3.4 Technology Identification and Selection

During the acute phase the priority is the installation of latrines (user interface and on-site storage) that are safe for the users and prevent public health risks from faecal waste (see also How to Design and Implement Appropriate and Sustainable Toilets?). During this phase consider socio-cultural preferences, geophysical factors such as the risk of flooding, the availability of funds and materials and how fast a solution is required. Both SaniTweaks (Oxfam 2022) and Excreta Disposal in Emergencies (Harvey 2007) provide simple checklists to answer these questions. The Initial Assessment must ensure that the information is collected along with the specific needs of the targeted communities. For instance, for vulnerable groups, simple add-ons like lighting or handrails at the stairs can make a big difference. How to Design and Implement Appropriate and Sustainable Toilets/Latrines also provides additional guidance.

The focus of the stabilisation phase is to move from communal to shared latrines and then to household latrines to provide a solution for the management of excreta and faecal sludge. Aspects to consider in this phase include whether the infrastructure could be upgraded and the availability of service providers, trucks and equipment and whether the environment has access and space for on-site treatment or removal. See also the following pages for more details: How to Select Appropriate Emptying and Transport Technologies? and How to Select Appropriate Treatment Technologies?, It is advisable to consider design options for the superstructure and the slab (user interface) and the pit (on-site storage) separately and to use locally available materials for each component where possible. Decisions about whether to integrate bathing units are taken in this phase and about how to deal with greywater in general. If desludging is needed, treatment focuses on safe containment and pathogen removal. In places where a system already exists but is damaged, the focus is on providing temporary emergency solutions while trying to rehabilitate the existing one. Often when the stabilisation phase is reached, there is hardly any budget remaining. Hence the best that can be achieved is simple pit latrines with household participation. However, using the table above to plan for sanitation infrastructure along the entire sanitation value chain from the beginning can support additional fund-raising or handover to other providers.

In the recovery phase, the objective the aim is to establish a longer-term sanitation service with appropriate technologies along the entire service chain (including treatment and safe disposal or reuse) that can be operated and maintained either directly by the community or by public institutions or private service providers (see also Exit Strategy). In this phase, the focus is on the selection of appropriate Emptying and Transport, Treatmentand Safe Disposal or Use Technologies considering the Quantities of Faecal Sludge or compost/ pit humus. The technology for treatment will depend on the latrines and collection services already in place. Establish Standards and look for synergies with the existing infrastructure and avoid creating inequalities with the host population. On-site facilities may need to be upgraded, safe treatment and disposal facilities put in place and Management Plans and Financial Plans developed according to the locally available budget, skills and capacities. Greywater and Solid Waste Management should also be considered to avoid the dilution of faecal matter with greywater and to ensure that solid waste does not end up in pits or clog drains. In some circumstances, reuse might be an option if demand exists.