Households in Low Income Communities (LICs) often rely on Onsite Sanitation Systems (OSSs)—septic tanks or pit latrines—for their sanitation needs. Due to lack of awareness, limited ability to pay for the construction of a safe OSS, and the scarcity of local technical staff, poor households often use unsafe OSSs with attendant environmental and public health risks.
This brief covers the cities of Dakar, Kampala, and Lusaka and discusses four models that have been piloted or are being attempted to upgrade unsafe OSSs, with a focus on pit latrines. It covers the following:
- Motivations for the interventions
- Standards and types of OSSs marketed, and why these types were selected
- Design of the financing mechanisms, including subsidies and loan characteristics
- Data collection and performance management
- Results, costs, and sustainability of the four models