Water and Sanitation
What’s the difference?
Water Supply Service Level I vs. Level II vs. Level III
Level I (point source) is a protected well or a developed spring with an outlet but without a distribution system, generally adaptable for rural areas where the houses are thinly scattered.A Level I facility normally serves an average of 15 households.
Level II (communal faucet system or standposts) is a system composed of a source, a reservoir, a piped distribution network,and communal faucets. Usually, one faucet serves 4 to 6 households. Generally suitable for rural and urban fringe areas where houses are clustered densely to justify a simple piped system.
Level III (waterworks system or individual house connections) – a system with a source, a reservoir, a piped distribution network and household taps. It is generally suited for densely populated urban areas.
Sewer vs. Sewage vs. Sewerage
Sewer is a pipe, conduit or channel intended to convey sewage.
Sewage is a combination of the liquid or water-carried wastes from residences, business buildings, and institutions, together with those from industrial establishments, and with such ground water, surface water, and storm water may be present; also called wastewater.
Sewerage is system of pipes, pumps, devices and other appurtenant structures for the collection, transportation and final disposal of wastewater.
Greywater vs. Blackwater vs. Brownwater vs. Yellowwater
Greywater is the total volume of water generated from washing food, clothes, and dishware as well as from bathing.
Blackwater is the mixture of urine, faeces and flushwater along with anal cleansing water (if anal cleansing is practiced) and/or dry cleansing material (e.g. toilet paper).
Brownwater consists of feces and flushwater (although in actual practice there is always some urine, as only 70–85% of the urine is diverted).
Yellowwater is the name for urine combined with flushing water.
Water-Reliant vs. Non-water Reliant Sanitation Systems
Water-reliant systems employ water to flush and convey waste through the system and therefore, require a continuous supply of water.
Non water-reliant systems are those that rely on dry storage and carriage that does not employ water for conveyance. Thus, carriage is usually conducted manually.
Sanitation vs. Ecological Sanitation vs. Environmental Sanitation vs. Sustainable Sanitation
Sanitation refers to interventions (usually construction of facilities such as latrines) that improve the management of excreta.
Ecological Sanitation refers to sanitation whose design builds on the concept of protecting ecosystems, and which treats excreta as a valuable resource to be recycled.
Environmental Sanitation as opposed to simply ‘sanitation’, seeks to include all aspects of the physical environment which may affect human health and well-being; typical examples of an environmental sanitation program may include potable water, solid waste management, drainage, stormwater management, and sanitation.
Sustainable Sanitation protects and promote human health by providing a clean environment and breaking the cycle of disease. In order to be sustainable a sanitation system has to be not only economically viable, socially acceptable, and technically and institutionally appropriate, it should also protect the environment and the natural resources.
Improved vs. Unimproved Water Supply and Sanitation
Improved water supply does not automatically mean that the water is safe. Rather, it denotes that water is more accessible, and some measures have been taken to protect the water source from contamination.
Improved sanitation generally involves better access and safer disposal of excreta.
| Intervention | Improved | Unimproved |
| Water Supply | house connection standpost/pipe borehole protected spring or well collected rainwater water disinfected at the point-of-use |
unprotected well unprotected spring vendor-provided water bottled water water provided by tanker or truck |
| Sanitation | sewer connection septic tank pour-flush toilet simple pit latrine ventilated improved pit latrine |
service or bucket latrines public latrines latrines with an open pit |
References:
Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion, Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council and World Health Organization, 2005, pages 10-11.
Tilley, Elizabeth, et al. Compendium of sanitation systems and technologies. Compendium of Sanitation Systems and Technologies. Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag). Dübendorf, Switzerland. 2008.
Asia Water Watch 2015, published jointly by the ADB, UNDP, UNESCAP and WHO in 2006, page 19.
Philippines Sanitation Sourcebook and Decision Aid, Water and Sanitation Program-East Asia and the Pacific, 2005.
NEDA Board Resolution No. 12, Series of 1995.
Implementing Rules and Regulations of Chapter XVII – “Sewage Collection and Disposal, Excreta Disposal and Drainage” of the Code on Sanitation of the Philippines (P.D. 856).
Philippine Regulations on Sanitation and Wastewater Systems by Bonifacio B. Magtibay published in 2006, pages 31-33.
Tags: definition of terms, Water and Sanitation
Environment, Water and Sanitation | rp | 08 January 2010 |
