Selection of Appropriate Sanitation Technology

The selection of an appropriate technology from a range of possibilities is the key to the
successful and sustainable operation of any facility. Choice of technology is often considered
a simple process, but is usually quite complex requiring careful assessment of factors,
consultation with the beneficiaries and the operating authority, and an understanding of the
integration of factors affecting the sustainability of a system.

Factors affecting the selecting of human excreta disposal methods options

There are many factors that should be considered when selecting sanitation technology such
as:

1. Health Aspects
2. Sustainability
3. Consulting the Community
4. Operation and Maintenance
5. Cost Recovery
6. Cultural Acceptability
7. Geographical Aspects

1. Health aspects

In order to enhance human health with latrines, following issues should be considered:

a. Safety: For a toilet to be safe it must be well built and in a safe place. No one will use
a toilet if they are worried about it collapsing. And if the toilet is far from the home,
or in an isolated place, women may not feel safe using it.
b. Cleanliness: If a toilet is dirty and smelly, no one will want to use it. A toilet also must
be clean to prevent the spread of germs. Sharing the task of cleaning will help make
sure that toilets are properly used and cared for.
c. User of the latrine should be isolated from (their) excreta
d. Prevention of community exposure to excreta through e.g. contaminated water
e. Prevent possibility of flies and other harmful animals to be in contact with excreta and
prevent transmission of pathogens to humans
f. Excreta must be covered and/or pathogens made harmless

2. Sustainability of Sanitation Technology

The sustainability of a sanitation technology is usually the most important consideration when
selecting a specific technology option for a community. Sustainability refers not only to
measures to minimize breakdowns and costs in the operation of a scheme, but also refers to
measures taken to maximize its positive social impact while minimizing any negative
environmental impacts.
 3. Consulting the Community in technology choice

a. It is imperative that representatives of the community to be consulted and fully informed

of the sanitation technology options that could be considered. They must be part of the
decision-making process.

b. It is the responsibility of the local authority to ensure that the necessary level of user
education on the proper use, care and maintenance of the selected sanitation technology is
provided; this will vary depending on the system to be installed.

c. The greater the household/community responsibility for operation and maintenance of the
system, the more extensive must be the programme of user education, and the lower the cost
of operation and maintenance (O&M).

Factors to be addressed when consulting the community include:

a. establishing structures in the community to facilitate and support effective O&M

b. correct operation of the facility,
c. what to do when the pit is full or septic tank needs desludging,
d. use of suitable/acceptable anal cleansing material,
e. design life of the facility,
f. implications of system failure (on personal health and on the environment),
g. where to obtain assistance when problems are experienced,
h. cost recovery awareness.
4. Operation and maintenance tasks, and plant & equipment availability

a. Households are responsible for the operation and maintenance of the sanitation system
components located on their own, but the municipality may provide support for undertaking
bigger tasks such as pit or septic tank emptying, moving top structures, or unblocking sewers.

b. It is the responsibility of the local authority to ensure that all transport, treatment and
disposal facilities and equipment for handling sanitation wastes are appropriate to local
conditions and of sufficient capacity to deal with the wastes associated with the level of
service to be provided.

c. The operation and maintenance requirements of the transport, treatment and disposal
facilities and equipment and all their associated costs must be planned for.

d. Back-up/emergency procedures are the responsibility of the local authority and must be
addressed as part of the ongoing O&M requirements.

e. In the case of pit or tank emptying when the need for this has been established, particular
factors to consider include:

- availability of suitable emptying equipment,

- accessibility of pit/tank for emptying equipment,

- proximity/access to local treatment facility or suitable disposal arrangements,

- suitability of emptying strategy (i.e. ad hoc, rotational, systematic),

5. Cost recovery
a. Be affordable – total costs (including capital, operational, maintenance costs) must be
within the users’ ability to pay.
b. It is the responsibility of the local authority to ensure that the recurrent costs of the level
of service to be developed are identified in full during the planning stage.

Factors to be considered include:

a. affordability in the medium to long term,

b. willingness to pay,
c. interim and emergency sources of funding,
d. subsidy policies (pensioners, disabled, etc.).
e. availability of equitable share for subsidy of the poor
6. Cultural acceptability

The technology should be culturally acceptable, it should be adapted to local customs, beliefs
and desires. Work for everyone – it should address the health needs of children, adults, men,
and women.

Community Attitudes and Perception around Latrines

Some communities don’t use sanitation technology because they are not used to. It is their
way of life.” Therefore, technology should be culturally unacceptable. In some areas, for an
adult to be seen by a child going to defecate is a taboo. A 50 years old Maasai-man said “We
Maasai’s have a strong culture that we cannot construct a” house” for faeces. Another man
was quoted saying “we grew up and found our fore fathers using the bush for defecation so
we too grew up using the bush”. Therefore, the following cultural factors should be put into
consideration:

a. Perceptions: some cultures cannot handle excreta especially doing odd jobs of cleaning
latrines. On of the area chief said “Maasais cannot clean toilets it is like a taboo. You cannot
even get a wife or husband if it is known that you are employed to clean latrines.
b. Attitudes: some communities have a negative attitude towards excreta and pointed that
latrines smell. Some cultures say that sharing of latrines with children is a big issue.
c. Ignorance: Ignorance is also a factor contributing to low latrine coverage in many
communities. latrine provision was not felt need despite the high knowledge of health
effects of open defecation.
d. Inclusion: Consider inclusion design (people with disabilities, women, children, elderly
people) and socio-cultural aspects when designing latrines (‘washers’ versus ‘wipers’)
e. Respect: A well-kept toilet brings status and respect to its owner. This can be what
motivates people to spend the money and effort to build one.
f. Privacy: A toilet can be as simple as a deep hole in the ground. But the need for privacy
makes it important for a toilet to have a good shelter with a door or curtain. Shelters can
be made from local materials, or they can be made from concrete.
g. Comfort: People will more likely use a toilet with a comfortable place to sit or squat, and
a shelter large enough to stand in. They will also be more likely to use a toilet that is nearby
the house and is sheltered from wind, rain, or snow.

7. Geographical aspects

Future changes within the town should be analysed by examining how factors that can impact
on sanitation may evolve, in particular:

a. the location of sanitation facilities. It is important to take urban development into

account when deciding on the location of technological solutions, particularly with regard
to wastewater treatment plants.
b. the size of facilities. The design of facilities for shared use (shared toilet blocks, small–
piped sewerage systems, conventional systems, treatment plants) should allow for
population growth within the town and for anticipated developments in the population’s
habits (water consumption, etc.). These shared facilities need to be sized to meet short
and medium-term needs (5 to 10 years);
c. Population growth. How will the population of the town develop? How will population
density evolve in the different areas of the town? What will be the impact on the space
available in homes and public places?
d. Geographical growth. In which direction(s) will the town develop?
e. Evolution of water consumption. What will any increase in water consumption look like
(in relation to how the systems for accessing drinking water – network, standpipes, etc. –
develop, as well as any improvements in standards of living)?