Excreta disposal in emergencies: Bag and Peepoo

Excreta disposal in emergencies: Bag and
Peepoo trials with internally displaced people
in Port-au-Prince
DEEPA PATEL, NICHOLAS BROOKS and ANDY BASTABLE
After a series
of earthquakes
devastated Port-auPrince, Haiti, safe
excreta disposal
became an urgent
priority
After a series of earthquakes devastated Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on 12 January
2010, safe excreta disposal became an urgent priority. To mainstream
innovative approaches to sanitation within the realities of urban humanitarian response, Oxfam GB undertook a trial from April to May 2010, of
standard bag and Peepoo excreta disposal systems in two IDP settlements.
Trial results demonstrate that with proper collection and removal, both bags
and Peepoos are viable excreta disposal options in emergencies. A reduction
WASSEENIN@mYINGTOILETSOPENDEFECATIONANDUSERREPORTSONDIARRHOEA
in both settlements. For in-home use, the Peepoo was preferred over bags,
84 per cent to 55 per cent (F2 = 6.15, p=0.013) based on its ability to contain odour. Key programmatic recommendations include contingency planning for disaster-prone areas and further analysis of cost effectiveness and
phase-out points for bag excreta disposal systems. Additionally, the Peepoo
size should be adjusted to be more widely applicable in diverse emergency
settings.
Keywords:DEFECATIONINBAGSmYINGTOILETS(AITI0EEPOOSANITATION
URBANHUMANITARIANRESPONSE
A SERIES OF EARTHQUAKES STRUCK (AITI ON  *ANUARY  IN THE AREA
AROUNDTHECAPITAL0ORTAU0RINCETHESTRONGESTOFTHESEREPORTEDAT
ONTHE2ICHTERSCALE'OVERNMENTOF(AITI4HEEARTHQUAKE
AFFECTED (AITIS MOST POPULOUS AREA KILLING APPROXIMATELY 
PEOPLE AS WELL AS DEVASTATING ITS ECONOMIC AND ADMINISTRATIVE CEN
TRE 5. /#(!  4HE NUMBER OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE
)$0IDENTIlEDISMILLIONINOVERSPONTANEOUSSETTLEMENTS
THROUGHOUT THE AFFECTED AREA 5. /#(! *UNE  RANGING FROM
SUBSTANTIAL CAMPS OF UP TO  PEOPLE TO HUNDREDS OF SMALL TO
MEDIUMCAMPSWITHFEWERTHANRESIDENTS
Deepa Patel is with WASH Research and Development, Oxfam Great Britain; and Nicholas Brooks and Andy Bastable
([email protected]) work for Oxfam Great Britain.
© Practical Action Publishing, 2011, www.practicalactionpublishing.org
doi: 10.3362/1756-3488.2011.006, ISSN: 0262-8104 (print) 1756-3488 (online)
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D. PATEL et al.
Haiti pre-earthquake sanitation situation
Improved sanitation
facilities in urban
areas of Haiti have
been steadily
declining from 1990
)MPROVEDSANITATIONFACILITIESINURBANAREASOF(AITIHAVEBEENSTEADILY
DECLININGFROMWITHPERCENTIMPROVEDACCESSTOWITH
PERCENTIMPROVEDACCESS7(/5.)#%&)NTHEABSENCEOF
A REGULATORY AGENCY RESPONSIBLE FOR SANITATION INDIVIDUALS ARRANGED
THEIROWNSANITATIONACCORDINGTOTHEIRECONOMICMEANS)&2#
4HEMOSTRECENTlGURESPRIORTOTHEEARTHQUAKESTATETHEREMAINING
PERCENTOFURBANDWELLERSSHAREDTOILETSWHILEPERCENTHADACCESS
TOUNIMPROVEDFACILITIESANDPERCENTDEFECATEDINTHEOPEN7(/
5.)#%&
3ANITATION COVERAGE STATISTICS ARE NOT AVAILABLE DISAGGREGATED TO
REmECTTHELOWERCOVERAGEAMONGSTPOORANDVULNERABLEPOPULATIONS
LIVINGINDENSELYPOPULATEDORMARGINALAREASOF0ORTAU0RINCE.OR
DOTHEYACCOUNTFORTHEANECDOTALEVIDENCEOFTHEWIDESPREADUSEOF
PLASTICBAGSFORDEFECATION
Post-earthquake sanitation situation
The earthquake
damaged the
limited sanitation
infrastructure that
existed in Port-auPrince
4HE EARTHQUAKE DAMAGED THE LIMITED SANITATION INFRASTRUCTURE THAT
EXISTEDIN0ORTAU0RINCEANDSURROUNDINGAREAS4HESCALEOFDEVAS
TATION DEATH AND DISPLACEMENT AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE AND IMMINENT
RAINYSEASONCREATEDCHALLENGINGCONTEXTSWHICHLIMITEDTHEABILITYOF
HUMANITARIANRESPONSETOUTILIZEEXISTINGBESTPRACTICES
Conventional emergency sanitation approaches
4HERE IS AN ASSORTMENT OF CONVENTIONAL SANITATION SYSTEMS RANGING
FROMSEPTICTANKSTOBUCKETLATRINESANDEACHAPPROACHHASSTRENGTHS
AND WEAKNESSES WITH NO lRM PANACEA TO BE RAPIDLY ADOPTED AND
SCALEDUP!NYSANITATIONSOLUTIONUTILIZEDSHOULDBEEXAMINEDBASED
ONAPPROPRIATENESSOFCOVERAGESPACELIMITATIONSMODULAR
ITYMAINTENANCESOCIOCULTURALACCEPTANCEANDECONOMICS
&ENNERETAL
/XFAM 'REAT "RITAIN /XFAM '" RAPIDLY SCALEDUP ITS EXISTING
COUNTRYPROGRAMMETODELIVERAMAJORWATERSANITATIONANDHYGIENE
7!3( RESPONSE 3ANITATION COMPONENTS INCLUDED PORTABLE TOILETS
LATRINECONSTRUCTIONTRENCHLATRINESELEVATEDTANKLATRINESANDURINE
DIVERSIONTOILETSLATRINEMAINTENANCEANDDESLUDGINGSUPPORTEDBY
COMPREHENSIVEPUBLICHEALTHPROMOTION
4HEDIVERSITYOFACTIVITIESWASNECESSARYBECAUSEOFTHEMYRIADCHAL
LENGES OF PROVIDING SANITATION FOR THE QUANTITY OF AFFECTED PEOPLE IN
THE (AITIAN URBAN CONTEXT 4HESE CHALLENGES INCLUDED HIGHDENSITY
CAMPSCOMPLEXLANDOWNERSHIPGROUNDCONDITIONSEGCONCRETEUN
STABLESOILINSUFlCIENTPERMISSIONTOEXCAVATE)$0PERCEIVEDSECURITY
January 2011
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EXCRETA DISPOSAL IN EMERGENCIES: HAITI
63
RISKSFREQUENCYANDAVAILABILITYOFDESLUDGINGANDABSENCEOFOFlCIAL
PLANSFORCAMPFUTURES)NTHEFACEOFSUCHUNPRECEDENTEDNEEDFORIN
NOVATIVESANITATIONSOLUTIONSCOUPLEDWITHTHEPREEARTHQUAKELEGACY
OF MINIMAL ACCESS TO IMPROVED SANITATION CONSEQUENTIAL ESTABLISHED
COPING MECHANISMS HABITS AND ATTITUDES REGARDING TOILET USE IN PAR
TICULARNEEDEDTOBECONSIDEREDIFSANITATIONPROGRAMMESWERETOBE
TECHNICALLYDELIVERABLEANDSOCIOCULTURALLYACCEPTABLEINTHETIMEFRAME
NECESSARY
!SURVEYCONDUCTEDINTHE0½TIONVILLE#LUB#AMPBY/XFAM'"IN
&EBRUARYFOUNDTHATONLYPERCENTOFCAMPRESIDENTSSURVEYED
USEDTHELATRINESPROVIDEDBY/XFAM'"WHILEPERCENTCONTINUED
TOUSELATRINESINEARTHQUAKEDAMAGEDSTRUCTURES&URTHERMOREPER
CENTUSEDPLASTICBAGSASASANITATIONCOPINGMECHANISMINTHEIRPOST
EARTHQUAKEENVIRONMENT!PARTICULARPUBLICHEALTHCONCERNWASTHAT
USEOFBAGSFORDEFECATIONINCAMPSWITHOUTEFFECTIVEWASTEMANAGE
MENT AND HYGIENE PROMOTION WOULD INCREASE THE IMPACT OF @mYING
TOILETSWHEREBYBAGSlLLEDWITHEXCRETAARETHROWNINTODITCHESON
THEROADSIDEORSIMPLYASFARAWAYASPOSSIBLE5.$0
Bags for defecation
Oxfam GB
researched the
applicability of
standard bags
and ‘Peepoos’ for
defecation in two
settlements in Portau-Prince
There is a dearth
of research on
the structured
applicability of
bags in emergency
response
Waterlines Vol. 30 No. 1
!PARTICULARPROBLEMFOUNDWITHTHERANGEOFCONVENTIONALSANITATION
SYSTEMSISTHEEFFECTONDIGNITYANDPROTECTIONESPECIALLYFORWOMEN
CHILDREN AND ELDERLY OR DISABLED INDIVIDUALS WITH MOBILITY LIMITA
TIONS !DDITIONALLY NIGHTTIME USE OF LATRINES IN )$0 SETTLEMENTS IN
0ORTAU0RINCEPARTICULARLYBYWOMENANDCHILDRENHADBEENFOUND
TOBELIMITEDOWINGTOPERCEPTIONSOFINSECURITYTHELACKOFLIGHTING
DISTANCETOFACILITIESANDRAINYWEATHER4HEREFOREMULTIPLEOPTIONSTO
ACHIEVESAFEEXCRETADISPOSALHADTOBECONSIDERED
2ECOGNIZINGTHATDURINGANEMERGENCYRESPONSETHEAIMOFASAFE
EXCRETADISPOSALSYSTEMISTOPROVIDEANDMAINTAINANENVIRONMENT
FREEFROMCONTAMINATIONBYHUMANFAECES3PHEREANDKEEN
TO ADD VALUE AND RAISE CRITICAL DISCUSSION ABOUT THE RANGE OF SANITA
TIONOPTIONSFORURBANCONTEXTS'LOBAL7!3(#LUSTER/XFAM
'"UTILIZEDPARTICIPATORYACTIONRESEARCHTOASCERTAINTHEAPPLICABILITY
OFSTANDARDBAGSAND@0EEPOOSFORDEFECATIONINTHECONTROLLEDLOCA
TIONOFTWOSPONTANEOUSSETTLEMENTSINTHE$ELMASSUBURBOF0ORTAU
0RINCE4ABLE
4HEREISADEARTHOFRESEARCHONTHESTRUCTUREDAPPLICABILITYOFBAGS
IN EMERGENCY RESPONSE OR THE ABILITY TO IMPROVE UPON BAG USAGE
THROUGH  PER CENT COMMUNITY COVERAGE PROPER STORAGE MECHA
NISMSADEQUATECOLLECTIONANDHYGIENEPROMOTION'IVENTHELACKOF
RESEARCHONTHEAPPLICABILITYOFBAGSASPARTOFANEMERGENCYEXCRETA
DISPOSAL SYSTEM THEIR MOBILIZATION IN HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE OFTEN
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D. PATEL et al.
Table 1. Research objectives
Technical
To gather empirical evidence on the technical ability of a
structured ‘bag’ interface within a system to improve upon
gaps in emergency response sanitation needs and coverage
Sociocultural
To ascertain the ease of understanding and ease of use of ‘bags’
for emergency excreta management, and user perspectives
about hygiene, safety, dignity and privacy
Programmatic
To prepare recommendations on how existing practices of
defecating in bags could be improved through public health
promotion, solid waste collection and disposal, and provision of
materials and facilities
RELIES ON IMPROMPTU UPTAKE BY POPULATIONS WITHOUT ADEQUATE SUP
PORT AND LITTLE TO NO DOCUMENTATION EXISTS TO RECORD THE APPROACH
TAKENWHATWASSUCCESSFULORWHATWASINAPPROPRIATE'LOBAL7!3(
#LUSTER7HILEANECDOTESOFINDIVIDUALANDAGENCYAPPROACHES
EXIST THERE IS AN URGENT NEED FOR lELDBASED RESEARCH AND DEVELOP
MENT INTO EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES AND PRAGMATIC APPROACHES TO lLL
GAPSANDMEETTHECHALLENGESOFADEQUATEANDAPPROPRIATESANITATION
SYSTEMSFORURBANHUMANITARIANRESPONSE
4HE@0EEPOOANEMERGINGTOILETTECHNOLOGYCREATEDBYTHE3WEDISH
COMPANY0EEPOOPLEISMARKETEDASANIMPROVEMENTUPONTRADITION
ALBAGSUSEDFORDEFECATION4ODATEMEDIUMSCALEFEASIBILITYSTUDIES
HAVEBEENCONDUCTEDIN+ENYAAND"ANGLADESHTOGAUGETHEUSEFUL
NESSOFTHE0EEPOOASANALTERNATIVEFORURBANSLUMS-UENCHETAL
4HERESULTSOFTHESTUDIESPOINTTOHIGHUSERSATISFACTIONBUT
THE 0EEPOO HAD NOT BEEN TRIALLED IN AN EMERGENCY SETTING NOR IN A
SITUATIONWITHMINIMALDIRECTINPUTFROMTHEIMPLEMENTINGAGENCY
ASWOULDBEMOREAPPROPRIATETOANEMERGENCYSETTING
Methodology
Trial setting
4HETRIALWASCONDUCTEDOVERAWEEKPERIODIN!PRILn-AYIN
TWOSPONTANEOUS)$0SETTLEMENTS#AMP'ARAGEAND#AMP#IT½AUX
#AYESIN$ELMAS0ORTAU0RINCE4HESECAMPSWERESELECTEDFORTHE
TRIALBASEDONTHECHALLENGESINASSISTINGTHECAMPS4ABLEANDAT
MORETHANTWOMONTHSPOSTEARTHQUAKE)$0HADNOTRECEIVED7!3(
ASSISTANCE4RIALPARTICIPANTSWERECONSULTEDPRIORTOANYINTERVENTION
TOENSUREPOTENTIALSTRATEGIESIMPLEMENTEDWEREACCEPTABLE
4OSWIFTLYMEETTHENEEDSOF)$0SLOCALLYAVAILABLEBAGSGROCERY
SIZEWEREPURCHASEDFORTHISTRIAL7ITHALIMITEDNUMBEROF0EEPOOS
AVAILABLE THE SMALLER SETTLEMENT#AMP'ARAGEWASCHOSENTOTRIAL
TWOWEEKSOFTHE0EEPOOFOLLOWEDBYTWOWEEKSOFSTANDARDBAGSAND
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EXCRETA DISPOSAL IN EMERGENCIES: HAITI
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Table 2. Constraints to conventional emergency sanitation approaches in trial
setting
Camp Garage
Camp Cité aux Cayes
Private land owner, threat of eviction
Private land owner
Inability to excavate because settlement
on concrete parking area around semicollapsed school
Inability to excavate because only
open space is adjacent to eroding
ravine
Density/space restrictions
Extremely dense, impossible-to-reach
appropriate ratio of people to toilets
Landowner permission not granted to
provide on-site excreta disposal of any
type (elevated, porta-loo etc.)
No road access, limited desludging
capabilities
#AMP#IT½AUX#AYESTRIALLEDFOURWEEKSOFSTANDARDBAGS!LLRESEARCH
WAS SUPPORTED BY REPRESENTATIVES IN EACH CAMP AND CARRIED OUT BY
LOCAL ENUMERATORS WITH ALL RESEARCH MATERIALS DRAFTED OR TRANSLATED
APPROPRIATELYTO(AITIAN#REOLE
Selection of trial participants
.OSAMPLINGWASCONDUCTEDFORPARTICIPATIONSINCETHEAIMOFASANI
TATIONSYSTEMISPERCENTPOPULATIONCOVERAGE4HENATUREOFAN
)$0SETTLEMENTISSUCHTHATITISDIFlCULTTOCENSUSITCOMPLETELYBUT
POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS WERE ASCERTAINED AS ACCURATELY AS POSSIBLE
GIVEN THE CONSTRAINTS 0RIOR TO THE TRIAL A BASELINE CENSUS WAS CON
DUCTEDINBOTHCAMPS4ABLETOENABLERANDOMSELECTIONOFPARTICI
PANTSFORDATACOLLECTION
Oxfam GB
undertook rigorous,
field-based,
participatory action
research within an
acute emergency
response
Data collection
/XFAM '" UNDERTOOK lELDBASED PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH THAT
WASSUFlCIENTLYRIGOROUSTOBECONlDENTINDISSEMINATINGTHEOUTPUTS
TOAWIDEEXTERNALAUDIENCEYETWASOPERATIONALLYFEASIBLEWITHINAN
ACUTEEMERGENCYRESPONSE/XFAM'"
4HEOVERALLRESEARCHDESIGNWASINTENSIVEWITHFOURCOMPLEMENTARY
DATACOLLECTIONPROCEDURESTOPROVIDEACOMPREHENSIVEREPRESENTATION
OFTHESANITATIONSITUATIONEXPERIENCEDINBOTHSETTLEMENTS0RIMARY
DATA WAS COLLECTED BEFORE AND AFTER THE TRIAL THROUGH HOUSEHOLD
Table 3. Baseline camp census
Households
Population
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Garage
Cité aux Cayes
54
290
391
1,921
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66
D. PATEL et al.
Primary data was
collected before
and after the trial
through household
questionnaires
and focus group
discussions
QUESTIONNAIRES((1SANDFOCUSGROUPDISCUSSIONS&'$STHATWERE
PRETESTEDFORACCURACYANDAPPROPRIATENESS3UPPLEMENTARYDATAWAS
GATHEREDTHROUGHPARTICIPANTOBSERVATIONSCAMPINFRASTRUCTUREENVI
RONMENTOBSERVATIONSANDINFORMALINTERVIEWSWITHKEYINFORMANTS
&'$PARTICIPANTSWERERECRUITEDTHROUGHSIMPLERANDOMSAMPLING
WITHIN GEOGRAPHIC STRATA DElNED BY LOCATION MAPPED IN CAMPS TO
COVER THE ENTIRE CAMP AND AVOID VOLUNTEER BIAS 4WO EXPERIENCED
ENUMERATORSOFTHESAMESEXCONDUCTEDGENDERSEGREGATED&'$SAND
TOOK DETAILED NOTES 2ECORDINGS WERE TAKEN FOR TRANSCRIPTION WHEN
EVERPOSSIBLE
((1S WERE ADMINISTERED ORALLY TO HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD ANDOR
OTHER RESPONDENTS PRESENT AFTER CONSENT WAS RECEIVED (OUSEHOLDS
WERE CHOSEN THROUGH SIMPLE RANDOM SAMPLING WITHIN GEOGRAPHIC
STRATATOAVOIDVOLUNTEERBIAS)N#AMP#IT½AUX#AYESASAMPLESIZE
OF  HOUSEHOLDS WAS NEEDED TO HAVE A CONlDENCE LEVEL OF  PER
CENTWITHA–PERCENTMARGINOFERROR)N#AMP'ARAGEASAMPLE
SIZEOFHOUSEHOLDSWASNEEDEDTOHAVEACONlDENCELEVELOFPER
CENTWITH–PERCENTMARGINOFERROR!CTUALSAMPLINGWASLARGERIN
BOTHCAMPSTOCOMPENSATEFORREFUSALSORHOUSEHOLDSWITHOUTANYONE
home.
Data analysis
/BSERVATIONSWERERECORDEDDAILYANDPROVISIONALLYCODEDACCORDING
TOEMERGINGTHEMESTOIDENTIFYGAPSINANALYTICISSUESTOEXPLOREDUR
INGSUBSEQUENTMOREFOCUSEDDATACOLLECTION&'$SWERETRANSCRIBED
TO%NGLISHANDCODEDACCORDINGTOSALIENTTHEMES((1SWEREENTERED
IN%XCELANDANALYSEDUSINGSTATISTICALTOOLS
Sanitation system design
4O TEST THE REQUIREMENTS FOR BAGS TO BE PART OF AN APPROPRIATE AND
ADEQUATESANITATIONSYSTEMINEMERGENCYCONTEXTSSIXKEYAREASWERE
EXAMINEDUSERINTERFACEDISTRIBUTIONDEPOSITANDSTORAGE
COLLECTIONANDTRANSPORTTREATMENTORDISPOSALANDHYGIENEPRO
MOTION&EEDBACKFROMPRETRIAL&'$SANDKEYINFORMANTINTERVIEWS
WASINCORPORATEDINTOTHEDESIGNOFEACHSTEP
User interface. )NHOME AND COMMUNITY INTERFACE OPTIONS WERE PRO
VIDEDINBOTHCAMPSTOOFFERPARTICIPANTSFREEDOMOFCHOICEFORTOILET
ACCESS)N#AMP#IT½AUX#AYESINHOMEPROVISIONCONSISTEDOFONE
COMMONLYAVAILABLERECYCLEDCONTAINERT-maliceBUCKETPERHOUSE
HOLDANDBAGS#OMMUNALCABINSWITHPREFABRICATEDCOMMODESWERE
ERECTED AS PART OF HYGIENE UNITS AT THE PERIMETER OF THE CAMP GEO
GRAPHICALLYSEGREGATEDBYGENDER)N#AMP'ARAGEINHOMEPROVISION
CONSISTEDOFONEAPPROPRIATELYSIZEDBUCKETPURCHASEDNEWATALOCAL
January 2011
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EXCRETA DISPOSAL IN EMERGENCIES: HAITI
Commode with bucket to hold a Peepoo in
communal cabin, Camp Garage
67
Household kit creation (T-malice bucket with bags and
IEC material) and distribution in Camp Cité aux Cayes
MARKETPERHOUSEHOLDAND0EEPOOS#OMMUNALCABINSWEREERECTED
ONTHEROADTHATINTERSECTEDTHECAMPTOCONTAINPREFABRICATEDCOM
MODESWITHSPECIALLYWELDEDBUCKETSCREATEDIN(AITISIZEDTOHOLD
A0EEPOO
7ITHALIMITEDNUMBEROF0EEPOOSAVAILABLEFORTHETRIALANDTODE
CREASEBAGWASTEMALEANDFEMALEURINALSWEREALSOPROVIDEDINBOTH
CAMPS5RINALSWEREPLACEDWITHINSUPERSTRUCTURESFORADDEDPRIVACY
WHICHBASEDONPRETRIALDATAWASFOUNDTOBEIMPORTANTESPECIALLY
FORWOMEN
One bag or Peepoo
per person per day
for a week’s supply
were distributed to
households along
with IEC materials
Distribution. $URINGTHElRSTWEEKOFTHETRIALHOUSEHOLDDISTRIBUTION
WASUNDERTAKENUTILIZINGPREPACKAGED@KITS/NEBAGOR0EEPOOPER
PERSONPERDAYFORAWEEKSSUPPLYWEREPLACEDINSIDETHERESPECTIVE
CONTAINERS AND DISTRIBUTED TO HOUSEHOLDS ALONG WITH INFORMATION
EDUCATIONANDCOMMUNICATION)%#MATERIALS&ORTHEREMAINDEROF
THE TRIAL CABIN ATTENDANTS AND CAMP COMMITTEE MEMBERS HANDLED
WEEKLYHOUSEHOLDDISTRIBUTIONBASEDONTHENEEDSOFHOUSEHOLDS
Deposit and storage. )N #AMP #IT½ AUX #AYES USED BAGS WERE TO BE
DEPOSITEDINGALLONDRUMSWITHLIDSLOCATEDBEHINDTHEMALEAND
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D. PATEL et al.
Drums with lids located by communal
cabins to safely deposit bags filled with
excreta
Used Peepoos being composted outside Port-au-Prince
FEMALEHYGIENEBLOCKS$UETODENSITYOFTHESHELTERSANDINABILITYTO
ACCESSMANYAREASADDITIONALEXCRETADEPOSITDRUMSWERENOTPLACED
AROUND THE CAMP )N #AMP 'ARAGE GALLON DEPOSIT DRUMS WITH
LIDSWEREPROVIDEDNEARTHECABINSANDINOTHERLOCATIONSAROUNDTHE
CAMP)NBOTHCAMPSTOSTEMTHE@mYINGTOILETPRACTICEANDENCOUR
AGEPROPERCOLLECTIONTRIALPARTICIPANTSWEREINSTRUCTEDTHATDEPOSIT
DRUMSWEREEXCLUSIVELYTOCOLLECTUSED0EEPOOSORBAGS
Deposit drums filled
with Peepoos were
transported to a
composting site in
a suburb of Port-auPrince
Hygiene promotion
is an integral
component to bag
excreta disposal
systems to ensure
proper usage and
collection
January 2011
Collection and transport for treatment or disposal. $EPOSIT DRUMS WERE
TRANSPORTED BY WHEELBARROW -ONDAYn3ATURDAY TO THE NEAREST ROAD
ACCESS OUTSIDE OF #AMP #IT½ AUX #AYES FOR COLLECTION BY A (AITIAN
COMPANY HANDLING EXCRETA DISPOSAL $RUMS WERE EMPTIED INTO THE
COMPANYS TRUCK AND COMBINED WITH EXCRETA COLLECTION FROM OTHER
CAMPSTOBEDISCARDEDATANEXCRETASPECIlCPITIN4RUTIERINLINEWITH
CURRENTPRACTICESBYOTHERORGANIZATIONS
$EPOSITDRUMSlLLEDWITH0EEPOOSWERECOLLECTED-ONDAYn3ATURDAY
FROM#AMP'ARAGEONAmATBEDTRUCKANDTRANSPORTEDTOACOMPOSTING
SITERUNBY.EW$IRECTIONS&OUNDATIONINASUBURBOF0ORTAU0RINCE
7HEN #AMP 'ARAGE PARTICIPANTS SWITCHED TO BAGS THEIR COLLECTION
WASAPPENDEDTOTHECOLLECTIONFROM#AMP#IT½AUX#AYES
$RUMSWERENOTCOLLECTEDON3UNDAYSBECAUSEITISAHOLIDAYIN(AITI
4HERE WERE ALSO OCCASIONS ON WHICH THE EXCRETA DRUMS COULD NOT BE
PICKEDUPEGHEAVYRAINSBLOCKEDROADACCESSTOTHECAMPS4HElLLED
DRUMSREMAINEDINTHECAMPANDWEREKEPTCOVEREDSOVECTORANDSMELL
CONTROLWASMAINTAINED4HEREWASNORESISTANCEFROMCAMPLEADERSOR
RESIDENTSWHENTHESEEXCEPTIONALCIRCUMSTANCESOCCURRED
Hygiene promotion. (YGIENEPROMOTIONISANINTEGRALPROGRAMMECOM
PONENTTOBAGEXCRETADISPOSALSYSTEMSTOENSUREPROPERUSAGECOLLEC
TION AND REMOVAL OF BAGS )%# MATERIALS WERE SPECIlCALLY DRAFTED FOR
THE 0EEPOO AND BAG SYSTEMS AND PRETRIALLED FOR CULTURAL SENSITIVITY
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EXCRETA DISPOSAL IN EMERGENCIES: HAITI
69
AND EASE OF UNDERSTANDING THROUGH &'$S AND KEY INFORMANT REVIEW
(AITI7!3(#LUSTERCAMPCOMMITTEES/NGOINGHYGIENEPROMOTION
MESSAGESINCLUDEDEDUCATIONONTHEIMPORTANCEOFSEGREGATINGEXCRETA
FROM GENERAL SOLID WASTE THE REASONING BEHIND SEPARATE URINAL AND
TOILETSPROVISIONSDISPOSALOFCHILDRENSEXCRETAVECTORCONTROLPROVID
ED BY CLOSING LID ON EXCRETA DEPOSIT DRUMS AND HANDWASHING WITH
SOAP)NBOTHCAMPSHANDWASHINGFACILITIESANDSOAPWEREPROVIDED
Results and discussion
!NALYSISOFKEYRESULTSFROMTHE((1SAND&'$SSUMMARYIN4ABLE
PERTAININGTOTHEPOTENTIALTOUTILIZEBAGSFOREXCRETADISPOSALINURBAN
HUMANITARIAN SITUATIONS ARE DISCUSSED BELOW .OTE FEWER POSTTRIAL
((1S WERE COMPLETED IN #AMP 'ARAGE BECAUSE A LARGER PERCENTAGE
OFHOUSEHOLDSHADRETURNEDTOWORKORSCHOOLBY-AYWHENTHE
((1SWERECONDUCTED
Pre-trial
None of the
participants stated
they defecated in
bags prior to the
earthquake
Pre-earthquake facilities. 0ARTICIPANTS PREEARTHQUAKE TOILET SITUATION
WASASCERTAINED&IGURE)NCONTRASTTOTHEANECDOTALINFORMATION
AVAILABLENO((1OR&'$PARTICIPANTSTATEDTHEYDEFECATEDINBAGS
PRIORTOTHEEARTHQUAKE4HISMAYBEDUETOTHEPERSPECTIVETAKENBY
RESPONDENTS WHEN ANSWERING QUESTIONS &OR EXAMPLE MANY HOUSE
HOLDS DID NOT STATE THEY @DEFECATE IN THE OPEN DURING THE ADMINIS
TRATIONOFTHEPRETRIAL((1BECAUSETHEYCONSIDERDEFECATINGINTOA
RAVINEASADIFFERENTCONCEPTADESIGNATEDSPOT
5PONOBSERVATIONITWASFOUNDTHATTHEHIGHPERCENTAGEOFHOUSE
HOLDSWHOSTATEDTHEYHADmUSHTOILETSPERCENTCOMPAREDWITH
*-0DATAPERCENT7(/5.)#%&ISDUETOTHEFACTTHAT
MANYOFTHERESPONDENTSPREVIOUSLYLIVEDINHOUSESTHATWEREALONG
ARAVINEANDHADTOILETSTHATDIRECTLYEMPTIEDINTOTHERAVINEWHEN
Table 4. Summary of data collection
Pre-trial
Post-trial
FGDs
Garage
Cité aux Cayes
Female
3
8
Male
2
6
Female
3
6
Male
3
7
HHQs
Garage
Cité aux Cayes
Complete
43
109
HH empty
2
67
completed
31
115
HH empty
133
65
3
&EWERPOSTTRIAL((1SWERECOMPLETEDBECAUSEALARGERPERCENTAGEOFHOUSE
HOLDS HAD RETURNED TO WORK OR SCHOOL BY -AY  WHEN THE ((1S WERE
conducted.
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70
D. PATEL et al.
No facility
5%
Indoor flush
30%
Outdoor pit
latrine
34%
50%
45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
43%
24%
13%
6%
Security
concerns
at night
Indoor pit latrine
30%
Figure 1. Type of facility primarily used preearthquake
14%
Proper
Freedom of
Have no
Difficulty
collection access (time, other toilet accessing
will make
location,
pre-EQ toilet
camp cleaner privacy)
(night, rain,
emergencies)
Figure 2. Why household is interested in using a Peepoo or bag in
home
mUSHED4HISISNOTCONSIDEREDANIMPROVEDSANITATIONSYSTEM/FTHE
HOUSEHOLDSWHOHADACCESSTOTOILETSPRIORTOTHEEARTHQUAKE
PERCENTSHAREDTHEFACILITYWITHOTHERHOUSEHOLDS
Post-earthquake toilet options. !FTERTHEEARTHQUAKEHOUSEHOLDSREPORT
EDDEFECATINGASFOLLOWSINPERCENTOFHOUSEHOLDSONEORMORE
MEMBERSUSEDPLASTICBAGSINPERCENTOFHOUSEHOLDSONEORMORE
MEMBERSRETURNEDTOPREEARTHQUAKEHOUSESINPERCENTOFHOUSE
HOLDSONEORMOREMEMBERSDEFECATEDINTHEOPENINPERCENTOF
HOUSEHOLDSONEORMOREMEMBERSDEFECATEDINTOCONTAINERSANDIN
PERCENTOFHOUSEHOLDSONEORMOREMEMBERSUSEDAFACILITYBYTHEIR
WORKPLACE&URTHERMOREINHOUSEHOLDSWHERETHEADULTSWEREUTILIZ
ING TOILETS AT THEIR WORKPLACE OR RETURNING TO EARTHQUAKEDAMAGED
BUILDINGSPERCENTOFTHECHILDRENFROMTHOSEHOUSEHOLDSWERE
DEFECATING IN THE OPEN OR INTO BUCKETS AND THE EXCRETA WAS THROWN
INTONEARBYOPENAREAS
Women spoke
about how ‘shame’
drove them to
defecate at night
and there were
cases of sexual
abuse
January 2011
Experience with bags. "ASELINEDATACOLLECTIONCONlRMEDTHEPERCEIVED
WIDESPREAD USE OF BAGS FOR DEFECATION AMONGST )$0 AFTER THE EARTH
QUAKE/FTHEPERCENTOFHOUSEHOLDSWITHONEORMOREMEMBERS
USINGBAGSFORDEFECATIONTHELOCATIONUSEDTODEFECATEWASNOTSPECI
lEDINHOMEOROTHERBUTPERCENTOFRESPONDENTSSTATEDTHEY
DISCARDEDTHEBAGININDISCRIMINATELOCATIONS
)N #AMP #IT½ AUX #AYES FEMALE &'$ PARTICIPANTS DISCUSSED WHY
THEYCHOSEBAGSOVEROPENDEFECATION4HOSEWHOCOULDNOTlNDBAGS
ORAFFORDTOBUYTHEMWEREFORCEDTOGOTOTHERAVINETODEFECATEIN
THEOPEN7OMENSPOKEABOUTHOW@SHAMEDROVETHEMTODEFECATEAT
NIGHTANDTHEREWERECASESOFWOMEN@BEINGSNATCHEDFROMBEHIND
ANDGETTINGSEXUALLYABUSED!SWORDSPREADAROUNDTHECAMPWOMEN
Waterlines Vol. 30 No. 1
EXCRETA DISPOSAL IN EMERGENCIES: HAITI
Overall, 49 per cent
of households were
interested in using a
Peepoo or bag as a
toilet in their homes
71
BEGANDEFECATINGINTHERAVINEINTHEMORNINGINSTEAD(OWEVERTHIS
RESULTEDINTHEWOMENFALLINGPREYTOADIFFERENTTYPEOFABUSEPEOPLE
WOULDTHROWROCKSATTHOSESQUATTINGINTHERAVINEANDSCREAMEPI
thets at them.
/VERALLPERCENTOFHOUSEHOLDSWEREINTERESTEDINUSINGA0EEPOO
ORBAGASATOILETINTHEIRHOMESFORVARIOUSREASONS&IGUREANDNO
HOUSEHOLDSEXPRESSEDAVERSIONTOUSINGABAGFOREXCRETACONTAINMENT
INACOMMUNALCABININTHECAMP
Post-trial
The Peepoo was
preferred for
in-home use
because of its ability
to contain odour
4HE/XFAM'"BAGSANITATIONSYSTEMWASTHEPRIMARYTOILETUTILIZEDBY
PERCENTOFHOUSEHOLDS/FTHEHOUSEHOLDSTHATUSEDBAGSEITHERIN
THEIRHOMEORINTHECABINSPERCENTSTATEDTHEYARE@VERYSATISlED
OR @SATISlED WITH THE SYSTEM 4HERE WAS ALSO A SIGNIlCANT REDUCTION
IN SAFETY DIGNITY AND PRIVACY ISSUES POSTTRIAL &IGURE  #OMPARING
FACILITIESUTILIZEDBEFOREANDAFTERTHE/XFAM'"INTERVENTIONPRETRIAL
PERCENTOFHOUSEHOLDSRETURNEDTOEARTHQUAKEDAMAGEDHOMESTO
DEFECATEWHEREASPOSTTRIALONLYPERCENTREPORTEDDOINGSO.OOPEN
DEFECATIONWASREPORTEDPOSTTRIAL
4HERE WAS A SIGNIlCANT REDUCTION IN SELFREPORTED DIARRHOEA PRE
TRIALPERCENTOFHOUSEHOLDSEXPERIENCEDDIARRHOEAINTHEPREVIOUS
TWOWEEKSWHILEPOSTTRIALONLYPERCENTEXPERIENCEDDIARRHOEAIN
THEPREVIOUSTWOWEEKSFP
Figure 3. Problems faced when defecating, pre- and post-trial
Waterlines Vol. 30 No. 1
January 2011
72
D. PATEL et al.
Odour. &OR INHOME USE IN #AMP 'ARAGE PARTICIPANTS SIGNIlCANTLY
FAVOUREDTHE0EEPOOPERCENTCOMPAREDWITHABAGPERCENT
FP(OWEVERTHEPREFERENCEFORHOUSEHOLDSTODEF
ECATEINTHEPRIVACYOFTHEIRHOMEESPECIALLYATNIGHTWASENOUGHFOR
ANADDITIONALPERCENTOFHOUSEHOLDSTOSTATETHEYWOULDUSEBAGS
ASTOILETSINTHEIRHOME@IFITWASANEMERGENCY#OPINGMECHANISMS
AGAINST ODOUR INCLUDED PLACING USED BAGS DIRECTLY OUTSIDE THE TENT
ORINACONTAINERWITHATIGHTlTTINGLID/FTHEHOUSEHOLDSWHO
STATEDTHEYDONOTUSETHEBAGSINTHEIRHOMEATALLNINEPERCENT
DIDUSE0EEPOOSINTHEIRHOME
)NEVERY#AMP'ARAGE&'$THEREWASACONSENSUSTHATTHE0EEPOO
WASPREFERREDFORINHOMEUSEBECAUSEOFITSABILITYTOCONTAINODOUR
)NONE&'$AWOMENSTATED@YOUCOULDLEAVEA;USED=0EEPOOONTHE
STREETFORAWEEKANDEVENTHEPIGSWOULDNTKNOWITISTHERE3OME
PEOPLEALSOSTATEDTHEYKEPTEXTRA0EEPOOSTHEYHADFROMTHElRSTHALF
OFTHETRIALSOLELYFORINHOMEUSEANDUSEDTHECABINSDURINGTHEDAY
WITHTHEOTHERBAG
)N #AMP #IT½ AUX #AYES  PER CENT OF HOUSEHOLDS USED BAGS IN
THEIR HOME /F THE HOUSEHOLDS WHO STATED THEY DO NOT USE BAGS IN
THEIRHOMEPERCENTCHOSETODOSOBECAUSETHEYPREFERTHECABINS
ORHAVEOTHERTOILETOPTIONS/NLYPERCENTSTATEDTHEYDIDNOTUSE
bags in their home because of the odour.
Difficulties
in using the
Peepoo included
inadequate
circumference
to spread it over
a container and
inadequate length
to knot after use
With children,
disabled people, or
in urgent situations,
the standard bag
was preferred
because of the ease
of use
January 2011
Ease of use. 4HEREWASACONSENSUSAMONGPOSTTRIAL&'$PARTICIPANTS
ONTHEDIFlCULTYINUSINGTHE0EEPOOFORTWOMAINREASONSINADEQUATE
CIRCUMFERENCETOSPREADTHE0EEPOOOVERACONTAINERANDINADEQUATE
LENGTHWHICHINHIBITEDPROPERKNOTTINGAFTERUSE!MAJORITYOFADULTS
STATEDIFITWASNOTURGENTIMMEDIATEONSETOFDESIRETODEFECATETHEY
WEREABLETOUSETHE0EEPOOWITHOUTTOOMUCHDIFlCULTY2ESPONDENTS
STATEDTHEYALSOCOPEDBYKEEPING0EEPOOSALREADYOPENINTHECOM
MUNALCOMMODES
(OWEVER WITH CHILDREN DISABLED PEOPLE OR IN URGENT SITUATIONS
THESTANDARDBAGWASPREFERREDBECAUSEOFTHEEASEOFUSE#ARETAKERS
REPEATEDLYSTATEDTHATTHEPREPARATIONTIMEREQUIREDTOUSETHE0EEPOO
WASAHINDRANCEWHEREASWITHABAGTHEYCOULD@QUICKLYOPENITON
THEmOORFORAPERSONTOSQUATOVER4HE&'$WITHLATRINEATTENDANTS
REVEALEDTHATTHEYPREFERREDTHEBAGTOTHE0EEPOOBECAUSE@TOOMANY
USERSHADTROUBLEPROPERLYOPENINGTHE0EEPOOINTHECOMMODEAND
ITWOULDCAUSEFAECESTOFALLINTOTHEBOWL
#ONTAINERSWEREPROVIDEDTOHOUSEHOLDSFOREASEOFUSEOFTHEBAGS
0OSTTRIAL((1DATASHOWSASIGNIlCANTDIFFERENCEINTHENEEDFORA
CONTAINER FOR BAGS ONLY  PER CENT OF BAG USERS STATED THEY USED
A CONTAINER THAN FOR THE 0EEPOO  PER CENT USED A CONTAINER
F   P 4HE NEED FOR A CONTAINER WITH STANDARD BAGS
MAYBEEVENLESSCONSIDERINGTHATOFTHEHOUSEHOLDSINTHEPRETRIAL
Waterlines Vol. 30 No. 1
EXCRETA DISPOSAL IN EMERGENCIES: HAITI
73
((1 WHO STATED THEY DEFECATED IN BAGS N   ONLY  PER CENT
used a container.
Utilization of ‘improved aspects’ of bag excreta disposal system
Daily observations
of collected
Peepoos revealed
there were multiple
incidences of
improper use
7ITH THE BAG #IT½ AUX #AYES PARTICIPANTS UNANIMOUSLY STATED PRE
TRIALPERCENTANDPOSTTRIALPERCENTTHATTHE)%#MATERIAL
PROVIDED WAS SUFlCIENT FOR THEM TO PROPERLY UTILIZE THE BAG EXCRETA
DISPOSALSYSTEM!LTHOUGHPERCENTOFPRETRIAL((1RESPONDENTS
STATEDTHEYCOULDEASILYFOLLOWTHEDIRECTIONSOFTHE0EEPOOINSTRUC
TIONSHEETPRETRIAL&'$RESPONDENTSUNANIMOUSLYEXPRESSEDANEED
FORDEMONSTRATIONSONHOWTOUSETHE0EEPOO$AILYOBSERVATIONSOF
COLLECTED0EEPOOSREVEALEDTHEREWEREMULTIPLEINCIDENCESOFIMPROP
ERUSEINNERSEALNOTOPENEDGREENLINERWITHFAECALMATTERPRESENT
WAS NOT TUCKED INTO OUTER WHITE LAYER BEFORE KNOTTING 0EEPOO NOT
KNOTTEDATALLANDREPEATEDDEMONSTRATIONSOVERTHElRSTWEEKOFTHE
TRIALWERENECESSARY"YTHEENDOFTHESECONDWEEKNONCOMPLIANCE
WITHNECESSARYSTEPSTOUSINGTHE0EEPOOWASSTILLPRESENTINAPPROXI
MATELYPERCENTOFCOLLECTED0EEPOOS
!LL((1RESPONDENTSFROMBOTHCAMPSSTATEDTHEYDEPOSITEDUSED
BAGSINPROPERCOLLECTIONRECEPTACLES(OWEVERIN#IT½AUX#AYESIN
OUTOFPOSTTRIAL&'$STHEREWERESTATEMENTSTHATPEOPLEHAD
OBSERVEDOTHERSTHROWEXCRETAlLLEDBAGSONTOSOMEONEELSESTENT
)NDAILYOBSERVATIONSUNDERTAKENBYRESEARCHERS/XFAMDISTRIBUTED
BAGS WERE VISIBLY THROWN INTO THE RAVINE DURING THE lRST WEEK OF
THETRIALBUTNEVERINDISCRIMINATELYAROUNDTHECAMP!FTERTHElRST
WEEKLATRINEATTENDANTSANDCAMPVOLUNTEERSCONDUCTEDASUPERl
CIALCLEANINGOFTHERAVINEEDGEANDSUBSEQUENTLYMORETHANPER
CENTOFDEFECATIONBAGSWEREPROPERLYDISCARDED
Limitations
This trial occurred
in a socio-cultural
setting with a preemergency history
of bag usage for
defecation
Waterlines Vol. 30 No. 1
4HOUGHTRIALLEDINTWOMARKEDLYDIFFERENT)$0SETTLEMENTSTHISTRIAL
OCCURREDINASOCIOCULTURALSETTINGWITHAPREEMERGENCYHISTORYOF
BAG USAGE FOR DEFECATION 4HEREFORE CAUTION MUST BE TAKEN WHEN
UTILIZINGTHISAPPROACHINOTHERSOCIOCULTURALCONTEXTS
4HOUGHTHEMETHODOLOGYUTILIZEDOBJECTIVEOBSERVATIONSTHEMA
JORITYOFTHEDATAGATHEREDDURINGTHETRIALCOMESFROMSELFREPORTING
((1S WERE ADMINISTERED AS INTERVIEWS AND CONSEQUENTLY MAY BE
SUBJECTTOENUMERATORINTERPRETATION/XFAM'"ATTEMPTEDTOREDUCE
THEEFFECTOFINTERPRETATIONANDVARIABILITYBETWEENQUESTIONNAIREAD
MINISTRATIONBYTRAININGALLENUMERATORSTOGETHERANDHAVINGTHEM
SHARE THEIR ADMINISTRATION STRATEGY 4HERE WAS ONE CASE IN THE #IT½
AUX #AYES PRETRIAL ((1 IN WHICH AN ENUMERATOR WHO COMPLETED
((1SINCORRECTLYPRESENTEDTHEQUESTIONOFUSINGABAGINHOME
AS AN EITHEROR SITUATION TO USING THE BAG IN THE CABIN WHICH LIKELY
January 2011
74
D. PATEL et al.
RESULTEDINFALSENEGATIVESFORHOUSEHOLDSINTERESTEDINUSINGBAGSIN
their home.
Conclusions
This trial supports
bags and Peepoos
as viable in the
compendium of
excreta disposal
options
Once the bags
were deposited in
collection drums
and the lid closed,
nearly all stated
there was no smell
or flies
January 2011
$ESPITETHELIMITATIONSMENTIONEDABOVETHERESULTSOFTHISTRIALREP
RESENTING TWO DIFFERENT )$0 SETTLEMENT CONTEXTS SUPPORTS BAGS AND
0EEPOOS AS VIABLE IN THE COMPENDIUM OF EXCRETA DISPOSAL OPTIONS
ESPECIALLYINCOMPLEXURBANHUMANITARIANSITUATIONS4HEUSEOFBAGS
IN EMERGENCY EXCRETA MANAGEMENT IS APPROPRIATE AND WELLADAPTED
FORANIMMEDIATEINTERVENTIONATTHEHOUSEHOLDLEVELUNTILCOM
MUNITYTOILETSCANBEPROVIDEDASHORTINTERVENTIONBEFOREPROPER
LATRINESAREBUILTSETTLEMENTSWITHCHRONICSPACEORLANDUSELIM
ITATIONS  SETTLEMENTS WHERE DESLUDGING IS DIFlCULT OR IMPOSSIBLE
ANDPOPULATIONSWHERECERTAINGROUPSWOMENCHILDRENDISABLED
PEOPLEPREFERTODEFECATEINPERSONALSHELTERS
0RETRIAL DATA HIGHLIGHT UNIQUE ASPECTS OF URBAN EMERGENCIES AND
THECOPINGMECHANISMSPEOPLEADOPT4HEIMPLEMENTATIONMETHOD
OLOGYINBOTHLOCATIONSIMPROVEDEXCRETACONTAINMENTANDREMOVAL
IN HARDTOREACH SETTLEMENTS AND COVERED GAPS IN SANITATION ACCESS
ANDACCEPTABILITYAMONGVULNERABLEPOPULATIONS3IMULTANEOUSLYTHE
APPROACH WAS mEXIBLE ENOUGH TO BE IMPLEMENTED RAPIDLY AND WAS
ABLE TO BE COMMUNITYMANAGED WITH MINIMAL /XFAM '" SUPPORT
EG THROUGH SCALEDDOWN MAINTENANCE AND HYGIENE MESSAGING TO
FACILITATEBEHAVIOURCHANGE
4RIAL DATA DEMONSTRATES THE IMPORTANCE OF COUPLING COMMUNITY
LEVELANDHOUSEHOLDLEVELSANITATIONACCESSINEMERGENCIESESPECIALLY
INDENSESETTLEMENTSANDTHOSEWITHSECURITYRISKS4HISLEADSTOTHE
CONCLUSION THAT THERE IS A SEPARATE APPLICABILITY FOR THE 0EEPOO AND
OTHER BAGS /VERALL #AMP 'ARAGE TRIAL PARTICIPANTS APPRECIATED THE
0EEPOO OVER STANDARD BAGS BECAUSE OF ITS ABILITY TO CONTAIN ODOUR
0ARTICIPANTSINBOTHCAMPSSTATEDTHATSTANDARDBAGSDONOTCONTAIN
ODOUR (OWEVER ONCE THE BAGS WERE DEPOSITED IN COLLECTION DRUMS
AND THE LID CLOSED NEARLY ALL PARTICIPANTS STATED THAT THERE WAS NO
SMELL NO mIES AND THEIR ACTUAL TOILET INTERFACE BUCKET IN HOME OR
COMMUNALCOMMODEREMAINEDCLEAN
4HEREFORE IN A SIMPLE COMPARISON OF A BAG TO THE 0EEPOO BOTH
PROVEDUSEFULTOPARTICIPANTSINTHISTRIALFORDIFFERENTREASONS4HERE
SULTSDEMONSTRATETHATINACOMPARISONOFABAGWITHTHE0EEPOOTHE
IMPROVEMENTOFTHE0EEPOOINCONTAININGSMELLISNOTAMAJORFACTOR
WHENPROPERCOLLECTIONMECHANISMSAREINPLACE)FUSEDBAGSOFANY
TYPEAREKEPTINACLOSEDRECEPTACLEANDREMOVEDFROMTHECAMPOR
PROPERLYDISPOSEDOFONSITEWITHRELATIVEFREQUENCYUSERSARELIKELYTO
BECOMFORTABLEWITHANYTYPEOFBAG
Waterlines Vol. 30 No. 1
EXCRETA DISPOSAL IN EMERGENCIES: HAITI
75
Recommendations
!STHISISTHElRSTTIMETHE0EEPOOHASBEENEMPLOYEDINANEMERGENCY
SITUATION/XFAM'"FEELSTHEVALUEOFUTILIZING0EEPOOSINEMERGENCY
SITUATIONSCANNOTBEREALIZEDUNTILCERTAINPRODUCTIMPROVEMENTSARE
IMPLEMENTED RENDERING THE 0EEPOO MORE mEXIBLE IN ITS APPLICATION
ANDPRACTICALINITSUTILIZATION
Specific technical recommendations on the Peepoo
Oxfam GB
recommends the
Peepoo is enlarged
to facilitate ease of
use in emergency
situations
Size4HE0EEPOOMUSTBEENLARGEDINORDERTOFACILITATEEASEOFUSEIN
EMERGENCYSITUATIONS/XFAM'"RECOMMENDSTHEINNERGREENFOILOF
THE0EEPOOBEEXPANDEDFROMITSCURRENTCMCIRCUMFERENCETOAT
LEASTCMSOITISMOREEASILYADAPTABLETOLOCALLYAVAILABLECONTAIN
ERSINAVARIETYOFSETTINGS4HEEASEOFUSESHOULDDECREASETHEUSER
EDUCATIONANDBEHAVIOURCHANGEREQUIREMENTSNECESSARYTOEMPLOY
0EEPOOSRAPIDLYINEMERGENCIES
!S A SELFKNOTTING BAG COMPARED WITH HANDLES ON STANDARD BAGS
THEDIFlCULTYINKNOTTINGTHE0EEPOODECREASESORELIMINATESITSABILITY
TOBREAKDOWNPATHOGENS/XFAM'"RECOMMENDSTHELENGTHOFTHE
0EEPOOBEINCREASEDFROMCMTOATLEASTCMSOTHATKNOTTINGTHE
0EEPOOAFTERUSEISEASIERANDDECREASESTHECHANCEOFNONCOMPLIANCE
ACCIDENTSORKNOTTINGRESULTINGINEXCRETAABOVETHEKNOT
0RODUCT SPECIlCATIONS $URING THE TRIAL THERE WAS A STRONG DETECTABLE
ODOUR WHEN MANY USED 0EEPOOS WERE STORED TOGETHER AND APPROXI
MATELY  PER CENT OF 0EEPOOS USED WERE FOUND TO HAVE SMALL TEARS
WHERETHEOUTERLAYERISWELDEDTOTHEINNERLAYERRESULTINGINLEAKAGE
OFEXCRETAAFTERUSE)TISUNCLEARIFTHISWASAMANUFACTURINGDEFECTOR
ARESULTOFTHELENGTHOFTIMEELAPSEDSINCEPRODUCTION
/XFAM '" RECOMMENDS 0EEPOOPLE EXAMINE THE PERIOD OF TIME
BETWEENPRODUCTIONANDUSETHATTHE0EEPOOMATERIALREMAINSEFFEC
TIVE!DDITIONALLYIFTHE0EEPOOORBIODEGRADABLEBAGSARETOBEUSED
AS CONTINGENCY STOCK FOR EMERGENCY PREPARATION IT IS NECESSARY TO
ACCOUNTFORTHESHELFLIFEOFTHEMATERIALANDTHENECESSARYSTORAGE
REQUIREMENTSSUCHASTEMPERATUREMOISTUREANDPROPERHANDLING
Key programmatic recommendations
Both standard
bags and Peepoos
are viable options
in first phase
emergency
response
Waterlines Vol. 30 No. 1
"OTH STANDARD BAGS AND0EEPOOSAREVIABLEOPTIONSASPARTOFWIDER
EXCRETADISPOSALSYSTEMSINlRSTPHASEEMERGENCYRESPONSE
s
s
4HE 0EEPOO IS ADVANTAGEOUS FOR USE IN SHELTERS SINCE ODOUR IS
MINIMALTHEREFOREPROVIDINGUSERSmEXIBILITYTODEPOSITUSEDBAGS
INCOMMUNALRECEPTACLES
0ROPERBAGDEPOSITANDREMOVALISCRUCIALANDWITHTHISANYBAG
TYPEMAYBEEQUALLYACCEPTABLEFORUSE
January 2011
76
D. PATEL et al.
s
s
s
"AGTYPEHASNOAFFECTONACCEPTANCEOFACOMMUNALSETUP
4HE HYGIENE PROMOTION COMPONENT OF BAG EXCRETA SYSTEMS IS
ESSENTIALTOENSURINGCONTINUEDSAFETYANDEFlCACYOFTHESYSTEM
#URRENT COPING MECHANISMS IN DISASTERPRONE AREAS SHOULD BE
EXAMINEDTODESIGNRAPIDDEPLOYMENTBAGEXCRETADISPOSALCON
TINGENCYPLANSASPREPARATIONFOREMERGENCYRESPONSE
Further study
Further study is
needed, especially
in emergencies
with high diarrhoea
prevalence, into the
number of bags to
be distributed
If the Peepoo or
bags are to be
utilized to scale in
emergencies, their
cost-effectiveness
should be
compared with
other options
January 2011
/WINGTOTHELIMITEDNUMBEROF0EEPOOSAVAILABLETHEMETHODOLOGY
OFDISTRIBUTINGONEBAGPERPERSONPERDAYWASUTILIZED(OWEVERFUR
THERSTUDYISNEEDEDESPECIALLYINEMERGENCIESWITHHIGHDIARRHOEA
PREVALENCEINTOTHENUMBEROFBAGSTOBEDISTRIBUTEDTOBALANCEBE
TWEEN EXCESSIVE TO PREVENT MISUSE OF BAGS EG FOR PURPOSES OTHER
THANDEFECATIONANDINSUFlCIENTTOENSUREPOPULATIONSDONOTHAVE
TORELYONOTHERUNSAFEMETHODSOFDEFECATION
!DDITIONALLYINSETTLEMENTSUTILIZING0EEPOOSTHEBENElTOFRAPID
PATHOGENDEGRADATIONOVEROTHERBAGSCANNOTBEENSUREDUNLESS
PER CENT COVERAGE IS MAINTAINED !CCORDINGLY IT MUST BE ENSURED
THAT THE AVAILABILITY OF 0EEPOOS FOR ALL POTENTIAL USERS IN THE AREA
IS ACHIEVED OR PEOPLE MAY PICK UP THE BEHAVIOUR OF DEFECATING IN
BAGS WITHOUT THE ADDED BENElT OF BIODEGRADATION OR PATHOGEN RE
DUCTION #ONSEQUENTLY THIS WILL REQUIRE A MORE ROBUST METHOD OF
DISTRIBUTION AND MONITORING WHICH IN LARGE CAMPS MAY BE LABOUR
INTENSIVE!LTERNATIVEMETHODSTOREACHTHEENTIREPOPULATIONMUST
BEDEVELOPED
4HOUGHCOSTWASNOTANALYSEDINTHISTRIALIFTHE0EEPOOORBAGSARE
TOBEUTILIZEDTOSCALEINEMERGENCIESITISESSENTIALTOFURTHEREXAMINE
THECOSTOVERTHEPERIODOFTIMEUTILIZEDCOMPAREDWITHOTHEROPTIONS
!SAlRSTPHASEEMERGENCYSANITATIONSYSTEMCOSTOFBAGSWOULDHAVE
FEWERIMPLICATIONS(OWEVEROVERTIMETHECOSTEFFECTIVENESSOFTHE
SOLUTIONDECREASESINCOMPARISONWITHOTHERSYSTEMSANDTHEREFORE
APROPERPHASEOUTSTRATEGYMUSTBEDEVELOPEDBYANYORGANIZATION
DEPLOYINGBAGSANITATIONSYSTEMS
4HEREUSEOF0EEPOOSORCOMPOSTEDBIODEGRADABLEBAGSASFERTILIZER
WASNOTANALYSEDINTHISTRIAL&URTHERRESEARCHISRECOMMENDEDINTO
THEABILITYANDWILLINGNESSTOPAYFORSANITATIONTOINCREASESUSTAIN
ABILITYANDWHETHERTHEREISANADVANTAGESOCIOCULTURALANDlNAN
CIALORABILITYTOMANAGETECHNICALLYANDLOGISTICALLYTHEAGRICULTURAL
REUSEOFHUMANFAECESINVARIOUSPOSTEMERGENCYPHASES
&INALLYFURTHERRESEARCHISNEEDEDINTOTHE@PHASEOUTPOINTOFBAGS
INPOSTEMERGENCYSANITATIONRESPONSEANDORIFENTERINGTHESECOND
PHASEWHENFACILITIESAREUPGRADEDANDTHERATIOOFPEOPLETOTOILETS
DECREASESBAGSMAYSTILLBEUTILIZEDINHOMETOSUPPLEMENTGAPSIN
Waterlines Vol. 30 No. 1
EXCRETA DISPOSAL IN EMERGENCIES: HAITI
77
ADEQUATE SANITATION COVERAGE WOMEN AT NIGHT CHILDREN OR PEOPLE
WITHADISABILITY
References
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'OVERNMENTOF(AITI
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From Sustaining Lives to Sustainable Solutions: The Challenge of Sanitation in Haiti,
)&2#'ENEVA
-UENCH % 0ATEL $ AND 7IRSEEN #  @0EEPOO ! NEW SUSTAINABLE
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-EXICO$&n.OVEMBER
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5+
4HE 3PHERE 0ROJECT  Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in
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5.$0Human Development Report. Beyond Scarcity: Power, Poverty and the
Global Water Crisis5.$0.EW9ORK
5./#(!@+EY&ACTSAND&IGURESINTERNALDOCUMENT5./#(!.EW
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'ENEVA5.)#%&.EW9ORK
Waterlines Vol. 30 No. 1
January 2011