Improved sanitation
Encyclopedia
According to the Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation
by the World Health Organization
and UNICEF the following are considered as "improved" sanitation:
Sanitation
solutions that are not considered as "improved" are:
Excreta disposal systems are considered adequate if they are private and if they separate human excreta from human contact.
The above-mentioned definition of an "improved" source is used to measure the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal related to sanitation in developing countries. In practice, it is often hard to ascertain during a survey or a census which type of sanitation solution is considered improved or not, thus leading to difficulties in comparing data on the access to sanitation from various sources over the years.
Source
WHO/UNICEF JMP Definitions
Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation
The Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation is a programme co-funded by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. "The goals of the JMP are to report on the status of water-supply and sanitation, and to support countries in their efforts to monitor this sector, which will enable...
by the World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
and UNICEF the following are considered as "improved" sanitation:
- connection to a public sewerSanitary sewerA sanitary sewer is a separate underground carriage system specifically for transporting sewage from houses and commercial buildings to treatment or disposal. Sanitary sewers serving industrial areas also carry industrial wastewater...
- connection to a septic systemSeptic tankA septic tank is a key component of the septic system, a small-scale sewage treatment system common in areas with no connection to main sewage pipes provided by local governments or private corporations...
- pour-flush latrineLatrineA latrine is a communal facility containing one or more commonly many toilets which may be simple pit toilets or in the case of the United States Armed Forces any toilet including modern flush toilets...
- access to a pit latrinePit toiletA pit toilet is a dry toilet system which collects human excrement in a large container and range from a simple slit trench to more elaborate systems with ventilation. They are more often used in rural and wilderness areas as well as in much of the developing world...
- ventilated improved pit latrine
Sanitation
Sanitation
Sanitation is the hygienic means of promoting health through prevention of human contact with the hazards of wastes. Hazards can be either physical, microbiological, biological or chemical agents of disease. Wastes that can cause health problems are human and animal feces, solid wastes, domestic...
solutions that are not considered as "improved" are:
- public or shared latrine
- open pit latrine
- bucket latrines
Excreta disposal systems are considered adequate if they are private and if they separate human excreta from human contact.
The above-mentioned definition of an "improved" source is used to measure the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal related to sanitation in developing countries. In practice, it is often hard to ascertain during a survey or a census which type of sanitation solution is considered improved or not, thus leading to difficulties in comparing data on the access to sanitation from various sources over the years.
Source
WHO/UNICEF JMP Definitions