Proceedings of the 43rd WEDC International Conference

Faecal Sludge Treatment in disaster relief – a new decision making tool

ARUP has been working with partners in the WASH sector to develop a decision making guide for Faecal Sludge (FS) Treatment in disaster relief.

We have developed a on-line tool, intended for use by WASH practitioners in the field and those in decision making roles. The tool provides suggestions on the most appropriate type of FS Treatment Plant based on user inputs, gives key technical and cost information, and provides ‘next steps’ to allow users to progress. The tool has been built based on data collected in the Rohingya response in Cox Bazaar Bangladesh and is designed such that additional data sets can be added to improve the tool in future.

This workshop will showcase the FS tool and take participant through examples and use cases. The aim is to ensure the participants know how to use the tool, understand the basis of the decisions within the tool and understand the results it is giving. It will be an interactive session with examples and decisions. Participants will be able to use the tool during the session and provide any feedback for future improvements.

Climate resilience and adaptation to change are key criteria in planning of FS Treatment Plants. The evidence from Cox Bazaar has shown that some type of FS treatment are more resilient or adaptable than others. This data has been factored into the development of the decision making tool and key issues are highlighted to the users.