At least one alternative must be selected

The Faecal Sludge Field Laboratory – enabling informed decision-making for environmental protection and public health

Please briefly describe your Water ChangeMaker journey

The Cholera outbreak following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti powerfully demonstrated the urgent need for faecal sludge (FS) treatment solutions in emergencies, especially as – exacerbated by climate change – more and more disasters occur in urban contexts. This is why in the disaster’s aftermath a number of leading WASH organisations e.g. Oxfam and IFRC got engaged in this endeavour. However, the development of respective field-applicable laboratory equipment and methods to enable process and quality control was neglected. Since the analytical proof of FS treatment efficiency was seen as crucial to ensure environmental protection and public health, the Austrian Red Cross (AutRC) decided to take on this challenge. In 2016 initial funding for the development of a Faecal Sludge Field Laboratory (FSFL) was secured through the Humanitarian Innovation Fund (HIF). It was the goal to develop a FS laboratory that would be mobile, affordable and field applicable but at the same time deliver results comparable to those of a standard lab. Since then the FSFL has come a long way, having widely demonstrated the value of providing data for informed decision making, such as in Cox’s Bazar where it was used to monitor and optimise several FS treatment solutions from different organisations.

Please describe the change that your initiative created and how was it achieved

The FSFL put a spotlight on the importance of FS treatment process control and effluent monitoring by being the first dedicated laboratory kit developed for field use, especially during emergency situations. To reach acceptance of this tool by relevant actors in the WASH sector, AutRC built on existing networks within and beyond the Red Cross Red Crescent movement and established new collaborations by bringing together academia, practitioners and industrial partners. A highlight was the establishment of a sub-group focussing on the development of standards for FSM, by the respective GWC technical working group. By ensuring developed hardware is accompanied by respective training and software, a comprehensive solution can now be offered for FS treatment monitoring to safe keep environmental and public health. Achieved change through the FSFL was strongly visible during the deployment of the FSFL to Cox’s Bazar where collected data allowed to compare and optimize a number of different (pilot) treatment solutions from different organizations. In Uganda, discussions are currently held for the FSFL to support the monitoring work of the Ministry of Water and Environment. In this case, government decisions in sanitation could soon be informed by data collected through the FSFL. These examples nicely show how increased data availability supports informed decision-making towards stronger and better adaptable systems.

How did your initiative help build resilience to climate change?

Damaged ecosystems are less resilient to stress induced, such as by climate change. Disposal of untreated or insufficiently treated FS poses a serious threat to environmental and public health, not only through the spread of communicable diseases and parasites but also through eutrophication of water bodies and emission of greenhouse gases. By ensuring the control of environmental pollution, the FSFL contributes to climate change adaptation, e.g. by safeguarding wetlands which act as buffer to flooding. The FSFL also contributes to climate change mitigation by supporting social enterprises in ensuring safety of their FS end-use products, which act as alternative to fossil fuels or soil fertiliser.

What water-related decisions did your initiative influence or improve?

The FSFL allows monitoring of treatment processes almost anywhere and at any time. Data generated hereby, provides the basis for informed decisions of the plant operator and beyond. In Cox’s Bazar the FSFL was utilized to compare and subsequently optimize a number of emerging FS treatment solutions for emergencies. Having objective data at hand will have large impact when major players in the humanitarian field opt to deploy one solution or the other and is seen as crucial for not letting individual preferences steer this decision process. The Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, will continue to deploy the FSFL, allowing for results generated to steer the ongoing discussion on appropriate FS treatment solutions in emergencies. Within this context, the FSFL can also provide information how systems in place might best be reinstalled after the impact of a disaster. Increased data availability will support informed decision-making towards stronger and better adaptable systems.

What were some of the challenges faced and how were they overcome?

The FSFL allows monitoring of treatment processes almost anywhere and at any time. Data generated hereby, provides the basis for informed decisions of the plant operator and beyond. In Cox’s Bazar the FSFL was utilized to compare and subsequently optimize a number of emerging FS treatment solutions for emergencies. Having objective data at hand will have large impact when major players in the humanitarian field opt to deploy one solution or the other and is seen as crucial for not letting individual preferences steer this decision process. The Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, will continue to deploy the FSFL, allowing for results generated to steer the ongoing discussion on appropriate FS treatment solutions in emergencies. Within this context, the FSFL can also provide information how systems in place might best be reinstalled after the impact of a disaster. Increased data availability will support informed decision-making towards stronger and better adaptable systems.

In your view: Will the change that was created by your initiative continue?

Monitoring of treatment plant effluents is compulsory in many countries and likely to become more important in the future due to raised environmental awareness. Low-cost and mobile solutions such as the FSFL will answer to this growing need. In Uganda the Ministry of Water and Environment is interested to use the FSFL to monitor remote in-country FS treatment plants, demonstrating demand for monitoring of FS treatment processes beyond the humanitarian aid sector. More than that, different social enterprises have shown interest in the FSFL to demonstrate safety of their FS end-use products to their customers. Also, the growing network around the FSFL will continue raising awareness for the importance of FS treatment and quality control and contribute to its further development. The technical working group with a sub-group focussing on the development of standards for FSM, set-up by GWC, will surely carry forward the discussions and development on this matter.

What did you learn during the initiative or after? And is it possible that others could learn from you?

The FSFL demonstrates how innovation is not only found in the development of new technologies, but rather through the smart arrangement and use of existing and rugged equipment. An excellent example is the use of a pot of sand on a gas-stove for COD determination as a solution in contexts with insecure power access. Other key learnings of the team were the urgent need for software accompanying developed hardware or the demand for trained staff to operate the FSFL. Several initiatives were launched to respond to this need, including the establishment of training centres, conducting field schools and applying for funding to develop monitoring software. Also, the team learned that innovation takes time. Extensive dissemination efforts and additional funding was required to get the FSFL recognised as a trustworthy field-solution for FS treatment within the humanitarian as well as developmental WASH sector. Improvement of the FSFL continues through established network.