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UNHCR Urine Diverting Dry Toilet (UDDT) Standard Operating Procedures

Double vault Urine Diversion Dry Toilets (UDDT) can be used as an alternative to pit latrines in refugee camps. They utilise two chambers for faeces, one of which is in use whilst the other is full and drying so that it can be safely disposed of after an appropriate period of time.
These Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) were developed by Oxfam under UNHCR’s “Waste to Value” Project, which was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. They are largely based on UDDTs developed under the Waste to Value Project in Ethiopia. 

WASH Nutrition

A practical guidebook on increasing nutritional impact through integration of WASH and Nutrition programmes. It is meant for practitioners in humanitarian and development contexts.

Soap is not enough: handwashing practices and knowledge in refugee camps, Maban County, South Sudan (Buffalo University, 2012)

Refugees are at high risk for communicable diseases due to overcrowding and poor water, sanitation, and hygiene conditions. Handwashing with soap removes pathogens from hands and reduces disease risk. A hepatitis E outbreak in the refugee camps of Maban County, South Sudan in 2012 prompted increased hygiene promotion and improved provision of soap, handwashing stations, and latrines. We conducted a study 1 year after the outbreak to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the refugees in Maban County.

Costing Water Services in Refugee Camps (IRC and UNHCR, 2015)

This report applies the life-cycle costs approach (LCCA) to the provision of water services in two UN refugee camps, Bambasi in Ethiopia and Kounoungou in Chad. It is based on cost data from financial reports in Geneva and both camps and on service-level data collected through the UNHCR monitoring system and on site through water point surveys.
The purpose of the study was (1) to better understand the structure, magnitude and drivers of the cost of providing a targeted level of water service to refugees, and (2) to reflect on the applicability of LCCA in the UNHCR monitoring framework and the potential for implementing it in systematically.

Hepatitis E Response in Refugee Settings (UNHCR, 2015)

This brief is intended to highlight key elements of an effective response to an outbreak of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection in refugee setting. It focuses on specific response actions, including the review of common risks associated with health, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). The overall implementation of response actions and mode of operation should be context specific, as highlighted by the examples given from Dadaab (Ifo) Kenya and South Sudan.

Water Quality Study in Refugee Operations (UNHCR and SMU, 2011)

The SMU team conducted five sampling missions to UNHCR refugee camps in Uganda, Kenya, Bangladesh, Djibouti, and Liberia. Overall, these missions were considered a success with 17 camps, 7 villages, and a few additional sites visited. The team collected 213 camp samples and 229 total samples for analyses in the laboratory. Camp conditions and source water characteristics varied widely amongst the five countries but also within the camps themselves.

Implementing Urine Diversion Dry Toilets in Dolo Addo, Ethiopia (UNHCR, OXFAM GB and CDC, 2014)

The choice of sanitation technology in humanitarian crisis is based on various factors including the terrain, social and cultural norms and agency experience. There is the continued need for humanitarian response mechanisms to factor the environmental impact and sustainability of the technologies used in the provision of safe water supply and sanitation to affected communities. The acceptability of using ecological sanitation technologies such as Urine Diversion Dry Toilets (UDDT) in refugee contexts needs significant exploration. Using refugee camps in Dollo Ado as a case study, this paper outlines how the UDDT technology has been implemented in the context of protracted refugee camps, the successes and the areas needing further exploration to make it better able to be adopted across various refugee programmes and contexts.

Sustainable Groundwater Management for Refugee Camps in Dadaab, Kenya (UNHCR and Université de Neuchâtel, 2013)

Close to half a million refugees live in Dadaab, Kenya and rely on groundwater from the Merti Aquifer. Preliminary hydrogeological mapping indicates over exploitation of the fresh water aquifer could result in salt water intrusion, which would put the security of water supply for the refugee camps and host population at risk. UNHCR together with University of Neuchâtel has embarked on a comprehensive study of the Merti Aquifer including remote monitoring, and numerical modelling of the aquifer in order to develop a sustainable groundwater management plan for the aquifer which supplies water to all the refugee camps in Dadaab, Kenya.

Water Safety Plan for Dadaab Refugee Camps (CDC, 2009)

Water safety plan produced by CDC following a technical support visit to Dadaab in 2009. The report contains: An overview of Dadaab water supply system; Identification of hazards and risks; Control measures and prioritisation of risks; Sanitation and hygiene; and Conclusions.