# What Makes Household Sanitation Systems Resilient to Floods? Evidence from Ethiopia, Uganda, and Nepal

## TL;DR

This study examines how household sanitation systems in Ethiopia, Uganda, and Nepal are affected by flooding and identifies factors that contribute to system failures and open defecation.

## Contribution

The study provides empirical evidence on sanitation resilience to floods in low- and middle-income countries.

## Key findings

- Flooding significantly increases household sanitation system failures.
- Poor-quality construction and maintenance correlate with sanitation failures.
- Rural areas and poor latrine slabs are linked to open defecation after floods.

## Abstract

Climate change is influencing precipitation events and
patterns,
leading to more frequent and severe flooding in many regions worldwide.
In low- and middle-income countries, concerns about worsening floods
disrupting access to safe sanitation for households are driving discussions
about how to make sanitation systems more resilient. Much of this
discourse relies on context-specific experiences or theory. This study
surveyed 1,429 households in Nepal, Ethiopia, and Uganda to identify
attributes linked to poor sanitation outcomes due to flooding to better
inform sanitation planning and policy. Logistic regression was used
to examine correlations between household and sanitation-system characteristics
and (1) sanitation system failures and (2) adoption of open defecation
following floods. The findings suggest that exposure to flooding significantly
increases household sanitation system failures and that the quality
of the construction and maintenance of sanitation facilities is correlated
with these failures. Living in rural areas, using poor-quality latrine
slabs, and discomfort in using a neighbor’s toilet were correlated
with open defecation following flood damage to household sanitation
systems. These findings support a policy focus on well-built, well-maintained
sanitation in flood-prone areas and the provision of alternatives
when facilities fail. Other commonly recommended measures, such as
raising latrines, were not found to correlate with outcomes and require
further investigation.