Welcome to the world of SFDs
Improving understanding of urban sanitation
Find guidance and support for creating SFD graphics and reports: the SFD Graphic Generator allows you to create your own SFD graphic for any given city.
Welcome to the world of SFDs
Find guidance and support for creating SFD graphics and reports: the SFD Graphic Generator allows you to create your own SFD graphic for any given city.
New SFD Reports
There are nine new SFDs (Chingola, Choma, Kabwe, Kafue, Kitwe, Mansa, Mahakali Municipality, Banepa Municipality, Jayaprithvi Municipality) accessible through our database now.
Check out the new drawings on the SFD graphic generator - when selecting sanitation systems, you can now see what each of the systems look like and double check that it matches the situation in your city.
A BIG thank you to the artist James McKay of the University of Leeds for producing the drawings – we think they are great!
Please take a look at the page and let us know what you think?
SFD Reports
Browse through all the entries and read more.
NEW SFD DATA PAGE
Check out the new page where you can compare SFD data from over 150 cities.
New Report available
SFD Promotion Initiative
Discover the brochure of CSE's SFD Phase III activities. CSE officially launched their SFD phase III in India in collaboration with the Ministry of Jal Shakti, in South Africa, and in Bangladesh.
SFD Thinking
Explore the new SFD Thinking and discover interesting facts, ideas and approaches on how to use SFDs.
SFD Manual
The SFD Manual was translated to Arabic and can be downloaded from the SuSanA Library!
An excreta flow diagram (also often described as shit flow diagram, SFD) is a tool to readily understand and communicate how excreta physically flows through a city or town.
The fate of excreta produced by populations across the globe is often poorly understood. SFDs show how it is or is not managed as it moves from defecation to disposal or end-use. The SFD report presents the service delivery context of the city or town and the data sources used for the assessment.
Discover the SFD reports, training events and presentations across the world.
As sanitation practitioners and city officials recognize how effective SFDs are in engaging and stimulating dialogue on excreta management to achieve better sanitation, the number of SFDs being prepared all over the world is increasing.
Do you want to prepare an SFD? Check out the tutorial videos, FAQs and the SFD Manual.
The SFD Manual describes the process followed within the SFD Promotion Initiative for the production of SFD graphics and reports. It includes guidance on data collection and analysis on how to use the SFD Graphic Generator and the definitions of terms and variables.
Discover the world of SFDs!
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From 2014 – 2018 the SFD Promotion Initiative has been managed by GIZ under the umbrella of the Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA), supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through two grants (2014-2015 and 2016-2018). Phase III of the SFD Promotion Initiative is being managed by the University of Leeds and the Center for Science and Environment, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through two additional grants. The secretariat of the SFD Webportal and Helpdesk are remaining with GIZ as part of the SuSanA secretariat.
The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE); the Global Sector Program on Sustainable Sanitation of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ GmbH); commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Development and Cooperation (BMZ); the Department of Sanitation, Water and Solid Waste for Development (Sandec) at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag); the water@leeds research group of the University of Leeds (UofL); the Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC) of Loughborough University and the World Bank Water Global Practice
RaviVerma2018 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Rudrapur (Kumaoni: Rudrpur) is a city in Udham Singh Nagar district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, located (28°59'09.1"N 79°24'41.7"E) at a distance of about 250 km (160 miles) northeast of the national capital, New Delhi and 250 km (160 miles) south of State capital Dehradun. Rudrapur has a history of over 500 years, it was established in the 16th century by King Rudra Chand, and was the residence of the governor of Tarai region of Kumaon (between the Siwalik range and the Indo-Gangetic Plains). The city continues to serve as the headquarters of the Udham Singh Nagar district apart from being a major industrial and educational hub. In 2021, Rudrapur Nagar Nigam (RNN) has an overall population of 175,723 residing in the municipal area of 55.25 sq. km1 with 40 wards and population, density is around 3,180 persons per sq. km1.
The output of the SFD graphic represents that only 6% of the human excreta flow is attributed to be safely managed and the remaining 94% is unsafely managed. The unsafely managed excreta of 94% are contributed by offsite sanitation as well as onsite sanitation. Under offsite component, Wastewater (WW) not delivered to treatment due to leakages and transportation inefficiency is attributed by 1% of the population, WW not treated due to non-operational and inefficacy of treatment facilities is attributed by 3% of the population; Under onsite components, Faecal Sludge (FS) not contained i.e. FS from septic tanks connected to open drains and soak pits together constitutes 50% and fully lined tanks connected to open drains is attributed by 40% of the population. Henceforth, FS not contained – not emptied (15%) represents portion of FS, which remains in tanks and infiltrate into the ground. Faecal Sludge (FS) emptied but not delivered to treatment, hence discharged in the neighbourhood is attributed by 35% of the population. Supernatant (SN) generated from systems (septic tanks + fully lined tanks) to open drains (i.e. 50% proportion of the content in the tank is FS and 50% is SN) largely gets SN discharged into open drains and not delivered to treatment facility is attributed by 40% of the population.