RT Report
T1 Faecal Sludge Management in Africa:  Socioeconomic Aspects and Human and Environmental Health Implications
A1 United Nations Environment Programme, 
A1 International Water Management Institute, 
K1 faecal sludge
K1 wastewater
K1 sanitation
K1 sanitation service
K1 waste treatment
K1 waste collection
K1 waste management
K1 environmental health
K1 health
K1 Africa
K1 West Africa
K1 East Africa
K1 socioeconomic aspects
SN 978-92-807-3811-7
YR 2020
FD 2020
LK https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/34350
UL https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/34350
NO This publication aims to explore how current trends in faecal sludge management are impacting human and environmental health in Africa (both sub-Saharan and Northern Africa). Faecal sludge comes from onsite sanitation technologies in the form of raw or partially digested slurry or semi-solid material. Its management involves storage, collection, transport, treatment and safe end use or disposal. Some factors that make it difficult to manage sustainably include population growth and urbanization, overreliance on financial aid for the construction of treatment plants, low revenue generation from users of treatment facilities, poor operation and maintenance, and inefficient institutional arrangements for faecal sludge management. Poor faecal sludge management poses major health, environmental and socioeconomic differential risks to men, women, boys and girls in Africa. Alongside poor sanitation, it contributes to the 115 deaths per hour from excreta-related diseases in Africa and huge economic losses. Some good practices along the sanitation value chain that have been reported in a few countries have the potential for replication in several other African countries. Overall, there is a need to invest in sanitation systems and mechanisms to improve faecal sludge management and direct investments to very poor households. In particular, bottlenecks in service delivery pathways require urgent attention. This publication examines faecal sludge management practices in Africa as a contribution to the joint project by the United Nations Environment Programme, the African Development Bank and GRIDArendal entitled Wastewater Management and Sanitation Provision in Africa: An Opportunity for Private and Public Sector Investment, which aims to promote knowledge on wastewater and sanitation in Africa with the goal of enhancing these services across the continent.
DS UN Environment Document Repository
RD Nov 4, 2026