Sustainability
According to Global Water Challenge, sustainability is one of the most pressing issues facing the WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) sector today. More than 30 percent of WASH projects fail after two to five years. Resources available to help address this challenge include guidance on operations and maintenance approaches, tools to estimate long-term costs, and other resources to support sustainability.
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Sustainability Resources
Water for the World: Constructing, Operating and Maintaining Sumps, Soakage Pits, and Soakage Trenches.
U.S. Agency for International Development
Sumps, soakage pits, and soakage trenches receive washwater or effluent from an aqua privy and allow it to soak safely into the ground. This technical manual provides step-by-step instructions for constructing, operating and maintaining sumps, soakage pits, and soakage trenches.Read more
Regional focus:
United StatesNorth AmericaWater for the World: Constructing, Operating and Maintaining Non-Conventional Absorption Systems
U.S. Agency for International Development
Non-conventional absorption disposal systems have been developed for soil conditions where absorption is slow and slight, or where ground water is close to the ground surface. This technical note describes the elements involved in constructing and maintaining non-conventional systems.Read more
Regional focus:
United StatesNorth AmericaWater for the World: Operating and Maintaining Compost Toilets
U.S. Agency for International Development
Maintaining a compost toilet involves keeping it clean and periodically changing vaults and removing compost. Maintaining a compost toilet requires monthly inspection and repair damage. This manual provides a guide to correctly using compost toilets and effectively operating and maintaining them.Read more
Regional focus:
United StatesNorth AmericaWater for the World: Operating a Solid Waste Collection System
U.S. Agency for International Development
Operating a solid waste collection system involves removing solid waste from houses, yards, marketplaces, factories or public building and transporting it to a landfill, composting area or biogas plant. This technical note describes how to operate and maintain three types of solid waste management...Read more
Regional focus:
United StatesNorth AmericaWater for the World: Operating and Maintaining Septic Tanks
U.S. Agency for International Development
A septic tank is a self-operating unit for sewage treatment. The tank receives raw sewage from a building, allows solids to settle out, and discharges effluent to an underground (subsurface) absorption system for final disposal. This technical note describes how to measure scum and sludge depths to...Read more
Regional focus:
United StatesNorth AmericaWater for the World: Operating and Maintaining Privies
U.S. Agency for International Development
A privy consists of a pit to hold excreta, a slab with a squatting hole or a seat and pedestal, and a shelter to give the user privacy. Maintaining a privy involves cleaning the slab weekly, repairing the privy as needed, and eventually filling the pit with soil and moving the slab and shelter to a...Read more
Regional focus:
United StatesNorth AmericaWater for the World: Operating and Maintaining Sewer Systems
U.S. Agency for International Development
A sewer system is a self-operating network of underground pipes that carries sewage by gravity flow from a number of dwellings. It flows to a stabilization pond or other central treatment facility. This technical note describes the elements involved in maintaining a sewer system.Read more
Regional focus:
United StatesNorth AmericaEvaluating Operation and Maintenance Training
U.S. Agency for International Development
Evaluation is a way for the action agency and the village to review the value of the water and sanitation system to the community.Read more
Methods of Operation and Maintenance Training
U.S. Agency for International Development
This technical note is about the important steps in establishing a water and sanitation system in a rural community, specifically arranging for efficient operation and maintenance of the facilities.Read more
Planning Operation and Maintenance Training
U.S. Agency for International Development
This technical note is about planning operations and maintenance training programs for rural village water and sanitation systems requires choosing a training method and arranging a training program schedule.Read more
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