Emergency sanitation technologies make up some of the most significant gaps in the water, sanitation and hygiene sector. Major initiatives to address identified gaps may be characterised as donor-funded, top-down processes driven by international or European-based non-governmental organisations. However, local organisations also innovate. To better understand how local organisations innovate for emergency sanitation, the paper presents a case study of an Indonesian NGO who had developed a toilet for use in emergencies. The NGO developed the toilet by modifying an existing non-emergency toilet. The process was unstructured and informal. When testing ideas, for instance, the NGO used their own methods rather than referring to testing protocols recognised by the industry. The NGO surveyed end users, but the respondents did not come from post-disaster settings. Compared to designs developed through international initiatives, the NGO’s design deviated somewhat from internationally recognised standards, for instance, the size of the latrine slab. The paper also discusses differences between the way local and international organisations develop emergency sanitation products. Each approach has advantages and disadvantages in terms of methodology and access to resources and expertise. Therefore, there are potential benefits to the different organisations working more closely.@en

Providing safe excreta disposal following disasters is important for disease prevention and the safety and dignity of the affected population. This is challenging because every emergency varies due to the nature of the disaster, local conditions and the characteristics of the affected population. This paper investigates the impact of the 2006 Java earthquake on excreta disposal needs and the response to those needs. Relevant documents were retrieved from the ReliefWeb database, complemented by a literature search. The case study highlights gaps in rapidly providing latrines on a large scale. Three months after the disaster, only 57% of the latrines targeted had been provided. One way to address this problem is to better understand the factors affecting excreta disposal needs and response, allowing appropriate solutions to be identified more effectively.@en