- Plan safe and dignified latrines.
- Manage faecal sludge and waste.
- Prevent risks related to drainage and vectors.
1Latrines: the benchmarks
- In the acute phase: communal latrines with a maximum of 50 people per latrine, then aim for 20 people per latrine or family latrines as soon as possible.
- Less than 50 metres from dwellings, but at least 30 metres from any groundwater source, with the bottom of the pit at least 1.5 metres above the water table.
- Separate for men and women, with a lock on the inside, lighting at night and access for people with disabilities and children.
- A handwashing point with soap and water nearby, and solutions for menstrual hygiene management.
Women and girls must be consulted on location and design: badly placed latrines will not be used and expose people to violence.
2Faecal sludge and solid waste
- Plan from the outset for pit emptying (safe manual or mechanical), transport and treatment of sludge; a full pit with no solution becomes a health risk again.
- Solid waste: regular collection, drop-off points, refuse pits or controlled landfill; sorting where possible.
- Medical waste: a separate stream (segregation, sharps in safety boxes, incineration or appropriate burial).
- Protective equipment and vaccination (hepatitis B, tetanus) for sanitation workers.
3Drainage and vector control
Stagnant water around water points and shelters encourages mosquitoes (malaria, dengue) and disease. Provide drainage aprons around taps and showers, soakaway pits, and maintenance of channels.
Vector control combines environmental measures (drainage, waste), personal protection (insecticide-treated nets) and sometimes targeted treatments, in coordination with health.
Unused latrines
Displacement camp, two months after opening
You supervise sanitation. 160 latrines have been built, but many remain unused, especially by women.
The latrines are grouped at the edge of the camp, with no lighting and with doors that do not close. Open defecation continues and the first pits are almost full.
Decision 1 of 3How do you understand the problem?
Decision 2 of 3What corrections do you make?
Decision 3 of 3The pits are almost full. What do you plan?
Key takeaways
A latrine is only useful if it is used: consultation, safety and dignity, and a desludging chain planned in time.
Exercise: a sanitation plan for a camp
For the camp of 12,000 people from day 1, calculate the number of latrines in the acute phase and in the medium term, propose how they are allocated (men, women, people with disabilities) and the emptying solution. List three questions to ask women in the camp before construction.
Key points
- A maximum of 50 people per latrine in the acute phase, then 20 or family latrines.
- Latrines at least 30 m from groundwater sources and less than 50 m from shelters.
- Safe and dignified: separate, lockable, lit, accessible, with handwashing.
- Plan sludge emptying and treatment from the start.
Further reading: course references
- Sphere Association (2018). The Sphere Handbook: Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response. spherestandards.org/fr/manuel-2018
- WHO (2022). Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality (4th edition). www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240045064
- Eawag / GWC (2018). Compendium of Sanitation Technologies in Emergencies. www.eawag.ch
- Global WASH Cluster (UNICEF) (2024). Global WASH Cluster resources. washcluster.net
Daily quiz
3 questions to check what you have learned. Answer them all to complete the day.