Critical Review
Decentralized UV disinfection systems in rural areas or low-resource contexts: a case study compilation
Water disinfection using ultraviolet (UV) light is an emerging tool for improving access to safely managed drinking water and sanitation in rural areas and low-resource regions.
Typhoon impacts on sanitation access and service reliability in rural Philippines
Typhoons threaten rural sanitation access, increase unsafe practices and heighten disease risk.
Paper
Surveillance of Vibrio cholerae in a non-sewered sanitation refugee camp setting using culture methods: Dzaleka camp, Malawi
Refugees living in camps may be particularly vulnerable to infectious disease outbreaks because of factors such as overcrowding, inconsistent preventive healthcare, and limited water, sanitation, and hygiene services.
Paper
Assessment of the long-term user experience of tiger worm toilets using the Sanitation-Related Quality of Life (SanQoL) index
Tiger Worm Toilet (TWT) users in Pune, India, reported a high Sanitation-related Quality of Life (SanQoL) Index (0.94 out of 1). Poor latrine superstructure remains a challenge. Evidence supports wide application of TWTs in appropriate locations.
Paper
Targeted LC-MS/MS method for quantifying respiratory pharmaceuticals in wastewater
Background: We developed and validated a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)/MS method using multiple reaction monitoring for 10 common respiratory pharmaceuticals.
Paper
Pyrolysis of faecal sludge and biomass waste for resource recovery in Kampala, Uganda
Resource recovery potential of chars produced from faecal sludge and biomass waste, in Kampala, Uganda. Comparison with fundamental properties of excreta-derived chars allows the quantification of optimisation pathways via source control.
About this collection
Coverage and sustainability of equitable water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) systems is a major concern for developing countries. It is also a concern in many middle- and high-income countries, especially from an inequality lens. Research has identified several sustainability challenges, including poor maintenance, inappropriate technology, corruption, non-participation of stakeholders, insufficient operational and regulatory capacity, politics and bureaucracy, and inadequate sector financing particularly for operation and maintenance. Furthermore, global challenges of climate change and population growth pose short- and long-term threats to safe and reliable WASH.
Climate resilience, innovation, intersectional sensitivity, and systems strengthening are currently highlighted as necessary for sustainability and equitability in the WASH sector. As such, an interdisciplinary critical outlook that cuts across technical, social, economic, environmental and governance domains is necessary for sustainable progress on safe and reliable WASH services. Articles in this themed collection focus on WASH systems transformation and innovation. These concepts here are defined broadly as: systems are understood as complex, adaptive collections of interrelated elements from which intended or unintended functions emerge; innovation can be any new method, idea, process or product that may influence change within the system.