Strategic sanitation approach: a review of literature

This document reports findings from Phase 1 of a Department for International Development (DFID) funded project (R6875) concerning the development of practical guidelines for the application of the Strategic Sanitation Approach in urban areas. Results from a review of literature are discussed. A total of 63 documents were examined in the review and discussion has been summarised according to the key chapter headings used in Albert Wright’s publication Towards a Strategic Sanitation Approach.

The review also draws on an interview with key DFID personnel involved in projects in India (Lucknow, Cochin, Cuttack). The purpose of the review is to examine how the key concepts underlying the Strategic Sanitation Approach (SSA) have been addressed in operational terms on the ground, highlighting examples where SSA ideas have been applied, what problems were identified in their application, and what issues require further consideration or clarification with the approach as a whole. Each section ends by abstracting the key points identified and posing questions which remain unresolved.

WEDC is part of the project team which is led by Kevin Taylor of GHK Research and Training, and includes Barbara Evans of the UNDP-World Bank Regional Water and Sanitation Group (South Asia). Their comments on the review are gratefully acknowledged.