19.4  Choosing appropriate sanitation technologies

By now you will have realised there are many different sanitation technologies that can be used for liquid waste management. Part of your role, in collaboration with others, is to encourage the installation of sanitation systems and help people in your community decide on the appropriate technology to use. The Federal Government’s role is limited to issuing regulations, setting standards, providing technical assistance and financing public facilities. It is solely the responsibility of the district or kebeles to mobilise the community and coordinate the activities of sanitation at grassroots level. In this process, you should understand that sanitation should be driven by informed household demand. This means that apart from technically helping households to achieve sanitation, your role is to encourage them to demand sanitation.

There are many factors to consider in the choice of technologies but before we describe these, there are some general principles to bear in mind as well.