Technical Briefs

Oxfam is currently preparing 12 guidance papers on the impact of Climate Change in WASH. The guidance papers will be available in late 2025/…

An Introduction to Community Engagement in WASH The humanitarian sector has been strengthening its focus on and commitment to community-centred responses in recent years.…

Background It is now well known that handwashing with soap has a greater impact on morbidity from diarrhoeal disease than any other single intervention…

The purpose of water quality analysis  Pathogens such as bacteria, virus’, ova and cysts, can be ingested through drinking water. Water which looks clear…

The installation of a water distribution system is often a priority in emergency responses where people have been displaced. Distribution through pipes and tapstands…

BACKGROUND Handwashing is a critical practice that is promoted to protect public health, especially during outbreaks of infectious diseases such as COVID-19. Handwashing stations…

Hearing the voice of the vulnerable People may be differentiated by many factors such as their age, gender, caste, class, wealth, ethnic group, religion…

Purpose of drainage In turn effective drainage can prolong the life of simple structures, reduce breeding grounds for mosquitoes and reduce the build up…

Introduction Where large groups of people are displaced either by conflict or by natural disaster and they are likely to stay in a location…

Introduction Children under five years can represent up to 20% of the population. In some cases children under 181 years may represent over 50%…

Public Health: Disease Outbreak Preparedness & Response Planning For Acute Watery Diarrhoea (Awd) & Cholera PART I: PREPAREDNESS Objective: Increase communities’ capacity to respond…

A Little Gender Handbook for Emergencies or Just Plain Common Sense Why We Care About Gender Cautionary Notes & Assumptions Using A Gender Approach…

Waste Management in Natural and Man-made Disasters This technical briefing note deals with the handling and disposal of solid waste from refugee camps and…

Introduction Emergency water trucking (EWT) is typically a short-term, life-saving intervention that is used to cover interruptions in water service or access to sufficient…

This technical brief looks at the ways WASH market systems are affected by humanitarian crises and the ways in which humanitarian actors can work…

Chlorine is a powerful disinfectant that kills most microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses and protozoa. Pure chlorine is a gas and is extremely hazardous, however,…

Oxfam’s experience is detailed in our report “Performance review of water ATMs and Smart Water devices in Oxfam Programmes“.

Ecological Sanitation or Sustainable Sanitation? The approach of Ecological Sanitation (Ecosan) in emergency settings breaks with conventional excreta disposal options such as pit latrines…

Introduction Strong community participation, often channelled through beneficiary groups or committees, is the backbone of Oxfam‟s approach to Public Health programming. It facilitates community-led…

Introduction It is now well accepted that despite source water being safe, water can be contaminated during transportation and storage and the hygienic handling…

Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) is an emerging waterborne virus endemic in regions with poor/limited sanitation and hygiene, including large parts of Asia, Africa and…

Location data is now extremely easy to collect using smartphones. There are also many sources of high quality location data online. Using freely available…

Oxfam & Emergency Shelter   In the aftermath of a natural disaster, or when armed conflict causes displacement from homes and communities, Oxfam’s humanitarian…

Inspiration Where the clean water scarcity is acute and sweet water aquifer is not readily available right in the villages or nearby, but there…

Introduction At the height of the emergency response, Oxfam GB was supporting 149,613 people1 with water, sanitation and hygiene promotion in more than 46…

Introduction The objective of the guide is to provide advice on successful implementation of any large construction contracts related to public health engineering works.…

Introduction Oxfam distributes hygiene kits to support hygiene promotion and watsan activities in most Humanitarian situations. The terms ‘hygiene kits’, ‘NFIs’ and ‘NFRIs’ are…

Introduction When planning non-food item (NFI) distributions there is often a compromise between acting quickly with an initial response and undertaking a thorough assessment…

Women’s Menstrual Hygiene Needs in Emergencies Responding appropriately to women’s menstrual hygiene needs in emergencies is an essential component of water, sanitation and hygiene…

Background Projects involving construction raise significant risks of injury and death. The most common are road traffic accidents which also include tankers crushing or…

Introduction Biogas generators extract by-products from organic waste (including human and animal excreta, food stuffs, etc) which can be used to replace traditional fuels…

Introduction Safe excreta containment and disposal are critical components in an emergency public health response. Safe excreta management is one of the main barriers…

What are Hazardous wastes? Hazardous wastes are likely to include asbestos, batteries, gas canisters, hospital wastes, industrial wastes, oils, chemical wastes, pesticides, fungicides, etc.…

Background Earthquakes, Tsunamis, major hurricanes and large-scale flooding can create large quantities waste, of building debris, rubble, sediments, organic waste and possibly even toxic…

Introduction Recycling and composting are waste management options, which should be considered as part of an overall waste management solution. However, during the early…

Plastic sheeting, use and procurement in humanitarian relief What is plastic sheeting? Plastic sheeting (also known as plastic tarpaulin, tarp, or polythene sheet) is…

Septic Tanks  A septic tank takes raw sewage in, allows the solids to settle (sludge) and allows the remaining liquid to flow into the…

Designing facilities with people with disabilities  Men, women and children with physical disabilities may find it difficult to use standard toilet and bathing facilities.…

Introduction Electricity generated by solar “photovoltaic” (PV) modules has been used for powering pumps for almost half a century, but in the past scaling…

Springs  Springs occur where water from an underground aquifer flows out of the ground to the surface. The spring can occur where the water…

Rainwater Harvesting for Emergency Water Supply Introduction Harvesting rainwater as sole or as alternative source of water supply both for domestic and agricultural use…

Hand dug wells  Hand dug wells can come in many forms, from simple holes in the ground with limited protection, to covered wells with…

Historically, safe water interventions have focussed on providing improved water sources.  However, there is now growing consensus among the WatSan community that water can…

Background  Salinity is becoming an increasingly common problem within Oxfam programmes.  Some groundwater is naturally brackish.  However  climate variability and increased frequency of drought…

Standard Operating Procedures for Camps Double vault Urine Diversion Dry Toilets (UDDT) can be used as an alternative to pit latrines in refugee camps.…

This Technical Brief looks at the planning and design options for lighting in and around toilets in humanitarian situations, both during the day and…