I've just dipped into the inaugural issue of Broken Toilets. brokentoilets.org/ Just two articles, both very thought-provoking. I have high hopes that this new magazine will fill a missing link between the civil society and public officials whose sanitation decision-making is off our screens. Given the reluctance of mainstream journalists to cover sanitation issues, experienced technical professionals functioning as citizen journalists can ease aside deep-seated toilet taboos and fill a long-empty gap.

In Good shit, good business? plain-speaking Réme Kaupp notes that in sludge management the "bottleneck is emptying and transport." He lists businesses in thie realm that have not caught on, quoting eawag:“Pilots never fail and never scale”.

Kaupp shows how toilets are "governance indicators" and political acts noting that "we seem to have forgotten that toilets are a dynamic political subject." He concludes:
"Our work needs to be ultimately targeted at the local authorities and the utility companies so that they take the same interest as we do in the challenging – and motivating – issue of on-site sanitation and sludge."

Avinash Krishnamurthy's piece Fecal Sludge, A Local Story uncovers the dynamics of decisions about technology of public health and informal solutions as social responses to real and popularly perceived problems.

A project visit in the company of public health colleagues demonstrated that "health risk barriers were socially and culturally built into existing systems." The author continues "Farmers had a sort of informal protocol for protecting their products when using wastewater for irrigation, including what crops could be irrigated with it and different ways to apply fertilizer. There was also a general consciousness that crops that didn’t directly touch the wastewater were safer, while root crops needed to be washed in fresh, clean water before being sent to the market. In fact, this town had become known a vegetable washing center for the region. Other farmers from around the area would bring their vegetables to be washed and packed before being sold. Farmers were also conscious about their personal hygiene habits: after a day’s work, especially when working with wastewater, they stressed the importance of a good bath."

The focus here is listening. For the genius of farmer experimentation. For grassroots experience. For authentic community needs. Krishnamurthy notes that "complete reliance on a technological solution does not appreciate the value of the informal systems that evolved organically and addressed many of the town’s needs."

Krishnamurthy concludes with this lament: "In my work, I’ve observed the common response of the professionalized development sector seems to instinctively mistrust the informal sector’s response to deal with problems – it becomes something to be regulated, something that’s unscientific."

Dear Susana members,

Broken Toilets magazine launched earlier this week with its first issue "Sludge". The magazine aims to present stories about development to people working in the sector but also to a wider audience.

Our aim is not to tell stories about failures but to present independent, human interest based reporting on development issues. We chose "sludge" as our first theme because my co-founder and I work in sanitation as practitioners and it was how we met! The magazine was started with a small private donation which we are using to create the first three issues and we will be launching a Kickstarter campaign later in the month to raise funding for the magazine. More information will be up on the site about that soon and you can read about the magazine here .

These are some of the stories you will see in the issue:

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Journalist Chhavi Sachdev takes us on the Indian Railways to tell us how they are attempting to manage the massive amounts of human waste left on their tracks. Small infrastructure advocate Avinash Krishnamurthy recounts lessons learned from listening and talking about public health with a town’s municipal officers. While questioning recent fads in sanitation, Rémi Kaupp wonders why we don’t seriously reconsider the responsibilities of local government. Photographer Karen Dias presents a portrait of manual scavengers employed by the city of Chennai, India.

Documentary photographer Peter DiCampo came to us with story a bit outside the Sludge theme, but we couldn't resist his personal narrative of failed aid in Ghana and his compelling photos of broken toilets. Needless to say, it's a perfect illustration of what we're trying to explore with this magazine.

You’ll also find a new post on our blog by Nicola Greene , whose piece follows a day in the life of a pit emptier in Malawi.

Throughout the month, we'll be publishing stories on our blog related to the sludge theme as well as articles that look broadly at the ways in which development and culture intersect. If you work or write about development and have an idea for a story, write to us!

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Our second issue will be out at the end of March and is on the theme of "Recovery". We hope you will enjoy reading our magazine and do get in touch if you would like to contribute.

Best,
Samyuktha

Hey Elisabeth,
Hope you are doing good.
"Broken Toilets" is a initiative from one of my colleague Samkuta Varama.
Broken Toilets is an online magazine that presents independently reported stories and features about global development and culture in a frank, critical, and engaging way. Broken Toilets examines areas such as humanitarian aid, conflict and emergencies, migration, social justice, political change, public health, infrastructure, finance, climate change, and the environment through stories that draw out the implications for people and communities.

They are interested in how change happens – change that results from initiatives executing global goals, organizations working through philanthropy and social enterprise, and the local practices of citizens, civil society and community groups. Broken Toilets content is driven by topic rather than by geography, rejecting outdated categories in order to cultivate a view that aims to be truly global.

Each month, the magazine publishes thematic issues presenting views from multiple contexts and contributors. Stories are told through a variety of genres, including short and long form journalism, multimedia, and cultural narrative. Our blog runs simultaneously engaging readers with additional curated as well as original content in the form of news stories, commentary, interviews, dispatches, videos, and images.

For more information about the magazine, you can contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Hi there,

Thanks for the compliments.
I am a bit confused though. This online magazine (which is going to be like a blog?) is looking for new and original stories, not for existing publications, right? Therefore, I don't think that looking through the SuSanA library will help? Rather perhaps building on or summarising some of the exciting discussion threads we've had here on the forum could work?

Overall, I am not too clear who will read the online magazine and how it's funded (if it's funded)?
I read a bit about your ideas here on your blog:
www.brokentoilets.org/blog

Your title "broken toilets" reminds me a bit of that "failures list" that SuSan Davis had put together (see here: forum.susana.org/forum/categories/183-mo...ow-also-on-wikipedia) and which we then incorporated into the Wikipedia article on WASH here:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WASH#Failures_of_sanitation_systems

Is your plan to focus on the "failures" and hence the word "broken" in your title?

Regards,
Elisabeth

Hello Mwaniki

I will explore the materials from the library. I know Dr.Elisabeth. I will also try to get in touch with her
regards
Sreevidya

Hi Sreevidya

My pleasure.

Incidentally you could visit the library for more material or simply search for ‘sludge’ on the SuSanA forum. Or alternatively you could get directions from Dr. Elisabeth von Muench at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. She is a very pleasant person to work with.

Kind regards / Mwaniki

Dear Mwanki

Thank you for sharing the paper.

Can you please send the paper to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for the editorial team to get back to you.

With best regards
Sreevidya

Hi Sreevidya,

Welcome to SuSanA!



We are pleased that you have joined the Forum. We look forward to reading your ‘Broken Toilets’ magazine and trust that all will benefit from your contributions!

As publishers of the “Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene”, we published early this year a paper by Dr. Barbra K. Senkwe (PhD) entitled ‘An Emerging Fecal Sludge Management System in a Post-Conflict Situation’ focusing on Juba, South Sudan.

We are delighted to share the paper with you and is enclosed in the attachment for your perusal.

Best regards / Mwaniki

Dear Imad Agi

Thank you for your wishes.May the festival of lights be the harbinger of joy and prosperity

Thank you for sharing the flyer .Please post your "loo story" This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. team will get back to you if they need any clarifications/details.

With best regards
Sreevidya

Dear Ms. Satish,

We at ECOLOO Group would like to wish you happy Diwali on this season of lights.

May this festival lead you to sustainable future through sustainable living.

We'd be happy to share stories with you, not about sludge, but about sludge free sanitation solution. Please read our flyer (link below) and if you are interested in our LOO Story please don't hesitate to contact us:

www.ecoloogroup.com/pdf/ECOLOO_Flyer.pdf

Thank you and take care!

Broken toilets,a new online magazine with independently reported stories about issues central to global development,local practices and ideas of progress is going to go online this November.

The first issue will be dedicated to Sludge.Pitch your stories about ;

Attitudes about sludge.- People's attitudes about poop are probably the biggest challenge to any successful business operation to convert it into something reusable (fertilizer, fuel, etc). However, practices that involve turning human waste into something useful have been around for ages and continue today. Show us examples of where attitudes have changed? What made it happen?

Infrastructure. What’s the view on sludge in countries that have sewerage and treatment infrastructure? We’ve heard examples of ways to profitably reuse it. It doesn’t sound any easier to make sustainable on the whole, but we’d like to see more attempts. Please. Successful or not. Has anyone figured out something better than throwing our sludge into the ocean?

The people in the process. There’s stigma cast on almost everyone that works in human waste sanitation—no matter where in the world. But in many countries the stigma results in social exclusion and discrimination. We want to hear about rights, equity, working conditions, and the social psyche. Extra points are there for for personal narratives.

If you have interesting article to share,send your pitches to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Dear Susana members,

Broken Toilets magazine is looking for writers who can contribute independently reported stories for its very first issue 'Sludge'! Please visit www.brokentoilets.org for more information on the ' Call for Pitches '. We would also love contributions from Susana members for our blog and we are especially interested in writing that can give a true portrayal of what working in sanitation is actually like.

For more information write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Below is a brief description of the magazine:

"Broken Toilets is an online magazine that presents independently reported stories and features about global development and culture in a frank, critical, and engaging way. Broken Toilets examines areas such as humanitarian aid, conflict and emergencies, migration, social justice, political change, public health, infrastructure, finance, climate change, and the environment through stories that draw out the implications for people and communities.

We’re interested in how change happens – change that results from initiatives executing global goals, organizations working through philanthropy and social enterprise, and the local practices of citizens, civil society and community groups. Broken Toilets content is driven by topic rather than by geography, rejecting outdated categories in order to cultivate a view that aims to be truly global.

Each month, the magazine publishes thematic issues presenting views from multiple contexts and contributors. Stories are told through a variety of genres, including short and long form journalism, multimedia, and cultural narrative. Our blog runs simultaneously engaging readers with additional curated as well as original content in the form of news stories, commentary, interviews, dispatches, videos, and images."


Best wishes,
Samyuktha Varma
Founder, Editor

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.