EcoSan

The flush toilet system and the sewage system, which goes with modern day personal hygiene and cleanliness, are part of the environmental problem and not the solution. Consider the huge amount of clean water that is used to carry a small quantity of human excreta, Sunita Narain writes about the political economy of defecation. Manoj Nadkarni analyses the flush and forget mindset, which is increasingly destroying our water systems

This article has been downloaded from the Down to Earth website. WASTE thanks CSE (Centre for Science and Environment), India for the permission for using and publishing this article on our website.

This article is available at www.downtoearth.org.in, the online edition of Down To Earth magazine, a leading science & environment fortnightly published by Society for Environmental Communications.

Down to Earth flush toilet ecologically mindless.pdf  (182 kB)

Organisations working in (ecological) sanitation and water issues.

Experts on ecological sanitation

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The www.ecosan.nl site is hosted by WASTE and focusses on Ecological Sanitation. The site provides information on the technical, financial, environmental, health, socio-cultural, institutional, political and legal aspects important for the success of (ecological) sanitation, with an emphasis on urban solutions.
The site also offers:

• practical examples of sanitation systems from around the world
• interesting sanitation related links
• useful publications
• profiles of available sanitation experts

The content is developed with contributions made by programme partners and other organisations working in the field of ecological sanitation.
For more information on WASTE visit www.waste.nl. For more information on partner organisations, view related links.

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The goal of sanitation is to protect public health by collecting and treating human excreta. Different systems have been developed globally to accomplish this goal. These systems vary according to the methods used for excreta collection, storage, transportation, treatment and disposal. The type of sanitation system selected also determines the complexity and cost of construction, operation and maintenance.

Under this topic you can find:

• a simple classification of sanitation systems
• an introduction to the elements of sanitation systems
• information on the logistics of sanitation
• examples of different types of toilets
• links to sanitation designs and designers
• links to technical reports on sanitation systems

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If human excreta is not properly handled it poses a serious threat to the environment and public health. Human excreta contains pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, protozoa and helminths which lead to a range of infections in humans. In addition, the uncontrolled disposal of excreta in soils and waters can also lead to an overload of organic compounds and nutrients in the environment resulting in the loss of plants and animal life. In order to be able to adequately handle and treat excreta therefore it is essential to understand its characteristics.

Under this topic you can find information on:

• the characteristics of excreta and grey water
• occupational and environmental health
• public health issues.

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Financing sanitation is a costly business. Identifying the financial resources available for sanitation provision is particularly important in the process of selecting a preferred sanitation option. It is especially important to determine and define which stakeholders will be responsible for financing the different phases of the project e.g. who will finance the design and construction of the sanitation system and will the same or different stakeholders finance the operation and maintenance of the system once built.

Under this topic you can find:

• an introduction to financing sanitation
• useful publications on financing sanitation
• other related links

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There are clear differences of attitude towards the use of sanitation facilities and the handling of excreta between diverse cultural groups. These attitudes can be based upon religious or cultural beliefs, gender or generational differences. Hence, sanitation facilities and their management have to fit the ‘socio-cultural’ bill and planners need to understand these attitudes when they are both designing and implementing sanitation projects.

However, selecting the most appropriate socio-cultural sanitation option, does not mean that it will automatically be successful. For example, when people migrate to urban areas they must adapt to living in a more densely populated area where poor sanitation can lead to a much greater risk of infection from pathogens than in rural areas. It should therefore be recognised that in most cases it will be necessary to train people in the correct use of the new facilities to ensure that best hygiene practices are maintained.

Under this topic you can find information on:

• socio-cultural aspects of sanitation
• how ecological sanitation fits into the different approaches towards sanitation
• useful publications on socio-cultural aspects of sanitation
• links to related studies.

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Planning for new sanitation provision takes place within the existing institutional framework present in the target area. It is therefore very important to understand how this framework works. How are decisions on new infrastructure made? Who is involved in the decision-making process? How can stakeholders outside the conventional decision-making structure influence the process?

It is also important to be aware of the available technical and organisational capacity of the implementing agency in order to ensure that the system selected will be operated in an effective and efficient manner.

Under this topic you can find information on:

• the stakeholders involved in the planning, construction and operation of sanitation systems
• how to create an enabling environment for sanitation provision
• useful publications on institutionalisation and sanitation
• other related links.

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Improving sanitation is a global objective with goals set by international organisations such as the United Nations and the World Health Organization.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) set by UNDP in 2000 include: the target to halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and sanitation.The MDGs help inform national policy making and the development of appropriate local objectives and targets for sanitation improvements.  National policy outlines the roles and responsibilities that different stakeholders play in planning, designing and implementing sanitation improvements.

Laws and regulations affecting sanitation can be found predominantly in the realm of public health legislation. Nevertheless, regulations related to sanitation provision may also be found under both environmental protection and occupational health laws and regulations. All of these laws and regulations need to be taken into account when seeking to improve sanitation in a particular community.

Under this topic you can find information on:

• Policy and legal aspects of sanitation
• World policy on sanitation
• Useful publications on policy and legal aspects of sanitation
• Other related links

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Here you can expect publications on ecological sanitation by WASTE. You can also find here discussion fora on ecological sanitation, information on training and publications in various formats listed.

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