Dry Toilets in Urban Crises: The Case of Kabul

Traditionally, the majority of private households in Kabul would use a dry vault toilet system and farmers would organise the collection of excreta directly from the vault toilet for use as humanure. However, decades of conflict meant that toilets were not maintained and have fallen into a state of disrepair. At the same time, the collection of excreta decreased, resulting in deteriorating sanitary conditions in the city, especially given that the population in Kabul and surrounding areas has risen so dramatically due to internal displacements from rural areas and return of former refugees.

This article presents an assessment of traditional human excreta reuse practices that are still functioning in various parts of the city today, and shows that this former ecological sanitation management system should not be abandoned, but supported where feasible. It proposes recommendations for aid actors, depending on whether they are working in unplanned areas (mainly poor urban communities) or in informal settlements (mainly IDPs and returnees).