4th International Faecal Sludge Management Conference is to be held in February 2017 in Chennai, India

Worldwide, 2.7 billion people rely on onsite sanitation. Yet, there is still typically no management system in place to deal with the resulting faecal sludge (e.g. septage and pit latrine sludge). The result is that the waste typically ends up being dumped directly into the urban environment, with significant health and environmental implications. Creating faecal sludge management (FSM) infrastructure and public services that work for everyone, and keep fecal sludge out of the environment is a major challenge for achieving universal sanitation access.

To address this challenge, a global platform for discussion of FSM was created in 2011 by leading global sector organizations. The aim was to share and brainstorm potential solutions, to formulate policy recommendations that promote best practices, and to identify lessons learned in how to make FSM an integral part of sanitation service delivery. Building on the success of the first three International FSM Conferences in Hanoi (2015) and in Durban (2011& 2012), FSM4 aims to bring together professionals working in the sector, including utilities, service providers, cities, governments, academics, scientists, consultants, donors and industries, to support the global initiative of disseminating sustainable solutions for FSM. FSM4 will be held in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, where the State Government has recently initiated measures to address FSM with regard to policy, regulatory changes, innovative solutions, and pilots. FSM4 will focus on innovative and practical solutions that can be scaled up, including three tracks: research, case studies, and industry & exhibition.
 
For further information please contact: fsm4@susana.org; or visit: http://www.susana.org/en/fsm4