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Urban Sanitation & Hygiene for Health and Development

Ten years of USHHD

Featuring the learnings and key resources of our approach



Urbanisation is reshaping our future

By 2050, more than two-thirds of the global population will live in urban areas, increasing the demand for essential services such as sanitation.



Dive into our ongoing journey with our partners towards achieving inclusive, sustainable, and climate-resilient sanitation and hygiene.



Advancing sanitation in

1 cities

Across six countries, and counting.



Arusha | Bandar Lampung | Benapole | Birendranagar | Chandrannath | Gazipur | Jashore | Jhenaidah | Kabwe | Kasama | Khadak | Khulna | Kushtia | Mbala | Metro City | Mpulungu | Nakonde | Nakuru | Nepalgunj | Shinyanga | Tasikmalaya



A global and environmental health crisis
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...Looking at the number of toilets and defecation behaviour, it's more like a ticking time bomb.

Unless we manage it safely, it may explode at any time...

Rajeev Munankami, Multi-country Programme Manager, WASH SDG

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Ten years of USHHD

Countries in focus

Explore our curated lists of resources on urban services and waste management

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Ten years of USHHD

Video highlight­s­



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Kabwe, Kasama, Mbala, Mpulungu, and Nakonde: ZAMBIA

Capital-intensive sewerage development cannot solely improve the state of sanitation as 79% of the Zambian population is not connected to sewerage.

Watch three videos by the Chambeshi Lukanga Sanitation Project that highlight how inclusive, accountable, and comprehensive development approaches are making improved sanitation a reality for all.

This project was supported by the Directorate -General for International Cooperation (DGIS) of the Government of the Netherlands.

Chandannath, Birendranagar, Nepalgunj, and Saptari, NEPAL

Government officials in Nepal, civil society partners, and the SNV in Nepal team take viewers on an urban sanitation and hygiene trip across four cities.

Take a glimpse into the partnerships, equipment, and practice of improved faecal sludge management contributing to urban water systems' climate resilience and sustainability.

This project was supported by the Directorate -General for International Cooperation (DGIS) of the Government of the Netherlands.

Shinyanga, TANZANIA

In 2022, Shinyanga gained national recognition as the best-performing municipality in sanitation just a year after its first faecal sludge treatment plant was launched.

Shinyanga's sanitation experience was made possible by solid local leadership and an unwavering determination to bring together stakeholders to prevent sludge-induced water source and environmental pollution.

This project was supported by the Directorate -General for International Cooperation (DGIS) of the Government of the Netherlands.

Khulna, Kushtia, and Jhenaidah, BANGLADESH

ILO defines decent work as productive, delivering fair income, security at the workplace and social protection for the families.

None of these apply to those who empty septic tanks.

In 2015, there were 31 reported deaths of septic tank emptiers in work-related accidents in Bangladesh, while even more went unreported.

This project was supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Let's talk about poop, BANGLADESH

Every day we produce millions of kilograms of poop. In some cities in Bangladesh, people use pit latrines and septic tanks. In some cases, poop flows into the environment.

Untreated faeces pose a severe threat to people's health and the environment.

SNV is developing an inclusive, sustainable approach that focuses on scalable city-wide sanitation services to address this issue.

This project was supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.



Ten years of USHHD

Listen to the podcast

Toilets. What lies beneath and beyond to keep you safe
Today, 3.6 billion people still live without a safely managed toilet... We often gravitate to a white ceramic slab or pan when discussing toilets. ...(but) behind each toilet are massive infrastructure and operational arrangements that form the foundations of a safely managed toilet.

Source: Episode 3. Toilets... What lies beneath and beyond to keep you safe



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