Sanlexicon C - D

Content Table

Capacity building

This is a complex process involving policies, institutions and people. At the policy level, capacity building means the creation of an enabling environment within which positive sector development can occur. Sector development efforts are not sustainable unless the overall environment enables institutions, communities and individuals to learn and adapt to changing circumstances.

Cat method

This is simply where the defecator digs a small hole with a spade or a hoe, defecates into the hole and refills it, covering the faeces with the excavated soil. Although this may not be technically a latrine, it is a safe method of excreta management if performed correctly and consistently. Suitable for pastoralist or migratory communities and emergency situations where there is no other alternative.

Community-Led Total Sanitation

This approach was initially developed by VERC in Bangladesh in 1999 and has since been successfully replicated in other countries. Community-Led Total Sanitation is based on the principle of triggering collective behaviour change. Communities are facilitated to take collective action to adopt safe and hygienic sanitation behavior and ensure that all households have access to safe sanitation facilities. The approach helps communities to understand and realize the negative effects of poor sanitation, empowers them to collectively find solutions to their sanitation situation and helps create a receptive environment for the adoption of improved practices in personal hygiene and safe handling of food, water, excreta and waste. In the process, the community is sensitized of the consequences of poor sanitary practices, commits itself to finding own solutions, and finally is liberated from open defecation.

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Cleaner production

Cleaner production (CP) is a new, creative way of thinking about products and the manufacturing process. Cleaner Production is achieved by the continuous application of strategies to minimize the generation of waste products and emissions. Cleaner Production could be defined as the continuous application of an integrated preventive environmental strategy applied to processes, products and services to increase overall efficiency and reduce risks to humans and the environment.

Cesspit

A leak-proof covered holding tank for receiving untreated sewage. There is no seepage to the soil so cess pools need to be frequently emptied.

Also called conservancy tanks.

Community-Led Total Sanitation

This approach was initially developed by VERC in Bangladesh in 1999 and has since been successfully replicated in other countries. Community-Led Total Sanitation is based on the principle of triggering collective behaviour change. Communities are facilitated to take collective action to adopt safe and hygienic sanitation behavior and ensure that all households have access to safe sanitation facilities. The approach helps communities to understand and realize the negative effects of poor sanitation, empowers them to collectively find solutions to their sanitation situation and helps create a receptive environment for the adoption of improved practices in personal hygiene and safe handling of food, water, excreta and waste. In the process, the community is sensitized of the consequences of poor sanitary practices, commits itself to finding own solutions, and finally is liberated from open defecation.

See Also:

Composting latrine

The range of non-urine diverting ecological latrines (Skyloo, Fossa Alterna, Arborloo) to which a soil and ash mix is added. As the temperature within the vault rarely rises to composting temperatures, a true composting process does not occur.

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Condominial sewerage system

The condominial sewerage system is an alternative to conventional sewerage that emerged in Brazil in the 1980s, which incorporates a new layout and network design, as well as the community participation component. The experience demonstrated that this system offers broad advantages regarding the conventional sewerage system. The model consists in extending the water and sewage lines along sidewalks and inside lots, as opposed to in the streets. Rather than providing each individual house with a connection to the public network, a connection point is created for each group of houses (block), as if it were a condominium or apartment building, hence the name condominial system. For a number of reasons, this approach substantially reduces the cost of network expansion.

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Consumer research

A marketing research that yield information about the motives and needs of different classes of consumers. For a handwashing promotion program, the objectives of a consumer research can be to answer the following questions:

  • Who carries out risk practices?
  • What are the risk practices?
  • What can change behaviour?
  • How do thetarget audience communicate?

Cost recovery

A definition of cost recovery for sanitation services might read: to recover all of the costs associated with a sanitation system, program or service to ensure long-term sustainability. Example of costs:

  • Financial costs (operating costs, capital costs, cost of servicing capital)
  • Economic costs/benefits (lost value of water for other uses, pollution created or alleviated)
  • Support costs (institution building, HRD, information systems, monitoring and assessment, regulation, planning and strategy development)

Costs can be recovered by various means such as:

  • Tariffs (fixed or variable)
  • Subsidies (direct, cross subsidies, output-based subsidies);
  • Overseas development assistance
  • Micro-credit
  • Social development funds
  • Community funds 

Critical times

Critical times when handwashing should be practiced are:

  • after defecation
  • after cleaning a child’s bottom
  • before preparing food and
  • before eating food.

Demand-driven approaches

A demand-driven sanitation approach places the householder at front of the latrine-section process and aims to make available technically adequate sanitation products on the market which the householder finds desirable, accessible and affordable. Instead of products being pushed to market by the implementers, they are pulled to market by customers. The strategy is to match a pull from customers with an equal and opposite push from sanitation product and services supply chains. A similar term ‘demand-based approaches’ provides for consumer choice in the selection of the type of technology, although in urban settings institutions such a local government, utilities etc may be part of the supply process.

Desludge

To empty the contents of a latrine pit or septic tank.

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Disposal

Discharge, deposit, injection, dumping, spilling, leaking, or placing of any liquid or solid waste on land or water so that it may enter the environment.

Domestic wastewater

Wastewater derived principally from dwellings, business buildings, institutions, and the like. It may or may not contain groundwater, surface water or storm water.

Drop hole

The hole in the floor of a latrine through which excreta falls into the pit.

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Last contributors on this document:
  XWiki.beddowve   Victoria Beddow