This report summarizes findings from a pilot study in Nepal to develop methods for monitoring safe management of on-site sanitation (SMOSS). The SMOSS project is an initiative led by WHO/UNICEF JMP with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The initiative of monitoring Safely Managed On-Site Sanitation (SMOSS) in Indonesia had three main objectives:
a. Develop tools to assess the nature and scale of the challenges associated with SMOSS. The tools were expected to support the governments in providing the following:
• Basic information in the form of type and performance of fecal containment in each household; and
• Additional information in the form of containment compliance to national standard2 about septic tank infrastructure and its advanced treatment and accessibility of emptying holes.
b. Pilot implementation of the tools in the selected districts/cities. The initiative was aimed not only at testing the sanitation inspection tools but also at supporting the selected districts/cities in improving their sanitation monitoring capacity. A trial to include questions on monitoring SMOSS in the national drinking water supply at the household level (SKAM-RT – Survey Kualitas Air Minum Rumah Tangga) was jointly conducted by the Ministry of Health.
c. Make recommendations for routine monitoring of SMOSS in the future. The findings from using these inspection tools can support a more sound and appropriate design, operation and maintenance policy and regulation. As the tools may also assess the risk of the on-site sanitation systems to human health, contamination, and sustainability, it was expected that the initiative could provide recommendations for scale and continuous monitoring of SMOSS at the national and sub-national levels.