Building Links for Improved Sanitation in Poor Urban Settlements: recommendations from Southern Africa

It's widely acknowledged that a sanitary crisis exists in poor urban areas of the developing world. The health, wealth and livelihoods of huge numbers of people are at risk from diseases that are related to inadequate disposal of excreta, refuse and wastewater. ~
Sanitation is still not taken seriously enough in the environmental health sector; water supplies are improving but sanitary conditions, in which improvements are equally necessary, are lagging far behind. It is estimated that 40% of the world's population lack improved sanitation. In general, the technical aspects of sanitation are well understood, but the social and institutional aspects remain to be mastered.