Introducing ecological sanitation in northern Mozambique : fieldwork report

This paper focuses on joint ESTAMOS’ and WaterAid’s sanitation projects in Niassa Province, Mozambique. Niassa is located in the northwest corner of Mozambique and is the most sparsely populated province in the country. It is characterised by poor infrastructure, a weak cash-based agricultural economy, and political and social isolation. The programmes discussed here are ecological sanitation projects in two rural districts and in the peri-urban areas of Lichinga.
EcoSan methods safely use human waste as compost. By allowing human waste to decompose with a mixture of ash and soil in permanent latrines, space is saved in often small yards, as the pits do not need to be re-sited and local agriculture benefits from a renewable source of fertile compost. The composting process breaks down any pathogens in the faeces and so the compost is safe to use to grow food. Dry latrines systems also limit both flies and smells. Two types of EcoSan latrines are typically used : 1) the Fossa Alterna, using two permanent shallow pits, partially lined; and 2) the Arbour Loo, a simple ecological sanitation system offering the possibility of avoiding the direct handling of transformed excreta.
The paper presents the key lessons learned from the project. It provides insights into the cultural acceptability of EcoSan, explains the methodologies used to introduce it, explores why many households are choosing it over better promoted alternatives like improved latrines, looks at the key results from monitoring and evaluation in the field and offers some conclusions.