This report is the second volume in the series Tackling the challenges of full pit latrines
which addresses this issue. The other volumes in the series are:

• Volume 1: Understanding sludge accumulation in VIPs and strategies for emptying full pits
• Volume 3: The development of pit emptying technologies

Current research indicates that many of the VIP systems delivered by the South African government
over the past decade can be expected to reach capacity in the very near future. Many municipalities
have not yet put the necessary strategies, policies and budgets in place to maintain these on-site
systems and are unable to predict how often they will need to be serviced. If municipalities are taken
by surprise when pits reach capacity and do not have the necessary budget, manpower and equipment
in place to respond, households will effectively find themselves without sanitation, a situation which
compromises both public health and dignity, the driving forces behind South Africa’s commitment to
basic sanitation for all.