A new video by IRC’s WASHCost project examines the full costs of building traditional latrines in Mozambique.
Cost data is essential for planning by the governments. In Mozambique, this is done by local authorities. There are many challenges in getting the right data. One of them is getting data on sanitation and the investments made by households themselves, in particular when latrines are constructed with local materials.
WASHCost Mozambique managed to calculate the estimated total costs for building a traditional latrine. The cost data shows that families are massively contributing to improving public health. The data also shows that promotion of hygiene and sanitation is really worth the effort.
When there is promotion, families build latrines and spend money on them.
For more on the life-cycle costs of sanitation and hygiene read:
- WASHCost Infosheet 2 – The cost of sustaining sanitation services for 20 years
- WASHCost Infosheet 5 – Hygiene promotion: How effective is it? How much does it cost?
- WASHCost Briefing Note 3 – Applying the life-cycle costs approach to sanitation
- WASHCost Working Paper 3 – Assessing sanitation service levels
For more on sanitation in Mozambique read:
Sanitation Updates 