After the first three international FSM conferences in Hanoi (2015) and Durban (2011 & 2012), the 4th edition of the International Fecal Sludge Management Conference, FSM4, was held from February 2017, 19 to 21 in Chennai, India.

A delegation of the African Water Association led by the Executive Director of AfWA and the Director General of the National Sanitation and Drainage Office (ONAD) of Côte d’Ivoire took part in this important conference. The delegation comprised, among other people, the AfWA Programs Director, the Coordinator of the Rasop-Africa Program (Africa Reinforcing Capacity of African Sanitation Operators on Non-sewer and FSM Systems through peer-to-peer learning Partnerships) and about twenty sanitation stakeholders from Senegal, Mali, Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia and South Africa.

The FSM4 conference aimed to bring together professionals from the sector, including public services, service providers, cities, governments, academics, scientists, consultants, donors and industries, to support the global dissemination initiative for sustainable solutions to the problems of sanitation in general and the management of fecal sludge in particular. At the political level, African participation has highlighted the high level of commitment of the Indian government to ensure a sanitized environment for all the 1.5 billion Indian citizens by October 2, 2019. All this will start with the eradication of open defecation, and to this end, very firm instructions from the Prime Minister of India have been given and are being implemented in all the ministries, which now each have a budget for sanitation.