Governance of Decentralized Sanitation

Objectives, classification and selection

of sanitation

Name of the Lecturer: Christophe Muanda

Organization: Unesco-IHE and CWSR (Centre for Water and Sanitation Research) –
Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Country: South Africa
 Learning Objectives

At the end of this course, participants will be able to:

 Explain different terminologies used in sanitation
 Explain the objectives of sanitation
 Categorise different sanitation systems and technologies
 Identify and select criteria for the selection of sanitation
technology in a given context

Note: (1), (2), (3) etc. represents reference

Course outline

This presentation is divided into four sections:

1. General Overview
2. Objectives of sanitation
3. Classification of sanitation systems and technologies
4. Selection of sanitation systems
 1. General Overview

 Sanitation refers to:

o the safe management of human excreta and greywater (2).
o the principles and practices relating to the collection, removal, or disposal of human
excreta, refuse and waste water (6)
o the provision of facilities and services for the safe disposal of human excreta,
maintenance of hygienic conditions, through services such as garbage collection and
wastewater disposal (7).
 It includes hardware (facilities) and software (rules, regulations, hygiene).
 Sanitation facility
refers to infrastructure dedicated for the disposal, conveyance or treatment or human excreta,
greywater or solid waste
 Sanitation technology
- refers to specific infrastructural configurations, methods or services designed specifically
to contain, transform or transport waste to another process, point of use or disposal (3)
 Sanitation system
refers to the combination of technologies for safe collection, transport, treatment or disposal
of human waste. It represents a configuration of different technologies
 Example
Sanitation

Eating Showering or bathing Cleaning house

Drinking Dishwashing Discarding old stuffs
Laundry Discarding food left over

Human excreta Greywater Solid waste

Sanitation
Rules and regulations:
 Policies
 Legal framework
 Norms
 Hygiene practices
Example

• Sanitation facility • Sanitation technology

 Example
 Sanitation system (2)

• User interface or toilet

Refer to toilet, pedestal, pan or urinal the user comes in contact with
• Collection and storage
Refers to the way products generated at user interface are collected or stored
• Conveyance
Describes the way in which products generated from user interface are moved from one process (or
functional element) to another
• Treatment
refers to the process used to treat waste products generated from the interface
• Reuse or disposal
refers to the ways in which waste products generated at user interface are returned to the soil.. It can be
treated or raw
Notes

Sanitation system and technology

Each component or functional element of a sanitation system has
specific technology
Part 1 Knowledge questions

Can you define sanitation in your own terms?

What is the difference between sanitation system and
sanitation services?
What is the difference between sanitation technology and
sanitation system?
How can we better define these terms
 sanitation,
 sanitation system,
 sanitation technology
 sanitation system
 2. Objectives of sanitation
Why Sanitation matters?
Eating Showering or bathing C leaning house
Drinking Dishwashing Discarding old stuffs
Laundry Discarding food left over

Human excreta Greywater Solid waste

Sanitation
Sanitation is needed to:
 Protect and promote health
 Keeping disease carrying waste and insects away from people, toilets and homes
 Break the spread of diseases
 Prevent spreading of waterborne diseases
 Improve the health and quality of life

 Protect the environment against pollution

 Keeping disease carrying waste and insects away from the environment
 Prevent environmental pollution (air, soil and emission)
 Prevent contamination of water resources (surface and ground water)
Does sanitation matters?

How do you feel about this?

 Part 2 Knowledge questions

What do you think about sanitation?

Why does sanitation matters to you?
What are the objectives of sanitation? (reflect on our own
environment)
Looking at the pictures above, how can you better address or
stress the importance of sanitation in a given context (such as
slum)?
3. Classification of sanitation

Sanitation systems can be classified in many ways:

a) Earth and water based (1,3)

Waterborne or wet - Non waterborne or dry -

requires water for its functioning no need water for its functioning
 Full flush or cistern flush (water  Urine diverting dry toilet
comes from the cistern) (UDDT)
 Pour flush (use of bucket to throw  Dry toilet (sit or squat pan)
water for flushing purpose)
 VIP toilet
 Low flush toilet (flushing
mechanism release small quantity  Vault toilet
of water)
 Aqua privy
 b) Placement of the treatment unit (1,3)
 Onsite treatment before disposal - the treatment of human excreta occur where
or close to the source of generation
 Off-site - human excreta is removed from the site where it was generated and
treated elsewhere.
• In either case, the waste may be mixed with water or it may not (1). On this basis
the following four groups may be distinguished:

Table 1: Classification of sanitation system according to the treatment process

Required conveyance No conveyance required

(off-site treatment) (treatment or partial treatment on-site)
No water added Chemical toilet VIP (single or twin pits)
Container toilet Ventilated vault toilet
UDDT
Water added Full waterbrone Flushing toilet with septic tank and
Flush toilet with subsurface soil absorption field
conservancy tank Low-flow on-site sanitation systems
Shallow sewer (LOFLOs): Aqua-privy
c) Context of use (4,5)

Individual facility
dedicated for individual household

Shared facility
o used by a defined number of people (family for example)
o can be:
 Local
Single toilet shared at local level by a number of households
Communal
Consist of number of toilet dedicated for a pre-defined community or
neighbourhood. Comprise shower, laundry points, handwash etc.

Public
Consist of toilet facilities provided in public areas, dedicated for everyone
- member of the public (not confined to a pre-determined user group or
settlement)
d) Types and stability of the structure (4,5)

Mobile facility Permanent structure

that can be moved from place to facility that is fixed - cannot be
another without damaging the moved
infrastructure  Ablution block
 MobiSan  Communal toilets
 CAB (Community ablution
block)
Part 3 Knowledge questions

 What differentiate a communal facility to a public facility?

 What are the key features of a communal sanitation facility?
 Shared facility can be local, communal or public. What criteria and
features can be used to distinguish these 3 types of sanitation
facilities?
 In what context a communal facility becomes a public facility? Explain
 How can sanitation system be classified?
4. Selection of sanitation systems

 The selection of sanitation system can be done by considering the following

factors:
a) Social, cultural and gender
b) Institutional and political
c) Economic and financial
d) Technical and operational
e) Health and environmental
a) Social, cultural and gender

 Refers to :
 Sanitation habits (e.g. handwash)
 Local customs (religion, beliefs etc.)
 People practices (washing after use, wiping, handwash)
 Orientation (basic attitudes, beliefs, feelings)
 Community roles, involvement
 Social acceptability (comfort, privacy, dignity)
 Understanding of the technology/familiarity
 Gender /Equity and equality (separation male/female or mixed)
 Safety
 Ownership (landlord, tenants, pay-as you use)
b) Institutional and political

 Refers to:
 Urban planning (regulations and enforcement)
 Institutional arrangements (responsibilities, coordination)
 Political will
 Institutional structure (responsibilities, oversight)
 Policies (laws, regulations, institutional framework)
 Priority (given to sanitation by decision makers)
 Willingness and ability by the service provider to operate and maintain the
system
c) Economic and financial

 Refers to
 Availability of fund
 Willingness and Ability to pay for the service
 Affordability
 Cost of construction and O&M
 Availability of construction materials, parts etc.
d) Technical and operational

 Refers to:
 Availability of technologies (knowledge, replication)
 Types of technologies
cost, operational requirements and context of use
 Understanding of the technology
 Adaptability and upgradability
 Appropriateness to local conditions
 Reliability
 Sustainability
 Robustness
 Long term maintenance
 Technical skills (to operate and maintain, manage)
 e) Health and environmental

 Refers to :
 Contamination
o Human (waterborne disease…)
o Environment (air, soil, waterbody)
 Surface (proximity to water sources, potential pollution/contamination)
 Ground water (water table level, flooding, potential pollution/contamination)
 Ground composition (rocky, sandy)
 Emission (gas, smell/odour)
Other issues to consider

Depending on the context, the choice of a sanitation system

can be influenced by the type or identity of the service
provider.
Service provider for instance can be
 User – individual needing sanitation referred as self-supply
 Institutions –municipalities, NGO, CBO, CSO, local and international
donors, etc.
In this case, two scenarios emerge:
 User or individual choice
 Institution’s choice
User provides own service provider – (Self-supply)

 User  Institutions
 Cost (construction, O&M) Rules and regulations (health
 Availability of materials and environmental protection)
Policies
Compliance with building and
planning regulations
Settlement conditions (legal
status of the land, topography
etc.)
Institution provides service

 User  Institutions
 Feelings of entitlement Cost (construction, O&M, M&E)
 Type of sanitation facility and size Conditions of the settlements (e.g.
 Position of the facility (in house or topography, geology etc.)
outside; toilet door facing the house Availability of other infrastructure
or not, walking distance etc.) Climatic conditions (e.g. recurrent
 Privacy and dignity flooding, temperature, wind etc.)
 Appearance of the facility (pedestal Institutional arrangements (who
colour, form) is doing what? how and when?)
 Pedestal(squating or seat plates) Political will
 Context of use (individual, shared, Faecal sludge and greywater
communal etc.) and number of user
(ratio) handling
 Permanency of the superstructure Position of the site in relation to
other human settlements and
 Comfort and convenience
surroundings
 Responsibility for O&M (cleaning,
fixing breakages and blockages) Building and planning regulations
Part 4 Knowledge questions

 What criteria would you consider to select a sanitation technology for a given
context? Explain
 As a service provider, how will you convince the public about a given sanitation
technology? Explain
 What advice would you give to the public regarding the choice of their own
sanitation system? Explain
References

(1)CSIR (2001). Guidelines for human settlements planning and design. Department of Housing,
Pretoria, South Africa.
http://www.csir.co.za/Built_environment/RedBook/Vol_II/Chapter_010/Chapter_010_Vol_II.p
df
(2)Udert, K. and Tilley, E. (undated). Sanitation systems and technologies for developing
countries. Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag).
(3)Tilley, E., Lüthi, C., Morel, A., Zurbrügg, C. and Schertenleib, R., (2008). Compendium of
Sanitation Systems and Technologies. Water Supply & Sanitation Collaborative Council
(WSSCC) and Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), Switzerland.
(4)Lagardien, A. and Muanda, C. (2014). An approach towards developing sanitation solutions for
informal settlements. WRC report no 2098/1/14. A report to Water Research Commission,
Pretoria ISBN 978-1-4312-0542-4
(5)Lagardien, A. Muanda, C., and Benjamin, A. (2012b). Users’ acceptance and functioning of the
mobile sanitation facilities – a case of South Africa. WRC No. 2017/1/12 Report to Water
Research Commission, Pretoria, South Africa. ISBN 978-1-4312-0315-4
(6)Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (1996). National Sanitation Policy. National
Sanitation Task Team. Republic of South Africa. Pretoria: Government Printers.
(7)WHO (undated). Linking technology choice with operation and maintenance - sanitation
technology selection process. World Health Organisation, Geneva
www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/hygiene/om/linkingchap2 (retrieved on 22/07/2014)