iDE Cambodia Sky Latrines Revolutionize Tonle Sap Communities for Safe Water and Better Health

Contact: Ms.Tet Chann, Senior Communications Manager, iDE Cambodia (email: tchann@ideglobal.org)

Phnom Penh, June 4, 2025 — For the first time,  about  600 low-income households living in flood-prone areas around Tonle Sap Lake, including some of Cambodia’s hardest-to-reach communities, now have year-round access to affordable, climate-resilient toilets. This marks a significant step forward in improving public health, dignity, and protecting vital water resources of Cambodia.

Communities in Siem Reap, Kampong Chhnang, Pursat, and Kampong Thom—many of whom face seasonal flooding for four to six months annually—can now invest in a flood-resistant toilet that fits within a modest household budget. These solutions are not only transforming sanitation access, but also reducing open defecation and preventing contamination of water sources caused by unsafe sanitation practices that threatens water security.

The Tonle Sap is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia and is home to over three million people. Yet for decades, inadequate sanitation infrastructure and seasonal flooding have forced thousands to defecate in the open, contaminating critical water sources and posing personal and public health and safety risks.

In response, iDE Cambodia has introduced an innovative sanitation solution: the Sky Latrine, which is specifically designed for seasonally flooded environments. Elevated and flood-resistant, these toilets offer a reliable sanitation option throughout the year.

“Sky Latrines help protect public health while giving people privacy, comfort and personal safety. Especially for those with mobility challenges, like the elderly, people with disabilities, and children, having a latrine in their home prevents the need for navigating difficult, often flooded terrain to relieve oneself outdoors,” said Tyler Kozole, Director of the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Program at iDE Cambodia.

With support from the Australian Government through the Water for Women Fund, along with funding from the European Union, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Vitol Foundation, iDE has been expanding its reach to include the communities living in climate-vulnerable environments. With its market-based approach, iDE empowers local entrepreneurs to produce and deliver climate-resilient toilets, while also promoting behavior change through trained door-to-door sales agents, and strengthening local governance by building the capacity of local authorities, known as “Sanitation Champions,” to lead and sustain sanitation improvements. iDE developed and deploys a targeted subsidy mechanism to increase 

affordability of products to enable the most climate and socioeconomically-vulnerable households to own a toilet.

One resident of Kampong Kleang commune in Siem Reap, 65-year-old Ms. Chhou Em, who lost her eyesight two years ago shared, “My grandchildren or anyone who stays home used to accompany me to the forest. Now, with the latrine, it’s much easier — I no longer need to ask for someone to accompany me or worry they will grow tired of me.”

Since 2009, iDE Cambodia has delivered over 412,000 latrines to rural households, offering multiple latrine designs tailored to both local geography and economic conditions. In areas where iDE has worked, rural access to improved basic sanitation has increased from just 23% in 2009 to nearly 90% in 2024.

In recent years, iDE has been increasing its efforts to address another critical challenge: fecal sludge management (FSM). When latrine pits fill up and no safe, affordable emptying services exist, many households and service providers resort to unsafe waste disposal, including disposing of it, untreated in the surrounding environment.

To address this issue, iDE has introduced two FSM solutions: the Alternating Dual Pit (ADP) system and an on-site latrine pit emptying service. For the ADP, which adds a pit to the existing system, when one pit fills, it is treated with lime and sealed, allowing the waste to safely decompose over two to five years while the second pit fills—minimizing environmental impact and health risks. iDE has delivered over 22,000 ADP systems to rural households. iDE’s new on-site pit emptying service formalizes an age-old, informal process of disposing of waste through burying it near the existing pit. The services incorporate burial siting guidelines to prevent groundwater contamination, waste treatment with hydrated lime, personal protective equipment, and installation protocols to prevent household contact with emptied sludge. This new innovation has already enabled nearly 150 households in Siem Reap to safely manage waste through trusted local providers.

“There is no water security without safe, climate-resilient sanitation,” added Kozole. “By working hand-in-hand with local entrepreneurs, communities, and local authorities, we’re helping Cambodia shift from “basic” to “safely managed” sanitation services and protect their communities.”

Learn more about iDE Cambodia here.