Sanitation Quality Standards for Emergencies

The Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) Technical Working Group (TWiG) of the Global WASH Cluster has taken the initiative to create new sanitation quality standards for emergencies in addition to the sphere standards because:

1. The currently available standards do not explain under which conditions an onsite solution is a safe sanitation system, and under which conditions a sanitation service chain is required i.e. the desludging, transport and off-site treatment of faecal sludge.
2. The currently available standards do not focus sufficiently on standards for the full sanitation service chain (in those cases where the full sanitation service chain is required). Especially the safety of sanitation workers is not sufficiently addressed. The only effluent standards mentioned are national standards, while many countries do not have standards. Finally, the distinction between the emergency and subsequent phases is not well defined.
   

The standards have been developed by the FSM TWiG for WASH practitioners addressing sanitation needs during emergencies. The improvement of these sanitation in emergencies standards is a continuous process.