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The sanitation needs of 2.7 billion people worldwide are served by onsite sanitation technologies, and that number is expected to grow to 5 billion by 2030 (Boston Consulting Group 2013). It is a common perception that onsite technologies fulfill sanitation needs for rural areas, but in reality, around 1 billion existing installations worldwide are in urban areas (Boston Consulting Group 2012). In many cities on-site technologies have much wider coverage than sewer systems. For example, in Sub-Saharan Africa, 65-100% of sanitation access in urban areas is provided through onsite technologies (Strauss et aI. 2000). Despite the fact that sanitation needs are met through onsite technologies for a vast number of people in urban areas of low- and middle-income countries, there is typically no management system in place for the resulting accumulation of faecal sludge. It is evident that the management of faecal sludge is a critical need that needs to be filled, and that it will continue to play an essential role in the management of global sanitation into the future.

Until recently, the management of faecal sludge from these onsite technologies has been grossly neglected. Financial resources are often lacking, and onsite sanitation systems tend to be regarded as temporary solutions until sewer-based systems can be implemented. However, the reality is that onsite sanitation is here to stay, either as an intermediate or permanent standalone solution, or in combination with sewer based systems. FSM can be more sustainable and affordable then sewer-based systems, and hence provide more accessible sanitation solutions (Dodane et al 2012). The appropriate and adequate management of faecal sludge deriving from onsite technologies is imperative for the protection of human and environmental health.

The WaterWiki invites your contributions on this vital topic.

We are looking for articles, case studies, reports and poster presentations between 1000 and 2000 words and covering the following aspects of Sludge Management:

• Technological advances in FSM collection and transport (including characterization and quantification of sludge)
• Desludging and logistics of FSM (including transport of FS, transfer stations, reducing transport time/costs)
• Financially viable treatment and beneficial enduse of treatment products (including co-management with wastewater sludge / municipal solid waste, end- use, market demand, health issues and environmental impact)
• Operations and management options (including franchising, private sector, commercially viability and FSM as a business)

Key Words: faecal sludge, management, sanitation, service chain, wastewater, developing country, low-income country, resource recovery, treatment

How to Submit:
Click here to upload your article, report or case study. When you have uploaded your material to this area, tag with the 'Hot Topic' article tag.
Reminder: You need to create a WaterWiki user account, then login to upload you materials!
Click here to upload your poster presentation to Events Extra, including 'Hot Topic_FSM' in the event name.

The deadline for submissions to this Hot Topic is Friday 28th February 2014

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Note by moderators: This post was made by a former user with the login name CParkerWaterWiki who is no longer a member of this discussion forum.