Course 1 Unit 1

The rationale for ecosan

and the Millennium Development Goals

1
Course 1 Unit 1
The rationale for ecosan and Millennium
Development Goals
Content:
Part A: What does ecosan stand for?
Part B: Why is there a need for ecosan?
Part C: Ecosan, sanitation and MDGs

2
 Course 1 Unit 1

Course 1 Unit 1

Part A: What does ecosan stand for?

3
 Course 1 Unit 1

What does ecosan stand for?

 Technically, ecosan is short for ecological sanitation.

 Ecological sanitation strives to bring the elements contained in

wastewater streams back into the natural cycle (agriculture).
o Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium: as fertiliser
o Organic matter: as soil improver
o Water: for irritgation purposes

4
 Closing the loop approach
The most important issue in ecosan
is that the loop is closed. In most
conventional wastewater treatment
systems, the focus is on removal, of
organic matter and nutrients. Yet,
these components are also the core
elements needed for crop production.
This means they have still value.
Moreover, the ecosan approach acts
against the use of fresh water as a
mere transportation system for our
waste, which is typically applied in
conventional full scale wastewater
treatment.
Summarizing:
MATERIAL FLOW CYCLE
instead of
dISPOSAL
Within this unit, we will look in more
depth into the how and why, and
http://www.gtz.de/en/themen/umwelt-infrastruktur/wasser/8804.htm
explain the details of the figure. 5
 What is ecosan?
 Ecosan stands for “ecological sanitation”
 Ecosan is a new “philosophy”, or “paradigm shift”
 Ecosan is based on a holistic view of material flows: what has
in the past been regarded as a waste for disposal is now
regarded as a resource
 Ecosan is not one specific technology
 Ecosan may or may not use special (urine diverting) toilets

6
 How does ecosan differ from other forms
of sanitation?
 Fundamentally, all forms of sanitation strive for the same:
1. To improve public health and the quality of life
2. To protect the environment

 Sustainable sanitation asks for the 2 items listed above;

additionally, it requires sustainability [not only in the sense
that it will be there for a long time! See next slide]

 Ecological sanitation also aims for the first 2 items, for

sustainability, AND aims for closing the loop wherever
possible.
7
 Sustainability with respect to sanitation
 We consider a sanitation solution sustainable if it:
o is socially acceptable,
o technically appropriate,
o economically viable,
o does not contribute to environmental degradation or
depletion of the resource base,
o protect and promote human health, and
o is institutionally appropriate
Kvarnström and af Petersens (2004)

8
 STEPHI
 Five categories for criteria:
o Socio-cultural
o Technical function
o Economy
o Physical environment
Kvarnström and af Petersens (2004)
o Health
o Institutional

Note: Sustainability is a relative indicator, not an absolute state

(use it for comparisons)

9
 Purposes of sustainability criteria

 Useful tool in participatory processes

 Provide a sound basis for the development of new
technical and treatment standards
 Useful tool to employ in the evaluation of existing
sanitation systems

10
 Names used in literature
“Conventional “ecosan”
Sanitation”
 Alternative sanitation system
 Conventional sanitation system
 Closed-loop system
 Open system
 Decentralised WWT *
 “Flush-and-forget” (water-borne)
 Low-water-use sanitation
or “drop-and-store” (dry)
 Resource oriented sanitation
 Centralised WWT
 Environmental sanitation
 Sustainable sanitation
 Focus is on treatment and discharge
 Focus is on sustainability

* May also fall into category of

conventional sanitation
11
 Common misconceptions about the ecosan
concept
 Ecosan = toilets with urine diversion and without flushing
(i.e. limited to a certain toilet type)
 Ecosan = waterless sanitation
 Ecosan = sanitation without sewers
 Ecosan only deals with toilets, nothing else
 Ecosan is only for the poor and only for rural areas
 Ecosan is a fringe activity which will never really compete
with centralised sanitation systems
 There is no room for scientific research in ecosan
 Ecosan is only for developing countries
 Ecosan cannot be practiced in cities
12
 Course 1 Unit 1

The evolving definitions of ecosan

“Ecosan is
equal to...”
...urine-diversion
dehydrating toilets
and reuse
(1980s)

… systems that contain,

sanitise and reuse
(1990s)

… sanitation systems that strive to

be sustainable
(2000 to now) 13
Another bit of good news: The number of ecosan initiatives
worldwide is growing rapidly

14
 Course 1 Unit 1

Ecosan is an inter-disciplinary field

.
Social Financing,
Logistics sciences management,
Civil/sanitary
business
engineering
Ecological sanitation
Hydrogeology
Integrated (groundwater)
Public health,
Water Resources Agriculture, hygiene
Management soil fertility education

Where do you fit in this diagram?

15
 Course 1 Unit 1

What does sanitation consist of?

1. Excreta management (faeces, urine) Sewage, or

2. Greywater management domestic
3. Industrial wastewater wastewater
4. Solid waste management
5. Drainage (for rainwater / stormwater)

All these areas are important. In this course, we focus mostly on

point 1, secondly on point 2. Points 3 ,4 and 5 are not covered
in this course (ecosan can also be applied to solid waste
management; rainwater harvesting can play a role in drainage).
Industrial wastewater typically requires a rather specific
treatment).
16
Part B

WHY IS THERE A NEED FOR

ECOSAN?
17
 Existing key sanitation problems in
developing countries (“the sanitation crisis”)
 Many environments are already seriously polluted, or
rapidly becoming so
 The population is affected by diseases caused by
improper sanitation practices
 Frequently, there are no institutional capabilities to deal
with high-tech, advanced wastewater treatment plants
 There is often a chronic shortage of freshwater (water of
the right quality and quantity and at the right place)

An example of this is given on the next slide for sub-Saharan

Africa

18
 Course 1 Unit 1

Makes you wonder whether

using (potable) water to flush
toilets is really such a good
idea

19
http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/freshwater_stress_and_scarcity_in_africa_by_2025
 Environmental pollutants from improper
sanitation
 Excessive amounts of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus)
cause eutrophication in receiving water bodies
 Spread of pathogens into receiving water bodies and
groundwater; pollution of drinking water sources
  Conventional wastewater treatment plants (if they exist)
often not designed for pathogen removal

Eutrophication is the enrichment of an ecosystem with chemical nutrients,

typically compounds containing nitrogen, phosphorus, or both. In aquatic
environments, enhanced growth of choking aquatic vegetation or
phytoplankton (that is, an algal bloom) disrupts normal functioning of the
ecosystem, causing a variety of problems (www.wikipedia.org).
20
 Course 1 Unit 1

Conventional, “open” system

(also called “end-of-pipe technology”)

21
 Urban wastewater production
10-40%
Water supply Uses without
Water demand
L/cap/d wastewater
production
60-90% e.g. landscape irrigation,
product water, drinking,
leakage
Uses with
L/cap/d wastewater
Local untreated
production
wastewater
discharge

E.g. The
Netherlands
Wastewater Untreated wastewater
collected (sewers) discharged at end of sewer

Treated effluent E.g. Most low-income

discharged to countries
environment 22
Source: Metcalf & Eddy
(2003), page 155
 Problems with conventional, water-borne sanitation – 1/2

fertilizer production
from finite resources
(P)

food

(in many overexploitation of

European groundwater
countries) mixing of flows,
misuse of drinking
water for transport
waste disposal in
Wastewater
sewage sludge treatment water bodies
plant
90% untreated

landfill / incineration 23
Source: www2.gtz.de/ecosan/english/
 Course 1 Unit 1

Problems with conventional, water-borne

sanitation – 2/2 (“flush-and-forget”)
 Unsatisfactory purification or uncontrolled discharge of
more than 90% of wastewater worldwide
 Severe water pollution and health risks
 Consumption of water for transport of waste (often water
is scarce)
 Subsidisation of prosperous areas and neglect of poorer
settlements is common
 Loss of valuable nutrients and trace elements contained in
excreta due to discharge into waters
 Sewers often leak, to various degrees

24
Source: www2.gtz.de/ecosan/english/
 The “business as usual” approaches to
(urban) sanitation
A – Do nothing & ignore the problem (especially for slums)

B – Underfunding (consistently more money to water supply

and health/hospitals than to sanitation)

C – Provide only sanitation solutions for the wealthy

D – Provide pit latrines for the poor even in areas of high

population density (unsustainable)

25
 Course 1 Unit 1

Problems with conventional, on-site

sanitation – “drop-and-store”
Conventional on-site sanitation options:
– Simple pit latrines
– Ventilated improved pit (VIP) latrines
– Pour-flush latrines, aqua-privies
– Water flush toilets connected to septic tanks

Common problems:
– Odour, flies
– Overflowing pits, no space to dig new pits
– Pit latrines have to be outdoors (safety issues)
– No means of emptying pits/ septic tanks Pit latrine
– No means of treating faecal sludge
Pit = hole in the ground,
not water tight

See also Course 2 Unit 2 (Conventional on-site sanitation) and Course 2 Unit 7 (Faecal sludge management)
26
 27
A well maintained pit latrine, seen in Maseru, Lesotho (December
2006)
Pit latrines in urban areas can pollute the groundwater
Pit Pit
latrine
latrine Shallow
Shallow
drinking
drinking
water
water
wellwell

Groundwater Groundwater
Nitrate
(clean) (polluted)
Pathogens

28
 Example picture to show the reality of the
previous slide: peri-urban area in Lusaka, Zambia

Pit latrine

Shallow well to collect

drinking water

Photo: Kennedy Mayumbelo, Lusaka Water

and Sewerage Company (2006)

29
 Course 1 Unit 1

The little-known phenomenon of underground

leaking sewers
 Even the sewers in wealthy developed countries can, and do,
leak
o Leakages are difficult to monitor, since the whole system is
underground
o Since sewers are not pressurised, they leak less than the
pressurised water supply pipes
o Examples:
• 9% of Germany’s 486,000 km of sewer sytem requires immediate rehabilitation
(according to a survey of 2001) (Wolf et al., 2006, p. 11)
• In Austin, Texas (USA): 5% of collected sewage is lost in leaking sewers (Garcia-
Fresca, 2007)

 Leaking sewers contribute to groundwater pollution

• For example: Pharmaceutical residues have been detected in groundwater in
Rastatt, Germany (originating from urine from leaking sewers) (Wolf et al., 2006,
p. 109)

30
Overflowing sewer manhole
Kyalitsha, Cape Town, South Africa (January 2007) 31
Sewers can become a conveyer belt for pathogen transport! 32
Overflowing sewer manhole
at informal settlement in
Johannesburg, South Africa
(January 2007)
33
 Ecological sanitation: Closing the loop between
sanitation and agriculture

rainwater harvesting
restoring soil
fertility

food

agricultural
use organic waste

faeces greywater
urine
treatment /
sanitisation

water reuse no waste disposal in

water bodies

34
Source: www2.gtz.de/ecosan/english/
 Benefits of ecological sanitation (ecosan)

 Improvement of health by minimising the introduction of

pathogens from human excreta into the water cycle
 Hygienic recovery and use of nutrients, organics, trace
elements, water and energy
 Preservation of soil fertility, improvement of agricultural
productivity
 Lower water consumption, substitution of mineral
fertilizers

See also lecture on “Safe reuse of urine, faeces and greywater in agriculture” (Course 3
Unit 1)

35
Source: www2.gtz.de/ecosan/english/
 Characteristics of a closed-loop sanitation system

 Treats human excreta as a resource, not as a waste

product
 Processes human excreta on-site or off-site to make them
safe (= sanitisation)
 Recycles the nutrients back to agriculture

36
 Course 1 Unit 1

Did you know that:

… the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus that you excrete per
year is equal to the amount which is needed to fertilise an
area of land to produce the amount of cereal crops that you
would eat in a year?

 A “perfect balance”

Photo: Peter Morgan

More info on these reuse aspects will come

in sub-course 3 37
Multiple links between ecosan and improved health of
people (particularly children)

38
Source: Esrey et al. (2001), p. 58
 Did you know that phosphorus (the key
ingredient in fertiliser) is a limited resource?
 At current rates of extraction (144 megatons per year) with
no annual increase the commercially viable reserves will
last 125 years
 At 3% annual increase, this will be only 50 years
 Morocco/West Sahara and China hold >70% of the global
reserve
 US cheap reserves will be depleted in 25-30 years
 By already 2020, rock phosphate may be the keystone
resource of the world economy

More info on these phosphorus aspects will

come in sub-course 3
39
 Now here is some good news: Two examples to show
that ecosan is moving towards being a mainstream
approach

 WHO published in 2006 the new “Guidelines for the safe use
of wastewater, excreta and greywater. Volume 4: Excreta and
greywater use in agriculture” - this volume has embraced the ecosan
concept
 Sustainable Sanitation Alliance:
around 50 multi- and bilateral organisations, NGOs and research
institutions are part of this alliance to support the International Year
of Sanitation 2008 – with a clear focus on sustainable sanitation
(http://www.gtz.de/en/themen/umwelt-
infrastruktur/wasser/19857.htm)

40
Course 1 Unit 1

Part C: Role of ecosan in Millennium

Development Goals achievements

Current world population: ~ 6.4 billion (in 2006)

Predicted future population: ~ 8.1 billion (in 2030)

(some slides in this Part C have been taken from another presentation, see
credits on next slide)
41
 Module M1: Water and Sanitation in Regard to the Millennium Development
Goals
M1-1: Water and the MDGs
Credits
Concept and ecosan expertise: Johannes Heeb, Petter D. Jenssen, Ken
Gnanakan
Compiling of Information: Katharina Conradin
Layout: Katharina Conradin
Photo Credits: Mostly Johannes Heeb & Katharina Conradin,
otherwise as per credit.
Text Credits: As per source indication.
Financial support: Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC)

How to obtain the curriculum material

Free download of PDF tutorials: www.seecon.ch
www.ecosan.no
www.gtz.de/
Order full curriculum CD: johannes.heeb@seecon.ch
€ 50 (€ 10 Developing Countries) petter.jenssen@umb.no

Release: 1.0, March 2006, 1000 copies

Feedback: Feedback regarding improvements, errors,
experience of use etc. is welcome. Please notify the above
email-addresses.
Sources Copyright: Copyright of the individual sources lies with the
authors or producing organizations. Copying is allowed as
long as references are properly acknowledged.
seecon
42
K. Conradin
 Relevant websites for Millennium
Development Goals

 All information about UN Millennium Development Goals

(targets and indicators)
– http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/Default.aspx
 The latest Millennium Development Goals report 2012
– http://www.wssinfo.org/fileadmin/user_upload/resource
s/JMP-report-2012-en.pdf

43
 Relevant MDGs in sanitation context (1/2)

Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability

Target 10: Halve, by 2015, the
proportion of people without
sustainable access to safe drinking
water and basic sanitation
Target 11: By 2020, to have
achieved a significant improvement
in the lives of at least 100 million
slum dwellers
Indicator:
29. Proportion of population with sustainable access to
an improved water source and basic/improved
sanitation
Indicator:
30. Proportion of people with access to improved
sanitation
31. Proportion of people with access to secure tenure

The definition for “basic” or “improved sanitation” will be discussed later in this Part C
Source: http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/Host.aspx?Content=Indicators/OfficialList.htm
44
 Relevant MDGs in sanitation context (2/2)

Goal 4: Reduce child mortality

Target 5: Reduce by two- Indicators:
thirds, between 1990 13. Under-five mortality rate
and 2015, the under-five 14. Infant mortality rate
mortality rate
15. Proportion of 1 year-old children immunised against measles

Source:
http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/Host.aspx?Content=Indicators
/OfficialList.htm

Why is child mortality relevant in the sanitation

context? The link will be explained in the
following slides.

Source: http://childinfo.org/areas/childmortality
45
 Course 1 Unit 1

Millennium Development Goals, “quick

wins” and ecosan
Description Quick Win Solutiona Ecosan contribution

Goal 1: Eradicate Affordable fertilisers Sanitised human excreta to be

extreme poverty and Training in health & farming reused as fertiliser and soil
hunger conditioner

Goal 4: Reduce child N/A Better nutrition, less pollution of

mortality drinking water sources

Goal 7: Ensure Access to sanitation for Improved sanitation; fertiliser;

environmental schools biogas; improved living
sustainability Provide soil nutrients conditions of slum dwellers

a Definition of “quick win solution”: see www.unmillenniumproject.org

Source: von Münch et al. (2006)

46
 Why are water and sanitation so crucial?
 2.1 million children die every year from diarrhoea
 1 child every second (Source: (10))
 5.6 billion productive days are lost annually
around the world due to diarrhoeal diseases (10)
 443 million school days are lost annually
worldwide due to diarrhoeal diseases (11)
 More than half the hospital beds in the world are
filled with people suffering from water-related
diseases (11)

(see slide at end of Part C for full references)

47
K. Conradin
 Course 1 Unit 1

Some medical facts about diarrhoea

 Diarrhea or diarrhoea is a condition in which the sufferer
has frequent watery, loose bowel movements (from the
ancient Greek word διαρροή = leakage; lit. "to run
through").
 Diarrhea is most commonly caused by viral infections or
bacterial toxins. In sanitary living conditions and with
ample food and water available, an otherwise healthy
patient typically recovers from the common viral infections
in a few days and at most a week. However, for ill or
malnourished individuals diarrhea can lead to severe
dehydration and can become life-threatening without
treatment.
 It can also be a symptom of more serious diseases, such
as dysentery, cholera, or botulism and can also be
indicative of a chronic syndrome such as Crohn’s disease.

Source: www.wikipedia.org 48
 Poor sanitation and related health
problems

Leading to morbidity (diseases) and mortality (death): Measured with the DALY
(disability-adjusted life years, a measure for the overall "burden of disease”).
This will be discussed further in Course 3 “Reuse of ecosan products in agriculture”)
49
 Course 1 Unit 1

Example for worm infections: Intestinal worms

 People become infected with intestinal parasitic worms

(also know as helminths) through contact with soil that has
been contaminated with human faeces from an infected
person, or by eating contaminated food (UNICEF, 2007).
 Infect about 10 % of the population in the developing
world and, depending upon the severity of the infection:
o Lead to malnutrition, anaemia or retarded growth and even death.
o Children are particularly susceptible & typically have the largest
number of worms.
o About 400 million school-age children are infected by roundworm,
whipworm and/or hookworm. In fact, roundworm and whipworm
alone are estimated to affect one-quarter of the world’s population.

Source: UNICEF (2007). Common Water and Sanitation-related Diseases. Water, Environmental and Sanitation.
http://www.unicef.org/wes/index_wes_related.html (Accessed 17 May, 2007).

50
Intestinal parasitic worms (helminths): a major world-
wide problem

51
 Transmission of diseases
(the “F-Diagram”)
Barrier
example:
handwashing
fingers

flies
Barrier
faeces example:
food
UDD toilet mouth
fields
Barrier
example:
boiling water
fluids (surface water)
We can break transmission routes relatively easily (multiple barrier 52
approach)
 Causes of Under-Five child mortality

ARI = Common cold; a

viral infectious disease
of the upper respiratory
system

Neonatal: in first
27 days of life

Source: http://childinfo.org/areas/childmortality

An ecosan approach could have a direct impact on reduced diarrhoeal diseases (by
improved sanitation) and reduced malnutrition (by use of ecosan products as fertiliser)53
 Under 5 child mortality versus sanitation coverage for
developing countries (each symbol is one country)
Red diamonds: Sub-
Children under five mortality rate

Sierra Leone
Saharan countries
per 1,000 live births

Improved sanitation coverage (%) 54

Where is your country in this diagram? Source: (3), p. 37
 Course 1 Unit 1

Observations from the graph on previous slide

 There is a significant amount of scatter in the data

(because many factors play a role in determining the U5
child mortality rate)
 Sub-Saharan countries have particularly high U5 child
mortality rates and low sanitation coverage
 Countries where the governments have ensured a high
sanitation coverage, usually also have a low U5 child
mortality rate
 This graph can be a good visual aid to bring home the
point on the importance of improved sanitation coverage
(use it to “sell sanitation”)

55
Region Country Sanitation coverage U5 child mortality / 1000 Comment
Rural Urban Total from from Assumed ratio of rural to total
students www.childinf population: 3/5 (highlighted in
o.org red)
Sub- Guinea 18 101 155
Saharan
Ethiopia 22 ? 166
Africa
Zambia 25 30 27 200 182 Total value calculated
Togo 15 71 35 139 140
Sierra Leone 30 53 39 283 283 Total value calculated
Rwanda 42 183 203 U5CM increasing instead of
decreasing
Nigeria 36 53 44 210 197
Cameroon 43 58 49 100 149 Total value calculated
Asia and Timor-Leste 13 55 30 83 80 Total value calculated
Latin
Bangladesh 39 73 77
America
Indonesia 40 38 38
Peru 32 74 63 27 29
Philippines 59 80 72 34 34 sanitation data questionable
Brazil 37 83 75 33 34
Myanmar 77 106 106 77% questionable
Bhutan 89.2 61.5 80
Thailand 99 98 99 21 21 Total value calculated
Industriali Germany, Spain 100 5 5
sed
Netherlands 100 6 6
countries
Bulgaria 100 15 15 In reality < 100% !
Italy 100 4 5
USA 100 8 8
56
 Course 1 Unit 1

Effectiveness of hardware and hygiene

interventions in reducing diarrhoea morbidity

57
 Course 1 Unit 1

Latest report on MDG targets on drinking

water and sanitation
 WHO/UNICEF (2006) Meeting the MDG Drinking Water
and Sanitation Target – The Urban and Rural Challenge
of the Decade. WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring
Programme (JMP) for Water Supply and Sanitation.
Available:
http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/monitoring/jmp
2006/en/index.html
 Statements from this report (page 26):
 “The JMP is the United Nation’s mechanism for monitoring MDG 7,
target 10. Achieving this target is critical for sustainable
development and the eradication of poverty and hunger.”
 “Monitoring access to drinking water and sanitation is indispensable
for promoting the prioritisation of the water supply and sanitation
needs of the world’s most vulnerable and marginalised people.”

58
 Clarification of definitions of MDG indicators

 The proportion of the population with access to basic

sanitation is an indicator expressed as the percentage of
people using improved sanitation facilities.
– Improved sanitation facilities are more likely to prevent
human contact with human excreta than unimproved
facilities (see examples on next slide)
 Access to adequate sanitation is measured by the
percentage of population using improved sanitation
facilities that are not publicly shared

59
 Important MDG terminology definitions (WHO/UNICEF, 2006, page 4)
These definitions are controversial – see next 2 slides
Unimproved drinking water sources Unimproved sanitation facilities

1. Unprotected dug well 1. Flush or pour flush to street, yard, plot,

2. Unprotected spring open sewer, ditch, drainage way
3. Cart with small tank/drum 2. Pit latrine without slab or open pit
4. Bottled water 3. Bucket
5. Tanker truck
4. Hanging toilet/latrine
6. Surface water (river, dam, lake, pond, stream,
canal, irrigation channel) 5. No facilities or bush or field
Improved drinking water sources Improved sanitation facilities

1. Piped water into dwelling, plot or yard 1. Flush or pour flush system to piped
2. Public tap/standpipe sewer system, septic tank, pit latrine
3. Tubewell/borehole 2. Ventilated improved pit latrine
4. Protected dug well 3. Pit latrine with slab
5. Protected spring
4. Composting toilet (UDD toilet as well)
6. Rainwater collection

60
 There are many difficulties with measuring
access to “improved sanitation” (1/2)
 Different countries use different criteria for measuring
access to improved sanitation
 Toilets might be existing (and counted) but not being
used, not used correctly or not maintained properly
 Public toilets are not counted but could be an adequate
solution for slum areas
 Greywater management is generally not included in the
analysis

61
• No link is made to the overal Goal 7 on environmental
sustainability
– Improved sanitation could still be unsustainable and
cause pollution, e.g.:
• septic tanks and pit latrines without proper faecal
sludge management
• sewer system without wastewater treatment plant or
with poorly performing WWTP
• Perhaps it would be better to count access to sustainable
sanitation?

62
Example of unimproved sanitation facilities:
Informal “public toilet” at market in
Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina Faso
(open defecation into drainage ditch) – Oct
2006
Note fruit vendors nearby and remember
the F-Diagram (slide 38)

63
 Course 1 Unit 1

Another definition for basic sanitation

Basic sanitation is defined as the lowest-cost option for
securing sustainable access to safe, hygienic and
convenient facilities and services for excreta and sullage
disposal that provide privacy and dignity while ensuring a
clean and healthful living environment both at home and in
the neighbourhood of users. (WHO/UNICEF (2006), page
22)

Note that the definitions on the earlier slides had not even
mentioned greywater.

(Sullage = greywater = water from kitchen, laundry, showers, bath, etc. –

excluding toilet wastewater)

64
 Some global figures on access to
improved sanitation

 In 2004, only 59% of the world population had access to

an improved sanitation facility.
 4 out of 10 people around the world have no access to
improved sanitation. They have to defecate in the open or
use unsanitary facilities, with a serious risk of exposure to
sanitation-related diseases

Source: WHO/UNICEF (2006)

65
 Sanitation Coverage: Access to improved sanitation
facilities in 2002

91 – 100 % 26-50%

76 – 90 %
51 – 75 %
26 – 50 %
0 – 25 % 66
Source: (8)
Missing Data
 Course 1 Unit 1
Sanitation Targets progress by region
2007: the current
year
Population with access to improved

Targets of each
sanitation (%)

region

Note: Africa is going backwards with

respect to sanitation access in %

67
Note: Data should be collected to be able to update this graph for the current year
Source: (10)
 Hotspot sub-Saharan Africa: Factors
influencing state of sanitation
 People who are displaced, by wars, political unrest, racial
conflict, droughts, famines, etc flee and live in temporary
shelters or reception camps where sanitation is virtually
non-existent.
 Non-Democratic Rules: Instable political conditions do not
contribute to the improvement of sanitation, since
dictatorships or dictator-like rulers mostly prioritise other
factors.
 Insecure housing conditions: Generally, people with
insecure or illegal housing conditions (such as in slums)
are not willing to invest in real property such as sanitation.
 Population growth and HIV/AIDS also play a role
 What do you think? Source: Adapted from (10)
68
 Attainment of the MDGs: Water &
Sanitation Targets
(See my comments
about this map on next
slide)

69
Map showing the relative size of the MDG sanitation target for each country based on the
number of installations required through to 2015 (Source: (3)).
 Attainment of the MDGs (observations
from previous slide)

 In terms of absolute numbers, China and India have the

biggest short-fall
 In terms of least progress in recent years, sub-Saharan
Africa poses the biggest challenge (also compounded by
population growth and HIV/AIDS)
 The target on water supply is more likely to be met than
the target on sanitation
 Note: The Year 2008 was declared as UN year of
sanitation to emphasise problems with sanitation world-
wide

70
 Attainment of the MDGs (halve number without access):
Influence of population growth
Have-Nots

MDG Target

Haves

The target population size in the developing countries:

 1.75 billion for the MDG on sanitation
 1.23 billion for the MDG on domestic water (Source: (3)) 71
 Course 1 Unit 1

Attaining the MDGs: The importance of

sustainable solutions
The intrinsic connection between water and all other
development goals must be recognised and realised. If we
do not understand this connection and continue to
address each issue separately, no sustainable progress
will happen, and any improvement in the living conditions
of some will result in a deterioration of the living condition
of others.

So what can ecosan do for the MDGs?

Ecosan is (by definition) more sustainable in all
aspects
Ecosan will be much less costly than conventional
sewer-based solutions - suddenly putting access to
improved sanitation within reach of cash-strapped
municipalities!

K. Conradin 72
 Sanitation can impact on many of the
MDG targets (1/2)
MDG Goal Positive impact from sustainable
sanitation
1 Eradicate extreme Increased income from fewer sick days,
poverty and hunger less money spent on medication; improved
yields from more fertile soils
2 Achieve universal Better school attendance: fewer sick days,
primary education less malnutrition – better ability to learn
3 Promote gender equality In-house sanitation offers higher level of
and empower women security for women; more school
attendance by teenage girls
4 Reduce child mortality Improved nutrition; less diarrhea diseases
and intestinal worms

73
 Sanitation can impact on many of the
MDG targets (2/2)
MDG Goal
5 Improve maternal health
6 Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria
and other diseases
7 Ensure environmental
sustainability
8 Develop a Global Partnership
for Development
Positive impact from sustainable
sanitation
Improved nutrition, less diarrhoea
diseases
Reduction in enteric diseases
Reduction of downstream pollution,
recycling of nutrients, less water use;
more people connected; slum
dwellers’ lives improved
74
 Course 1 Unit 1

References for Part C

(from the SEECON presentation)

(3) SEI Stockholm Environment Institute (2005): Sustainable Pathways to attain the Millennium
Development Goals. Assessing the Key Role of Water, Energy and Sanitation. With contribution
from the Stockholm International Water Institute. Stockholm, 2005.
http://www.ecosanres.org/pdf_files/MDGRep/SustMDG31Auglowres.pdf
(5) www.unmillenniumproject.org/goals/goals02.htm (accessed 14.09.2005)
(6) UN Statistics Division: http://millenniumindicators.un.or (accessed 19.09.2005)
(8) WHO & UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation:
http://www.wssinfo.org/en/welcome.html (accessed 19.09.2005)
(9) United Nation Statistics Division: Millennium Indicators:
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mi/pdf/MDG%20Chart%20Sept.pdf (accessed 19.09.2005)
(10) Water Aid Summary of Key Statistics:
http://www.wateraid.org/in_depth/in_depth_publications/getting_to_boiling_point/6230.asp
(11) UN Millennium Project Task Force on Water and Sanitation, Final Report, Abridged Edition.
Health, Dignity, and Development: What Will It Take?
http://www.siwi.org/downloads/Reports/Final_TF7-What_Will_It_Take.pdf (accessed 20.09.2005)
(18) UNESCO/World Water Assessment Programme WWAP (2003): Water for People, Water for Life.
The United Nations World Water Development Report. WHO: Global Water Supply and Sanitation
Assessment 2000 Report.

75
 Course 1 Unit 1

References for this presentation

• Garcia-Fresca, B. (2007) Urban-enhanced groundwater recharge: review and case study of
Austin, Texas, USA. In: Urban groundwater - meeting the challange (selected papers from
the 32nd International Geological Congress, Florence, Italy, August 2004), K. W. F. Howard,
ed., Taylor & Francis Group, London, 30 - 40.
• Kvarnström, E. and af Petersens, E. (2004) Open Planning of Sanitation Systems.
Stockholm Environment Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. Available: www.ecosanres.org *
• Tchobanoglous, G., Burton, F.L., Stensel, H.D. (2003) Wastewater Engineering, Treatment
and Reuse, Metcalf & Eddy, Inc., McGraw-Hill, 4th edition. Good book on conventional
wastewater treatment (in IHE library)
• von Münch, E., Amy, G., and Fesselet, J.-F. (2006) The potential of ecosan to provide
sustainable sanitation in emergency situations and to achieve quick wins in MDGs. Water
Practice and Technology (selected proceedings of the Beijing Biennial IWA Congress), 1
(2). Available: http://www.iwaponline.com/wpt/001/0037/0010037.pdf *
• WHO/UNICEF (2006) Meeting the MDG Drinking Water and Sanitation Target – The Urban
and Rural Challenge of the Decade. WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for
Water Supply and Sanitation. Available:
http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/monitoring/jmp2006/en/index.html *
• Wolf, L., Morris, B., and Burn, S. (2006) AISUWRS: Urban Water Resources Toolbox, IWA
Publishing, London, UK.

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