Excreta Disposal in Emergencies Session 8 Operation & Maintenance

1. Excreta Disposalin EmergenciesSession 8Operation & Maintenance

2. North Sudan, Medair Operation & maintenance • What does O&M cover?

3. Cleanliness Hygiene promotion Participation and ownership Supervision Hand washing Menstrual hygiene Fly control Anal cleansing material Access & lighting Fill rate & life span Desludging. Operation & maintenance

4. Latrine Attendants Kalma Camp Darfur example • Over 60,000 people • 95 attendants • 3 attendants per block, working 3 shifts a day • Clean area and slabs • Provide water for handwashing • Light lamps for ease of access at night Photos: Kalma Camp, Darfur: Alun McDonald, Oxfam.

5. Latrine allocation • Try to implement / allocate latrines for groups of related families or at least allocate to specific families – e.g. Afghanistan: • Latrines were allocated on a case by case basis to groupings of related families • Exact site of the pit was decided together with the users • Due to the families being related, men/women were able to share the same pit Non-allocated communal latrines that are randomly spaced within a camp will have ownership problems and therefore cleaning / hygiene problems

6. Latrine cleaning Why is this important? How will it be organised? • Family • Communal

7. Latrine sizing • Don’t forget to plan ahead • Latrines become full sooner or later, and you should have a plan in place to re-dig new pits, or to get families to take the responsibility from the outset • To plan ahead, you need to know how long a latrine will last for....

8. Pit size example Volume = (N x S x D) + 0.5A Pit volume Leave top 0.5 metre…so 1 x 2.5 = 2.5 m3 useable pit volume Volume = N x S x D 2.5 = 50 x 90 x D 1000 D = 2.5/(50 x 0.09) = 0.55 years • Volume = (N x S x D) + 0.5A • 1000 • N = Number of users • S = Sludge accumulation (l / person / year) • D = Design life (year) • A = Pit base area (m2) • Note: 0.5A is your allowance of 0.5m unused at the top of the pit.

9. Sludge Disposal A full pit latrine can be: • Covered with soil, and re-dug elsewhere • Emptied manually (to be avoided if possible) e.g. Katale refugee camp, Goma. • Desludged with a vacuum tanker e.g. Mozambique floods, 2000.

10. Hygiene Promotion: Action & Dialogue HP Enables people to take action to prevent or mitigate water, sanitation, and hygiene related diseases. • Consult with affected men, women, and children on design of facilities, hygiene kits, and outreach system • Establish a voluntary system of cleaning and maintenance, or train latrine attendants • Identify, organise, and train water and sanitation committees • Monitor acceptability of facilities and health impact • Promote key hygiene messages such as hand washing

11. Other O&M Issues: Anal cleansing • Culturally appropriate cleansing material (wet or dry) • What’s available locally • Hygiene promotion messages (e.g not putting plastic bottles down latrine)

12. Menstrual Hygiene Women need space to wash privately and cleanse/dry menstrual cloths • Washing area • Soap provision • Water drainage • Drying lines Screened toilet and bathing unit, Pakistan, 2005. From Oxfam, 2005.

13. Other O&M Issues: Fly control Flies and other insect vectors spread pathogens from faeces • Physical barriers needed between flies and faeces – keep the lid on! • Faeces to be covered with soil, ash or other barrier (or spray with diesel) • Paint latrine walls (lime & salt) to discourage larvae growth • Keep the latrine dark inside • Use fly traps and screens

14. Other O&M Issues: Handwashing • Where there is no tap • Use of soap • Location • Promotion messages From Harvey, P., Ed., (2006), EDIE manual. WEDC.