Waste water management

Sewage :
• It is waste water from a community ,containing solid and liquid
excreta ,derived from houses , factories and industries.
• It resembles dirty water with an unpleasant smell.

• Sullage: it is a waste water which doesn’t contain human

excreta .
• Eg ; waste water from kitchens and bath rooms.
Health aspects :
• Unless prompt measures are taken to provide proper means of
sewage disposal ,the following environmental problems may be
created :
• A ) creation of unsightliness and unpleasant odours
• B ) breeding of flies and mosquitoes
• C ) pollution of soil and water supplies
• D ) contamination of food
• E ) increase in the incidence of disease, especially enteric and
helminthic diseases.
Modern sewage treatment
• These plants are based on biological principles of sewage
purification , where the purification is brought about by the action
of anaerobic and aerobic bacteria

• It is divided into two stages

• 1. Primary treatment
• 2.Secondary treatment
• Primary treatment :
• 1. Screening
• 2. Grit chamber
• 3 primary sedimentation

• Small amount of biological action also takes place in which the

microorganisms present in sewage attack complex organic solids
and breaks into simpler substance.
B ) Secondary treatment
• The effluent which had high demand for oxygen and cause
pollution of soil or water is subjected to aerobic oxidation
• By following methods
A ) Trickling filter method
B)Activated sludge process
• Trickling method : an aerobic treatment system That utilises
microorganisms attached to the medium to remove organic
matter from the waste water
• Activated sludge process :
• Secondary sedimentation: oxidised sewage is Led into the
Secondary sedimentation tank where it is detained for 2 – 3 hrs
• The sludge that collects is called activated sludge which is rich in
bacteria ,nitrogen and phosphate.

• Sludge digestion :
1) Digestion : incubation
2) Sea disposal: dispose of sludge by pumping it into the sea.
3) Land : composting with town refuse
• Disposal of effluent :
• A) Disposal by dilution : disposal into water courses such as river
and stream
• The effluent is diluted in the body of water and the impurities are
oxidised by the dissolved oxygen water
• The Royal Commission in England recommended that
effluent <30mg\l of suspended solids
the 5 day B.O.D. < 20 mg \l
• These standards assumed that the river or body of water into
which the effluent passed would provide an 8 : 1 dilution
• B) disposal on land : effluent can be used for irrigation purposes

• Other methods of sewage disposal

• a) sea outfall
• b) River outfall
• C)land treatment
• d)oxidation ponds
• e) oxidation ditches
Soakage pit :
• Soak pit is an essential part of any home drainage system. It helps
in collecting and disposing of wastewater safely away from the
house.

• Construction :
• The soak pit , consisting basically of a simple pit .
• should be between 1.5 and 4 m deep, never less than 2 m above
the groundwater table. It should be located at a safe distance
from a drinking water source (ideally more than 30 m)
• Soak pit is usually built in a circular or rectangular chamber with
pores at regular intervals. An effluent (wastewater from the toilet,
kitchen, bathroom, etc.) carrying pipe connects it with the septic
tank.

• Ultimate goal of this sewage treatment is to keep the environment

free from pollution