Low Cost Systems for the Management of Sludge from Toilets and Shower Units: Current Techniques and Improved Options in Ambositra and Mahanoro (Madagascar)

In the context where proper excreta disposal is not available, efforts to build and use latrines only delay the impact of open defecation instead of eliminating it. This applies to public toilet and shower units found in neighborhoods where households cannot build their own facilities or to congested areas such as marketplaces and bus stations. These facilities generate significant amounts of sludge, which presents a very complex management issue.

 

At the behest of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) funded WASHplus project, PRACTICA assessed the current situation and suggested appropriate options for the management of sludge from three toilet and shower units. These units were rehabilitated in July 2010 by the USAID Hygiene Improvement Project (HIP) in two regional sites, Ambositra and Mahanoro.