Prepared by Dr Dilshad A Haleem
The Sphere Project – or ‘Sphere’ – was initiated in 1997 by a group
of humanitarian non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Their aim
was to improve the quality of their actions during disaster
response and to be held accountable for them.
Prepared by Dr Dilshad A Haleem
They based Sphere’s philosophy
on two core beliefs:
• First, that those affected by disaster or conflict
have a right to life with dignity and, therefore,
a right to assistance;
• Second, that all possible steps should be
taken to alleviate human suffering arising out
of disaster or conflict.
Prepared by Dr Dilshad A Haleem
Prepared by Dr Dilshad A Haleem
• Water supply, sanitation and hygiene
promotion (WASH)
• Hygiene promotion
• Water supply
• Excreta disposal
• Vector control
• Solid waste management
• Drainage
Prepared by Dr Dilshad A Haleem
Water supply, sanitation and hygiene
promotion (WASH)
• The aim of any WASH programme is to promote
good personal and environmental hygiene in
order to protect health. An effective WASH
programme relies on an exchange of information
between the agency and the disaster-affected
population in order to identify key hygiene
problems and culturally appropriate solutions.
Ensuring the optimal use of all water supply and
sanitation facilities and practising safe hygiene
will result in the greatest impact on public health.
Prepared by Dr Dilshad A Haleem
Hygiene promotion
• Hygiene promotion is a planned, systematic
approach to enable people to take action to
prevent and/or mitigate water, sanitation and
hygiene-related diseases. It can also provide a
practical way to facilitate community
participation, accountability and monitoring in
WASH programmes. Hygiene promotion should
aim to draw on the affected population’s
knowledge, practices and resources, as well as on
the current WASH evidence base to determine
how public health can best be protected.
Prepared by Dr Dilshad A Haleem
Hygiene promotion
• Hygiene promotion involves ensuring that
people make the best use of the water,
• sanitation and hygiene-enabling facilities and
services provided and includes the
• effective operation and maintenance of the
facilities
Prepared by Dr Dilshad A Haleem
Water supply
Access
and Water
Water Quantity. Quality
Water
Facilities
Prepared by Dr Dilshad A Haleem
Water supply
Access
and Water
Water Quantity. Quality
Water
Facilities
Prepared by Dr Dilshad A Haleem
Access and water quantity
• All people have safe and equitable access to a
sufficient quantity of water for drinking,
cooking and personal and domestic hygiene.
• Public water points are sufficiently close to
households to enable use of the minimum
water requirement.
Prepared by Dr Dilshad A Haleem
Access and water quantity
Key actions
• Identify appropriate water sources for the
situation, taking into consideration the
quantity and environmental impact on the
sources
• Prioritise and provide water to meet the
requirements of the affected population.
Prepared by Dr Dilshad A Haleem
Access and water quantity
• Key indicators
• Average water use for drinking, cooking and
personal hygiene in any household is at least
15 litres per person per day.
• The maximum distance from any household to
the nearest water point is 500 metres.
• Queuing time at a water source is no more
than 30 minutes.
Prepared by Dr Dilshad A Haleem
Prepared by Dr Dilshad A Haleem
Important note
• The quantities of water needed for domestic use
is context based, and may vary according to the
climate, the sanitation facilities available,
people’s habits, their religious and cultural
practices, the food they cook, the clothes they
wear, and so on.
• Water consumption generally increases the
nearer the water source is to the dwelling. Where
possible, 15 litres per person per day (l/p/d) can
be exceeded to conform to local standards
where that standard is higher.
Prepared by Dr Dilshad A Haleem
Maximum numbers of people per
water source
• The number of people per source depends on
the yield and availability of water at each
source.
Prepared by Dr Dilshad A Haleem
Maximum numbers of people per
water source
• The number of people per source depends on
the yield and availability of water at each
source.
These guidelines assume that the water point is accessible for
approximately eight hours a day only and water supply is constant
during that time.
Prepared by Dr Dilshad A Haleem
Water supply
Access
and Water
Water Quantity. Quality
Water
Facilities
Prepared by Dr Dilshad A Haleem
Water Quality
• Undertake a rapid sanitary survey and, where
time and situation allow, implement a water
safety plan for the source.
• Implement all necessary steps to minimise
post-delivery water contamination.
• Microbiological water quality
• Faecal Coliform bacteriaare an indicator of the level of human
and/or animal waste contamination in water and the
possibility of the presence of harmful pathogens. If any faecal
coliforms are present, the water should be treated.
Prepared by Dr Dilshad A Haleem
Water supply
Access
and Water
Water Quantity. Quality
Water
Facilities
Prepared by Dr Dilshad A Haleem
Water Facilities
• Water collection and storage
Each household has at least two clean water collecting containers of 10–20
litres, one for storage and one for transportation
• There is at least one washing basin per 100
people and private laundering and bathing
areas available for women.
• Maintenance of water systems:
Prepared by Dr Dilshad A Haleem
Appropriate and adequate toilet
facilities
Prepared by Dr Dilshad A Haleem
Appropriate and adequate toilet
facilities
• Toilets are the preferred option where possible. One
toilet for a maximum of 20 people should be the
target. Where there are no existing toilets, it is possible
to start with one for 50 people and lowering
the number of users to 20 as soon as possible.
• In some circumstances, space limitations make it
impossible to meet these figures. In such cases,
advocate strongly for extra space. However, it should
be remembered that the primary aim is to provide and
maintain an environment free from human faeces.
Prepared by Dr Dilshad A Haleem
Appropriate and adequate toilet
facilities
• Toilets are the preferred option where possible. One
toilet for a maximum of 20 people should be the
target. Where there are no existing toilets, it is possible
to start with one for 50 people and lowering
the number of users to 20 as soon as possible.
• In some circumstances, space limitations make it
impossible to meet these figures. In such cases,
advocate strongly for extra space. However, it should
be remembered that the primary aim is to provide and
maintain an environment free from human faeces.
Prepared by Dr Dilshad A Haleem
Appropriate and adequate toilet
facilities
• Separate, internally lockable toilets for women
and men are available in public places, such as
markets, distribution centres, health centres,
schools, etc.
• Toilets are no more than 50 metres from
dwellings.
Prepared by Dr Dilshad A Haleem
Solid waste management standard
Collection and disposal
• All households have access to refuse
containers which are emptied twice a week at
minimum and are no more than 100 metres
from a communal refuse pit
• All waste generated by populations living in
settlements is removed from the immediate
living environment on a daily basis, and from
the settlement environment a minimum of
twice a week
Prepared by Dr Dilshad A Haleem
Solid waste management standard
Collection and disposal
• At least one 100-litre refuse container is
available per 10 households, where domestic
rubbish is not buried on-site
Prepared by Dr Dilshad A Haleem
