This course deals with options for sustainable sanitation in low-income countries, which will contribute to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for sanitation and related fields such as reducing poverty and hunger, reducing child mortality, improving lives of slum dwellers and ensuring environmental sustainability. The concept of ecological sanitation (ecosan) is presented. Ecosan is not a specific technology but a new approach to sanitation which regards sanitised human excreta and greywater as a resource, e.g. for application as a fertiliser and soil conditioner in (urban) agriculture. Ecosan strives to maximise the sustainability of sanitation systems, taking into account all aspects of sustainability.

Upon completion of the ecosan course, the participants will:

Know the short-comings of conventional sewer-based ("flush-and-forget") or pit-based ("drop-and-store") sanitation systems, in the context of developing countries (with a focus on urban or peri-urban areas)
Understand the need for a paradigm shift in urban sanitation and the relevance for the MDGs
Have a good overview of the available technology and reuse options within the ecosan approach (collection, transfer and treatment of excreta and greywater; safe reuse; non-technical aspects; rainwater harvesting)

Target group

The course is designed for mid-career professionals who work in low-income countries or countries in transition, and deal with planning, promoting, designing, operating or managing sanitation systems for residents in urban, peri-urban, slum or rural areas. Participants are typically employed by government departments, private companies, local or international NGOs, universities, research institutions, aid agencies or international bodies such as WHO or UNICEF.

Additional information

If you wish to apply for a scholarship, download the scholarschip application form, fill it out and send it to m.ronteltap@unesco-ihe.org before January 23 2010.

Please note that there is only a very limited amount of scholarships, so while applying, please also look for alternative funding.

This course has previously been sponsored by:

Grontmij. Contact person: Bjartur Swart (bjartur.swart@grontmij.nl)

Stockholm Environment Institute. Contact person: Gunilla Brattberg (gunilla.brattberg@sei.se)

Huber Contact person: Stefania Paris (ps@huber.de)

Vitens Contact person: Siemen Veenstra (siemen.veenstra@vitens.nl