A message from the Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC) at Loughborough University, UK

'Sanitation in Humanitarian Settings' by Bob Reed (formerly of WEDC) is a comprehensive guide to all the elements in the provision of emergency sanitation facilities in the early stages of an emergency. It covers the management of human wastes from the point when a person decides they need to visit a toilet through to collecting the wastes, transporting and treating them, and to their ultimate safe disposal. It is designed to be a practical guide, containing over 130 illustrations, 50 tables and 20 design examples to help readers visualise the issues faced and ways of putting solutions into practice.

The book is primarily aimed at junior engineers and technicians with little or no experience of dealing with an emergency response but will also be of value to emergency team leaders, policy and strategy managers, teachers and researchers interested in emergency sanitation.

If you would like to know more about the book or purchase a copy; see  here

Whilst for many, a technical book such as this isn't a light read, it is worth remembering that around 200 million people each year are affected in some way by natural and man-made disasters and all of them still need to use a toilet. When an emergency happens it is the technical staff working in the area who have to lead the response and in many cases it is something they may never have dealt with before. One of the aims of this book is to help those placed in such a position to meet the sanitation needs of the affected population by guiding them through the early stages of an emergency response.

The challenge is cost. Many of the technical staff most likely to benefit from this book live in communities that are unable to fund its purchase. However the publishers, in partnership with the country offices of their charitable arm, Practical Action, have agreed to distribute at no cost, copies of the book to those most likely to benefit.

To this end, Bob Reed has to raise funds to cover the cost of the books. If you would like to support him, you can donate through the weblink As a guide, the UK retail price of the book is 39.95, (59.95), (49.95) but any contribution would be of immense value and gratefully received.