Sanitation in Colombia's low-income settlements : selection, implementation, and evaluation

The Learning-Process Projects on Water Supply and Sanitation were introduced by CINARA and EMCALI in Cali, Colombia, in 1992. This article focuses on the procedures which were used to evaluate household sanitation options according to the following criteria: sustainability, effective use, and replicability. Evaluation took place at both area level and at household level. At area level, management committees and health clinics collected information related to technical, social, health and economic aspects. The household-level evaluation examined the use of sanitation facilities and hygiene behaviour. The evaluated parameters formed part of the community's surveillance of their sanitation system. Up till now the project has given more attention to community management and community participation options, rather than to technical options for sanitation in low-income urban areas.