Technology Assessment for Sustainable Sanitation Services in Low-Income Communities

The goal of this paper is to present an objective method for selecting appropriate sanitation service options for low income communities. This goal will be achieved through the objectives of; (i) developing an exhaustive list of MSS technologies, (ii) classifying this list into MSS options, and (iii) ranking these options so they may be mapped into a profile of host communities.

In the past twenty years, many developmental agencies focused intense attention on the water and sanitation sector in an attempt to bridge the gaps in service in low income communities. Although considerable progress has been made, there is still no systematic method for helping a select an appropriate MSS option to implement.

This paper adds to Louis’ method to help communities make informed decisions about which of the many MSS options to implement (Louis, 2002). There are two complementary components to this approach: the assessment of the MSS options and the assessment of the community. The assessment of the MSS options will be presented in this paper and the assessment of community which receives these service options, will be discussed briefly. Finally, the method as a whole is then examined and illustrated using a case study.