Faecal Sludge Management (FSM)

[see end of article for list of acronyms and abbreviations] Though a vast majority of urban dwellers in developing countries will continue to depend on on-site sanitation installations and on pit emptying services, many stakeholders in urban sanitation still regard sewered sanitation as the standard and exclusive solution to the urban “shit drama”. Others promote and implement on-site sanitation programmes, yet forget to cater to an improved and sustainable collection, use or disposal of pit or vault contents. This leads to pitfalls or owngoals in urban sanitation upgrading. SANDEC has recently intensified its support and field research on the institutional and financial aspects of FSM. Technical research on treatment options of the contents (so-called faecal sludges, FS) of on-site sanitation installations also continued. SANDEC plans to increase its focus on building the capacity of selected institutions and professionals, and disseminating FSM knowledge in the years to come.