Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene Africa Water & Sanitation & Hygiene Nov-Dec 2017 | Page 29

3
Sanitation
POO, WASTEWATER AND SDG 6
The fulfilment of SDG 6 – “To ensure availability and
sustainable management of water and sanitation for
all” – will help drive progress across many other SDGs.
SDG target 6.2 requires us by 2030 to “achieve access
to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for
all and end open defecation, paying special attention to
the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable
situations.” The achievement of this target is essential
for improving human health and dignity.
Better managing human waste is a key part of reducing
the impact of poorly treated wastewater from all areas
of society. SDG target 6.3, requires us by 2030 to “im-
prove water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating
dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemi-
cals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated
wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and
safe reuse globally.” The achievement of this target is
essential for healthy water environments and creating
sustainable livelihoods.
ly treated and reused, is ‘brown gold’. “Safely-managed
sanitation services” generate jobs, investment opportuni-
ties, and valuable products such as energy and fertiliser.
Involving women, who are usually the most knowledge-
able of their community’s sanitation and water situation,
is key to the success of any new facilities, and helps em-
power females in society.
Across different contexts there will be a variety of ap-
proaches to improving sanitation, and all of them will
need a conducive and supportive political, economic
and governance environment. However, the principles of
each stage of the process remain the same.
To achieve SDG 6, we need everyone’s poo to take a
4-step journey:
1. Containment
THE SANITATION CHAIN: WHERE SHOULD
OUR POO GO?
SDG 6 is about ensuring everyone has access to, and
uses, “safely-managed sanitation services”. This is de-
fined by the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme
for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene as a “private
improved facility where faecal wastes are safely dis-
posed on site or transported and treated off-site”. Poo must be deposited into a hygienic toilet and
stored in a sealed pit or tank, separated from human
contact.
Dealing with our poo properly is not only about averting
danger, it’s also about seizing an opportunity. Poo, safe- Toilets across the world can take many forms, from
flush toilets connected to piped sewerage systems, to
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