Many sanitation projects have failed in the past because they focus primarily on the installation of hardware (e.g. toilets, treatment facilities, etc.) only. Key factors for achieving sustainability include both appropriate sanitation hardware but also suitable operation and maintenance,  for all steps in the sanitation chain, i.e. including the collection, transport, treatment and reuse and/or final disposal of the different sanitation products.

Operation and maintenance of sanitation systems has to be considered already in the planning stage including responsibilities, organisational set-up and financial provisions. Owners of the system need to be aware of the necessity and scope of operation and maintenance work. Extra in-depths training sessions might be needed e.g. for composting staff. Experience has shown that sanitation systems are only operated well if the owner has a benefit from the system (e.g. faecal compost, irrigation water, etc.). Treating wastewater only is not beneficial enough for owners to guarantee sustainable long-term operation of the system. Visits to implementation projects after the project ends, more likely result in successful projects and working systems. However, donors are very reluctant to fund such activities.

The main task of this working group is to discuss and disseminate relevant information related to best practice examples of operation and maintenance systems for sustainable long-term operation of sanitation systems. Basic information on operation and maintenance and best practice examples have been compiled in a factsheet.

Leads

The lead of this working group is Günter Langergraber and the co-lead is Elke Müllegger:   This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it BOKU Austria This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Ecosan Club Austria

 

How to join the working group?

Individuals who are not yet registered, but are interested in joining the thematic working group, are very welcome. Please register as a member and choose the respective working group(s) you wish to join: http://susana.org/index.php/lang-en/component/register/?view=member If you are already registered, but wish to join another or more working group(s), you can easily change the details by logging in here: http://www.susana.org/lang-en/your-details Why become a member of a working group? You can work with other experts on several issues to promote sustainable sanitation You will gain access to information on working group processes You can be active by hosting SuSanA meetings and/or by organising activities/events to promote sustainable sanitation You can take part in discussions within the working group by using the e-mail mailing list This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   Note that this e-mail list is moderated in order to avoid spam. You can join and take part in stimulating discussions on the SuSanA Discussion Forum in the WG 10 section