Strategies for improving FSM (Cameroon)

The overall aim of this study is to contribute to the improvement of sustainable sludge management in urban environments in Cameroon. To achieve this, the analysis of the current situation of non-sewered sanitation technologies was carried out in the three parts, then the main constraints associated to sludge management were assessed as well as the quantity of sludge. Finally, a prototype of work more appropriate for faecal sludge collection was design and suggested. Among the five public toilets in the town, only one was functional and others were out of service, due to technical construction defects. The surveys revealed that there is no emptying service in the town, and that mechanical emptying is carried out by service based in Yaoundé. When pits are full, 39% of the population dig a new pit, 57% empty their pit (33% mechanical emptying and 24% manual emptying), 2% use lime and 2% incinerate the sludge. The assessment of constraints, based on field observations and interviews with heads of households and administrative authorities, identified several categories, including natural, environmental, socio-economic and financial constraints. An assessment of the quantities of sludge produced in one year showed a volume of 15,807 m³/year. The adoption of a sanitation facility was based on a detailed analysis of a sanitation facility and the most suitable structure for this locality was an ecological latrine (ECOSAN). This work suggested in terms of recovery, the construction of a recycling station, which will enable secondary treatment of the sludge by solar drying and composting for future agricultural use.