<div class="title-block" style="border-bottom-color: #8a85bf"><h1><img class="title-image" src="https://www.heart-resources.org/wp-content/themes/heart/images/water.svg">Faecal Sludge Management</h1><div class="post-type-description"></div></div> – HEART https://www.heart-resources.org High-quality technical assistance for results Fri, 28 Jun 2019 10:36:18 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.6.10 Humanitarian interventions in Ethiopia responding to acute watery diarrhoea https://www.heart-resources.org/2018/02/humanitarian-interventions-in-ethiopia-responding-to-acute-watery-diarrhoea/ Thu, 22 Feb 2018 11:44:58 +0000 http://www.heart-resources.org/?p=31080 Read more]]> This rapid review has found that there are many gaps in the evidence on humanitarian responses to acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) in Ethiopia, specifically in terms of necessary cross district and/or cross border co-ordination, as well as the human and financial resources needed for such aid (Fisseha, 2016; Oxfam GB, 2017; UNICEF, 2017a; OCHA Somalia, 2018). This is important in multi-sectorial aid programmes – which the majority of humanitarian responses are reported to be.

Infections such as AWD are public health concerns, especially in emergency settings where they can be spread quickly unless an outbreak is halted. Hence the need for rapid and accurate reporting of cases. The US Department of State Humanitarian Information Unit (HIU, 2017) reported 43,015 AWD/cholera cases in the Horn of Africa. The electronic Disease Early Warning Surveillance (eDEWS) system, supported by WHO, allows suspected cholera and AWD cases to be reported (OCHA Yemen, 2018). Government reports state that Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) clusters also strengthen community-based AWD surveillance to detect new cases for timely response (Government of Ethiopia/OCHA, 2017).

However, it is not always stated who reports AWD cases: according to the WHO, rumours of
AWD/cholera outbreaks in certain areas can also be helpful to responses in disease situations (WHO Ethiopia, 2017a). The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) report that their Communications for Development (C4D) interventions focus on preventing the resurgence of AWD and integrate nutrition related messages in sites for internally displaced people (IDP) (UNICEF, 2017a).

Examples of interventions from neighbouring countries show that community-centred campaigns are also successful in stopping AWD outbreaks, e.g. in Bangladesh (UNICEF, 2017b). Since July 2016, volunteers from UNICEF and the Ethiopian Red Cross Society have been conducting mass public awareness campaigns using audio trucks deployed in each of the 10 sub-cities of Addis Ababa (Kiros, 2016). Response Plans focussing on both prevention and treatment (UNICEF, 2017b), such as the World Health Organisation Ethiopia (2017a) ‘1-to-5 network’, successfully advise families and individuals on how to protect themselves and seek treatment. Such Plans are implemented by woreda (district) and zonal administrators, and organised into seven pillars, namely: coordination team; surveillance; case management; social mobilisation; regulatory; logistics, and WASH interventions (Fisseha, 2016).

]]> Situation Analysis of the Urban Sanitation Sector in Ghana https://www.heart-resources.org/doc_lib/situation-analysis-urban-sanitation-sector-ghana/ Mon, 18 Sep 2017 10:53:53 +0000 http://www.heart-resources.org/?post_type=doc_lib&p=30021 Read more]]> This report, part of WSUP’s Urban Sanitation Research Initiative, explores the background to the urban sanitation sector in Ghana. Ghana is a fast-growing economy that has made notable progress in reducing poverty but urban infrastructure has not kept pace with cities’ expansion and high levels of rural-urban migration. Only a fraction of urban residents use improved sanitation facilities as per the Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) definition, but transport and treatment services are developing.

Furthermore, well-developed legal, policy, and strategy frameworks exist but need to be fully implemented. It’s important to note that sanitation has not been a public funding priority and households bear the bulk of the costs. To conclude, from lack of prioritisation to insufficient demand and limited supply, barriers to developing pro-poor sanitation services remain significant.

]]> Situation Analysis of the Urban Sanitation Sector in Bangladesh https://www.heart-resources.org/doc_lib/situation-analysis-urban-sanitation-sector-bangladesh/ Mon, 18 Sep 2017 10:53:25 +0000 http://www.heart-resources.org/?post_type=doc_lib&p=30023 Read more]]> This report, an output of WSUP’s Urban Sanitation Research Initiative, explores the background to the urban sanitation sector in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is a lower middle-income country with high ambitions, but poor infrastructure in urban areas is holding back economic growth. However, onsite sanitation is the norm; transport and treatment services for sewage and faecal sludge are under-developed. The legal framework for sanitation is fragmented, but recent progress has been made in developing a draft regulatory framework for faecal sludge management (FSM).

In addition, there is significant overlap in institutional responsibilities, contributing to the limited supply of FSM services. Funding has focused on rural sanitation, and sewerage services to urban areas. Rapid urbanisation, low decentralisation, lack of demand for and supply of FSM services and lack of investment are all major barriers to pro-poor urban sanitation. To conclude, despite challenges, the sector has an opportunity to bring about change.

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