Integrate at the top, involve at the bottom – the household-centred approach to environmental sanitation

This paper presents initial experience with implementation of the Household-Centred Environmental Sanitation (HCES) approach, jointly developed by the WSSCC and Eawag/Sandec (Water and Sanitation in Developing Countries).

The presentation explores the theoretical foundations, the problems it seeks to address and practical experience with implementing the novel planning approach, presenting two case studies from Tanzania and Laos. HCES is a method which proposes to start the holistic planning process with household decisions on service needs, and then move outward from the household to the neighbourhood, town and upper levels of government.

Thus, the link between community expression of needs and mobilization of resources to solve them is assured. The second part of the paper explores some of the innovative aspects of the planning approach, highlighting the urban sanitation options planning approach (informed systems approach) and its suitability for planning in unplanned urban contexts.

[Paper to be presented at the IRC symposium Sanitation for the Urban Poor, Delft, The Netherlands, 19 - 21 November 2008]