Material flow analysis as a tool for environmental sanitation planning in Viet Tri, Vietnam

New environmental sanitation approaches must be developed in response to the need for more sustainable water and nutrient management. This paper illustrates how the method of Material Flow Analysis (MFA) can be applied to assess measures aiming at optimizing nitrogen recovery through improved excreta management in Viet Tri, Vietnam. The purpose of this paper is to identify how the application of MFA could be rendered more affordable for planners and decision-makers in developing countries confronted with poor data availability and quality. The analysis of the Viet Tri case indicates that a tool containing a database and assisting MFA users in determining which parameters should be determined with which accuracy (sensitivity analysis) would enable planners to optimise their data collection plan. This would help planners with limited means apply MFA as time requirement and cost for data collection would be reduced.