they would fix services themselves if given tools and basic training.

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]]> https://asivikelane.org/basic-training-and-tools-can-fix-minor-faults/feed/ 0 Sustainable Informal Settlement Infrastructure Summit: Building sustainable infrastructure through community-driven repairs and maintenance solutions in informal settlements https://asivikelane.org/sustainable-informal-settlement-infrastructure-summit-building-sustainable-infrastructure-through-community-driven-repairs-and-maintenance-solutions-in-informal-settlements/ https://asivikelane.org/sustainable-informal-settlement-infrastructure-summit-building-sustainable-infrastructure-through-community-driven-repairs-and-maintenance-solutions-in-informal-settlements/#respond Thu, 04 Dec 2025 09:10:05 +0000 https://asivikelane.org/?p=9182 We hosted a Sustainable Informal Settlement Infrastructure Summit: bringing together a diverse range of stakeholders to foster partnerships and explore innovative solutions for dignified, sustainable access to essential basic services. The aim was to improve repairs and maintenance of water and sanitation infrastructure. The outcomes of the summit found that the future of repairs and maintenance is contingent upon empowering communities, reforming institutions, and forging resilient partnerships. The path forward must be rooted in a fundamental shift: from seeing repairs as a technical afterthought to recognising them as a cornerstone of dignity, health, and sustainable urban development.

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]]> https://asivikelane.org/sustainable-informal-settlement-infrastructure-summit-building-sustainable-infrastructure-through-community-driven-repairs-and-maintenance-solutions-in-informal-settlements/feed/ 0 Learning paper: Building Sustainable Infrastructure through Community-Driven Repairs and Maintenance Solutions in Informal Settlements https://asivikelane.org/learning-paper-building-sustainable-infrastructure-through-community-driven-repairs-and-maintenance-solutions-in-informal-settlements/ https://asivikelane.org/learning-paper-building-sustainable-infrastructure-through-community-driven-repairs-and-maintenance-solutions-in-informal-settlements/#respond Mon, 25 Aug 2025 17:03:04 +0000 https://asivikelane.org/?p=9041 Asivikelane hosted a Sustainable Informal Settlement Infrastructure Summit, aimed at improving repairs and maintenance of water and sanitation infrastructure in informal settlements. The summit brought together a diverse range of stakeholders to foster partnerships and explore innovative solutions for dignified, sustainable access to essential basic services. We’ve documented these solutions in a multi-pronged strategy, demonstrating how to build sustainable infrastructure through community-driven solutions.

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]]> https://asivikelane.org/learning-paper-building-sustainable-infrastructure-through-community-driven-repairs-and-maintenance-solutions-in-informal-settlements/feed/ 0 A model of community-based repairs and maintenance of informal settlement water and sanitation infrastructure https://asivikelane.org/a-model-of-community-based-repairs-and-maintenance-of-informal-settlement-water-and-sanitation-infrastructure/ https://asivikelane.org/a-model-of-community-based-repairs-and-maintenance-of-informal-settlement-water-and-sanitation-infrastructure/#respond Fri, 22 Aug 2025 10:27:14 +0000 https://asivikelane.org/?p=9368 Asivikelane’s community-based model for repairs and maintenance ensures that informal settlement residents are central to fixing communal infrastructure. The main idea is to train residents as plumbers so they can fix broken communal taps and toilets within their own communities. This paper outlines how this model can be replicated across municipalities.

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]]> https://asivikelane.org/a-model-of-community-based-repairs-and-maintenance-of-informal-settlement-water-and-sanitation-infrastructure/feed/ 0 Knysna. Small fixes, big impacts https://asivikelane.org/learning-paper-small-fixes-big-impacts-empowering-informal-settlement-residents-to-fix-their-own-taps-and-toilets-is-an-important-part-of-the-urban-infrastructure-challenge/ https://asivikelane.org/learning-paper-small-fixes-big-impacts-empowering-informal-settlement-residents-to-fix-their-own-taps-and-toilets-is-an-important-part-of-the-urban-infrastructure-challenge/#respond Fri, 25 Apr 2025 09:46:59 +0000 https://asivikelane.org/?p=8835 We take a look at how municipalities can integrate community plumbers and enhance fault reporting for efficient community repairs of communal services.

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]]> https://asivikelane.org/learning-paper-small-fixes-big-impacts-empowering-informal-settlement-residents-to-fix-their-own-taps-and-toilets-is-an-important-part-of-the-urban-infrastructure-challenge/feed/ 0 Women’s safety is compromised when broken services are not fixed https://asivikelane.org/13-november-2023/ https://asivikelane.org/13-november-2023/#respond Mon, 13 Nov 2023 11:09:00 +0000 https://asivikelane.org/?p=4960 The municipalities of Knysna and Stellenbosch are slow to repair broken services in informal settlements. This results in the overuse of functional facilities, and some women express concerns about the safety and accessibility of alternative water and sanitation services.

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]]> https://asivikelane.org/13-november-2023/feed/ 0 Spatial data and adequate fault reporting can improve maintenance of informal settlement taps and toilets https://asivikelane.org/brief-8-spacial-data-and-adequate-fault-reporting-can-improve-maintenance-of-informal-settlement-taps-and-toilets/ https://asivikelane.org/brief-8-spacial-data-and-adequate-fault-reporting-can-improve-maintenance-of-informal-settlement-taps-and-toilets/#respond Thu, 24 Nov 2022 10:32:00 +0000 https://asivikelane.org/?p=6550

One of the biggest challenges affecting access to basic sanitation in informal settlements is poor repairs and maintenance. While there are informal settlements with no access to taps and toilets – several settlements have fewer taps and toilets to the ratio of residents – what is worse is that the majority of these are unusable because they are either broken or blocked.

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]]> https://asivikelane.org/brief-8-spacial-data-and-adequate-fault-reporting-can-improve-maintenance-of-informal-settlement-taps-and-toilets/feed/ 0 Metro fault reporting systems don’t work for informal settlements https://asivikelane.org/29-september-2022/ https://asivikelane.org/29-september-2022/#respond Thu, 29 Sep 2022 11:13:00 +0000 https://asivikelane.org/?p=4964 Metros fault reporting systems are not user-friendly and can’t locate broken taps and toilets. Despite ongoing efforts by informal settlement residents to report via the system, many said they wait longer than a month before anyone comes to fix them.

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Summaries for municipalities
]]> https://asivikelane.org/29-september-2022/feed/ 0 Residents let down by metros‘ poor resilience score https://asivikelane.org/28-july-2023-asivikelane-29/ https://asivikelane.org/28-july-2023-asivikelane-29/#respond Thu, 28 Jul 2022 10:23:33 +0000 https://asivikelane.org/?p=4239 Asivikelane reports that better response from metros to disasters is needed in informal settlements. Faster access to disaster services and speedier damage assessment and repairs will lay the foundations for resilient cities.

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