Mbaye Mbéguéré

Capital and Operating Costs of Full-Scale Fecal Sludge Management and Wastewater Treatment Systems in Dakar, Senegal

A financial comparison of a parallel sewer based (SB) system with activated sludge, and a fecal sludge management (FSM) system with onsite septic tanks, collection and transport (C&T) trucks, and drying beds was conducted. The annualized capital for the SB (

Success and failure assessment methodology for wastewater and faecal sludge treatment projects in low-income countries

42.66 capita–1 year–1) was ten times higher than the FSM (

A value proposition: resource recovery from faecal sludge—can it be the driver for improved sanitation?

4.05 capita–1 year–1), the annual operating cost for the SB (

Fuel potential of faecal sludge: calorific value results from Uganda, Ghana and Senegal

11.98 capita–1 year–1) was 1.5 times higher than the FSM (

Socio-economic profile and profitability of faecal sludge emptying companies

7.58 capita–1 year–1), and the combined capital and operating for the SB (

Characterization of faecal sludge during dry and rainy seasons in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

54.64 capita–1 year–1) was five times higher than FSM (

Faecal sludge drying beds: increasing drying rates for fuel resource recovery in Sub-Saharan Africa

11.63 capita–1 year–1). In Dakar, costs for SB are almost entirely borne by the sanitation utility, with only 6% of the annualized cost borne by users of the system. In addition to costing less overall, FSM operates with a different business model, with costs spread among households, private companies, and the utility. Hence, SB was 40 times more expensive to implement for the utility than FSM. However, the majority of FSM costs are borne at the household level and are inequitable. The results of the study illustrate that in low-income countries, vast improvements in sanitation can be affordable when employing FSM, whereas SB systems are prohibitively expensive.

Effect of hydraulic loading frequency on performance of planted drying beds for the treatment of faecal sludge

Many factors influence success and failure of large-scale faecal sludge and wastewater treatment projects in low-income countries. Benchmarking indicators and multicriteria analysis were adapted to define key institutional, technical and financial factors, to analyse their interrelations, and understand priorities to consider when planning and managing treatment plants. For the first time, these methods have been combined in a quantitative manner to assess planned and on-going treatment plant projects. This new methodology will aid sanitation utilities, private consultants, and funding institutions to prioritise activities and organise the operation of treatment plants.