A lack of sanitation infrastructure is a major contributor to the global burden of diarrheal disease, particularly in low-income countries. Access to basic sanitation was identified as part of the 2015 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. However, current definitions of “basic” sanitation infrastructure exclude community or shared sanitation, due to concerns around safety, equity, and cleanliness. The purpose of this study was to measure and compare bacterial contamination on community and household latrine surfaces in Kathmandu, Nepal. One hundred and nineteen swab samples were collected from two community and five household latrines sites. Community latrine samples were taken before and after daily cleaning, while household samples were collected at midday, to reflect normal conditions. Concentrations of total coliforms and Escherichia coli were measured using membrane filtration methods. Results found almost no differences between bacterial contamination on latrine surfaces in community and household latrines, with the exception of latrine slabs/seats that were more contaminated in the community latrines under dirty conditions. The study also identified surfaces with higher levels of contamination. Findings demonstrated that well-maintained community latrines may be as clean, or cleaner, than household latrines and support the use of community latrines for improving access to sanitation infrastructure in a low-income country setting.

According to the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), community or public toilets shared by more than one household are not considered “safely managed” under SDG 6.2. However, many populations around the globe, particularly in urban settings, lack access to private sanitation facilities. For this reason, there is a need to evaluate the cleanliness of community or public toilets in these settings and examine best practices for maintaining them. This study had three aims: 1) build on previous data collected in March 2018 at public latrines to determine whether cleaning protocols were sustained, 2) examine relationships between latrine cleanliness and usership, and 3) identify latrine surfaces with higher concentrations of bacterial contamination. In March 2018 and December 2019, swab samples were collected from public latrine surfaces in Kathmandu, Nepal. Sampling occurred in “clean” conditions–after cleaning and before the latrine was opened for use–and “dirty” conditions–during operating hours. Samples were analyzed for concentrations of total coliforms (TC) and Escherichia coli (EC). The number of latrine users prior to the “dirty” sample collection was recorded (in December 2019 only). Results found that both TC and EC concentrations were significantly lower during “clean” rather than “dirty” conditions and both TC and EC concentrations increased with the number of users over time. TC and EC concentrations differed by surface type during dirty and clean conditions (p<0.05). Findings suggest cleaning protocols established at this public toilet site were adequately maintained two years later.