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Shit flow diagramSynonymExcreta flow diagram, SFDAn example shit flow diagramPosition in sanitation chainPlanningApplication levelCityEnvironmental concernsWater pollution, groundwater pollution, environmental health, public health, sewage sludge disposal issues A shit flow diagram, also known as an SFD or excreta flow diagram, is a tool used to visually depict the management of human waste within urban sanitation systems. It distinguishes between safely and unsafely managed human excreta through color-coded arrows, providing insights into areas needing sanitation improvements. Initially developed through international collaboration, SFDs are commonly employed in urban sanitation planning and policy formulation, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Their creation involves data collection, stakeholder engagement, and systematic analysis. While SFDs offer valuable visual representations, their accuracy can be limited by data reliability issues and technical constraints, which ongoing methodological developments aim to address. A shit flow diagram visually represents the flow of human excreta through various stages of the sanitation chain in urban areas, highlighting safe versus unsafe management practices. An SFD employs colored arrows to illustrate how excreta moves through containment, emptying, transport, treatment, and disposal or reuse stages.
Green arrows indicate excreta flows that are safely managed—effectively contained, properly transported, adequately treated, and safely disposed of or reused—while red arrows represent unsafe management, such as inadequate containment, improper transport, lack of treatment, or unsafe environmental discharge, posing significant health and environmental risks.
The width of each arrow in the diagram proportionally reflects the percentage of the population's excreta represented by that particular flow to communicate the relative scale of safe and unsafe sanitation practices.[1] The primary stages represented in an SFD include containment of excreta at the source (e.g., pit latrines, septic tanks, sewer systems), emptying and transporting excreta or fecal sludge, the subsequent treatment process to reduce harmful pathogens and pollutants, and finally, disposal or reuse, indicating whether excreta are safely managed or unsafely discharged into the environment. Through this visualization, authorities can readily identify specific points in the sanitation service chain that require intervention, facilitating targeted improvements and enabling effective monitoring towards achieving safely managed sanitation.[2] Dumping of fecal sludge into a river in Nairobi, Kenya The shit flow diagram emerged as a practical tool for visualizing and communicating urban sanitation issues in low- and middle-income countries.
Developed through the collaborative efforts of organizations such as the Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the World Bank, the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (EAWAG), and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the SFD has gained traction for its ability to clearly and concisely represent complex sanitation data, aiding decision-making and advocacy among diverse stakeholders.[3][4] Early prototypes of fecal waste flow diagrams were developed independently before the formalization of the SFD concept.
Notable examples include those created for Kumasi, Ghana, in 1993 and Dakar, Senegal, in 2011, where the term "sanitation cityscape" was initially employed.[5][6] The importance of analytical tools to comprehensively address sanitation issues, including underlying policy, regulatory, institutional, and financial challenges, was strongly emphasized during the second Fecal Sludge Management Conference (FSM2) held in Durban, South Africa, in 2012.[7] Subsequently, the Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) of the World Bank conducted a comprehensive 12-city study in 2012-13.[8][9] In 2014, the SFD Promotion Initiative was established with a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, leading to further refinement and standardization of the methodology.
This initiative developed comprehensive manuals, tools, and procedural guidelines to ensure consistency and comparability in SFD production worldwide. It also introduced the concept of assessing the enabling environment, which encompasses policies, regulatory frameworks, and institutional capacities necessary for sustainable sanitation services.[4][10][9] Developing a shit flow diagram involves several steps, combining primary data collection, literature reviews, stakeholder consultations, and data analysis. Initially, an extensive literature review is conducted to gather existing secondary data from government reports, academic publications, and international sanitation assessments. This secondary data provides baseline information and highlights potential data gaps or inconsistencies that need further validation.[11] Primary data collection is undertaken through field observations and key informant interviews. Field observations typically involve examining the condition of sanitation infrastructure, the frequency and methods of emptying, transport logistics, and the operational status of treatment facilities. Key informant interviews, often conducted with local government officials, sanitation service providers, and community representatives, provide valuable insights into local practices, institutional arrangements, and operational challenges.[12] Data collected through these methods is then systematically analyzed to map the sanitation service chain accurately. This analysis includes assessing the proportion of excreta that is safely managed at each stage, identifying potential leakage points, and determining the percentage of excreta flows that are unsafely discharged into the environment.