Online Training on preparation of Shit Flow Diagram (SFD): Part A and B

The School of Water & Waste, CSE organised a two-part training programme on the preparation of Shit Flow Diagram (SFD). The aim of the training was to sensitize stakeholders and practitioners on the basics of preparation of the SFDs, which is an advocacy cum analysis tool for the fate of excreta in the cities and towns.

Part A (Context Setting and Introduction) was held from 9-19 April, 2021 on the CSE Moodle Platform. A total of 63 participants (from 32 cities across 4 countries) attended Part A of the training. Part B (Action Learning) was held from 24-28 May, 2021; and was attended by select 34 (from 19 cities across 3 countries) participants who successfully completed Part A of the training.

A launch event-cum-Masterclass was organised on 9 April, 2020 in which global experts set the context for the use of SFDs and its role in our path to achieve targets of SDG 6. Regional heads of South Africa, Bangladesh and India also shared their experiences on using SFDs for advocacy and using these for preparation of sustainable sanitation strategies in their cities. The panellists invited for the masterclass were: Radu Ban, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Dr Arne Panesar, GIZ, Dr Abdullah al-Muyeed, CWIS-FSM Support Cell – Bangladesh, Dr Md Khairul Islam, WaterAid South Aisa, Dr Suresh Kumar Rohilla, CSE India and Dr Sudhir Pillay, WRC South Africa.

Part A of the training was held on the CSE Moodle Platform, where participants were introduced to the basics of SFD and its multi-dimensional use in advocacy, decision-making and outreach programmes across the world. Various case studies were shared with the participants showcasing the use of SFDs for city sanitation planning, faecal sludge management strategies, policy impact and other advocacy measures. Part A also introduced the basics of the SFD Tool and Graphic Generator, the various SFD Reports and SFD Terminologies. This was concluded with a short assessment, which was completed by 70% of the participants.

Part B of the training programme was held on the Zoom Platform, with four virtual sessions organised, to provide a virtual hands-on training on using the SFD Tool and Graphic Generator. Day 1 started with a recap by Dhruv Pasricha, CSE followed by a detailed session on How to Read an SFD by Harsh Yadava, CSE. This was followed by an interactive brainstorming session where participants and trainers deliberated on the various aspects of SFDs.

Day 2 was focussed on data collection for preparation of SFDs. Harsh Yadava presented the various data heads which are needed to prepare an SFD graphic. Discussions on quantification of faecal sludge and wastewater were also held, describing the methods of quantification and its application. This was followed by a group exercise on Data Collection. Discussions were held regarding the amount of data required for preparing various levels of SFD reports.

Day 3 was focussed on using the SDF Graphic Generator on the SuSanA Portal. The session also enlightened participants on the recent updates on the SFD portal, with global access to data and visualisations at various scales. Following these sessions and discussions, the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) exercise was introduced, in which the participants were divided into four groups and given hypothetical cities and data to prepare an SFD.

The final day was reserved for the DIY group exercise and presentations. The participants were able to prepare SFDs for their hypothetical towns. They presented on the city profile, major issues in the town, quantification details, SFD matrix and graphic. They also presented on brief recommendations for FSM and wastewater management in their cities, based on the SFD graphic.   

The training was concluded with a detailed feedback session moderated by Dr Suresh Rohilla, CSE and with reflections from the regional partners on the learnings, way forward and action plans submitted by the participants.