Disposal of wastewater from cholera treatment centres

The aim of this research project was to identify and recommend improvements to field guidance on the disposal of wastewater from CTCs. Literature reviews of existing guidance were carried out and WASH professionals were contacted to give field experiences of implementing a cholera response via a questionnaire administered via email and semi-structured interview. It was found that there were inconsistencies in current guidance for treatment and disposal. Guidance promotes infiltration-based wastewater disposal and whilst it was found that it was possible to use this disposal means in the majority of cases reported, guidance is needed for situations in which there is a deviation from the historical ‘norm’ in terms of scale (patient numbers, geography), space and ground conditions (e.g. high ground water). All three of these deviations were seen in Haiti and required alternative approaches. No experimental or theoretical basis could be found for the guidance given on wastewater chlorination and information on chlorine solutions has been repeatedly – and sometimes selectively - copied from one publication to another. There are also inconsistencies in the application of chlorination guidance in the field. An experimental basis is needed to justify guidance.