ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses a very personal matter, sanitation. At the domestic level human wastes are mainly of three kinds – excreta, wastewater and solid waste. Whatever the statistics show, the sanitation available for large parts of the urban population of most developing countries is deplorable. One stage up the sanitation ladders are "dry latrines". Bucket collection is a slight improvement on the dry latrine. In colonial times it was operated in a systematic way in many countries, often using prisoners or labourers from other countries. Sewerage can deal with sullage – the wastewater from bathing, laundry, kitchens and even car washing – and with industrial waste water. In industrial countries the most common method of dealing with excreta in unsewered areas is the septic tank. Septic tanks work well where there is ample space for drainage of the effluent into permeable soil. Very similar to the septic tank in its operation is the aqua-privy.
