Fecal sludge management system approach for establishing policy framework in urban areas of Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR

Conceptual framework for improving fecal sludge management in Vientiane Capital, showing the current low-treatment baseline and proposed interventions across data management, regulation, technical standardization, urban planning, and community participation. Rapid urbanization in Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR, overwhelms sanitation infrastructure, with 80% reliance on on-site systems, 1.4% centralized sewerage coverage, only 20% fecal sludge (FS) treated, and 64% of households never desludged, posing severe public health and water quality risks. This study developed a scenario-based policy framework targeting Sanitation Vision 2035 goals (100% coverage, 50% FS treatment/transport, and 50% resource recovery) through data management, regulatory enforcement, technical standards, urban planning, and community engagement. Mixed methods across four central districts (population 380,197) included 230 stratified random household surveys, 12 semistructured stakeholder interviews, wastewater effluent analyses (n = 56), and secondary data. Empirical findings revealed irregular desludging (36% never desludged or blockage-driven), unsafe wastewater disposal (45% to public drains), effluent non-compliance (biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) 72–147 mg/L exceeding 30 mg/L standard), and citywide BOD5 pollution loads of 19,010 kg/day. The governance gaps include institutional overlaps and insufficient regulatory enforcement. This proposed framework models a potential increase in FS treatment from 20 to 50% by 2035 through multisectoral interventions (centralized databases, operator licensing with penalties, certification standards, and fee incentives), offering a replicable approach to sustainable urban sanitation.