Faecal Sludge Management
“Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) refers to the safe containment, collection, transportation, treatment, and reuse of fecal sludge from pit latrines, septic tanks, or other onsite sanitation systems. “
Background : The Urgency of Safe Sanitation
Access to safe sanitation is a fundamental human right, as recognized by the UN General Assembly. It is essential to ensure public health, dignity, and well-being. Yet, as per the 2023 WHO-JMP report, 3.4 billion people worldwide—nearly 40% of the global population—still lack access to safely managed sanitation services. Most of this population resides in the Global South, including regions of Asia, South America, and Africa. The consequence is widespread exposure of human waste, leading to environmental contamination and serious public health risks.
The 2012 WHO study estimated that poor sanitation could lead to economic losses of up to 1.3% of GDP in 135 countries. The 2020 UNICEF-WHO State of Sanitation report links inadequate sanitation to over 49 million Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), due to diarrheal diseases, malnutrition, helminth infections, and unsafe wastewater practices
Limitations of Traditional Sanitation Approaches
Conventional sanitation relies on centralized sewer networks and treatment plants. However, such systems are often impractical in the Global South due to constraints like limited water supply, insufficient funding, and low household incomes. As a result, nearly 90% of households in these regions depend on Onsite Sanitation Systems (OSS).
Even rural areas in developed countries depend on OSS—such as Japan’s prefabricated Johkhasau systems—and urban areas in the Global South are projected to increasingly adopt OSS due to rapid and unplanned growth. While full sewer connectivity is the goal, it is not a feasible short-term target for many countries. Informal settlements and low-income neighborhoods will continue to invest in onsite solutions, by default.
The FSM Challenge in the Global South
Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) addresses the collection, transport, treatment, and safe reuse or disposal of sludge from OSS like pit latrines and septic tanks. FSM is crucial to achieving SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).
While the Global North has successfully adopted OSS with adequate regulation and infrastructure, the Global South faces challenges due to poor design and maintenance. Undersized or oversized systems affect microbial performance and result in contamination of groundwater and stormwater. These failures pose severe threats to water security, especially as climate change intensifies. According to the WHO-UNICEF JMP 2023, over 1.9 billion people live in fragile contexts, and more than 25% of the global population faces growing threats to essential water and sanitation services.
Towards Sustainable FSM Solutions
Standard FSM involves regular desludging and safe treatment—routinely carried out by trained professionals in developed regions. In the Global South, however, the FSM ecosystem remains largely informal. Effective FSM requires attention to the entire value chain: from toilet construction and OSS design, to desludging, treatment, reuse, and stakeholder involvement. It demands coordination among masons, truck operators, treatment plant staff, farmers, and local governments.
CDD India’s FSM Approach
CDD India has been a pioneer in contextual and decentralized FSM solutions:
- Conducted a six-month field study in Sircilla to determine sludge accumulation rates – awarded Best Paper globally by IHE-Delft.
- Built India’s first Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant (FSTP) in Devanahalli (Bangalore) to address indiscriminate dumping of sludge into drains and water bodies.
- Introduced low-cost, nature-based technologies for safe treatment and reuse of sludge.
- Promoted the agricultural reuse of treated sludge, recognizing its nutrient value for food security.
- Piloted sustainable FSM business models in Devanahalli (Karnataka) and Dhenkanal (Odisha).
- Researched filter media for emission reduction and enzymes to accelerate anaerobic digestion within OSS.
- Worked across the sanitation value chain, from design to reuse, enabling integrated, practical solutions.
Through active engagement with diverse stakeholders, CDD India continues to support scalable, resilient sanitation systems, contributing to the achievement of SDG 6 and the broader agenda of sustainable urban and rural development
