URBAN SANITATION TECHNOLOGY CHOICES- AN OVERVIEW

State Stakeholders consultative Workshop

February, 2010
ASCI, HYderabad
 Sanitation- Definition
‘Sanitation’ refers to the safe management and
disposal of human excreta.

Strong linkage between Sanitation and Water supply,

drainage and solid waste management.

Integrated approach is necessary.

Access to various forms of sanitation
in Tripura

Produces faecal sludge

 Major issues- Septic Tanks
• Design and specifications: Not
adhered
• Absence of soakpits
• Partially treated effluent flows
to public drains/nallas/water
bodies
Septage Management

One cesspool tank for septic

tank cleaning in Agartalla

Septage is dumped at
designated dump yard.

Other towns, manual

cleaning and no regulated
dumping
 Major issues- Pour Flush Latrines
( Double pit
• Design standards and
specifications not
uniform
• No system to clean
out filled pit
• Lack of proper sludge
management system
 Major issues- Pour Flush Latrines
(single pit)
• Design standards and
specifications not
uniform
• No system to clean out
filled pit
• Lack of proper sludge
management system

• Mechanism for re-

location
 Major issues- Pit Latrines
• Unlined pits covered with
squatting slab/squatting
pan: Vulnerable to
collapse
• Unlined pits with some
unconventional sitting
arrangements : unsafe
• Raised platforms/pits
draining to water bodies :
pollution problems
• Shifting issues
• Odour, fly nuissance
Basic Sanitation Options
Factors affecting Technology
choice
 Factors affecting selection of
sanitation option
The availability of water
The quantity of wastewater produced;
Soil type, groundwater depth and topography;
Housing density and available space;
Distance from water source
The presence of sewers and drainage channels
into which local sewers might discharge.
Finance?
Simplicity both construction and O&M
Institutional capacity
Key questions for technology choices

■ Can wastewater be disposed of on-site?

■ When and where is sewerage required and
viable?
■ What arrangements are required for the
management of wastewater or fecal sludge?
■ How does the demand for reuse influence
the choice of technology?
 On-Site or Off-Site Disposal?

• All forms of wet sanitation produce blackwater which

has a high oxygen demand and may also contain high
concentrations of pathogens. The options for dealing
with this blackwater are:

■ On-site disposal to a leach pit or drain field.

■ On-site disposal to a septic tank with soakaway or
drain field.
■ On-site retention of solids in an interceptor tank
combined with off-site disposal of settled wastewater
(hybrid system).
■ Off-site disposal of blackwater via sewerage.
Water use and disposal option
Water requirement for different toilets
Permeability of different type of soil
Choice between On-Site and Off-Site
Options: Conclusions
On-site options will be most appropriate in areas of low-density housing
(typically less than 40 housing units per hectare), relatively low water
consumption, and ground conditions that allow the absorption of
wastewater without harm to an aquifer.
Off-site options will be most appropriate where housing density is high
(>40 houses per hectare), there is a reliable water supply on or close to
the plot and sufficient fall is available to transport solids through the
sewer without pumping.

On-site disposal of blackwater via leach pits or soakaways, with off-site

disposal of sullage water may be possible, even for relatively high
density areas and relatively high water consumption, provided that
ground conditions allow that and there is no problem of contaminating
water supplies.
Hybrid systems may be appropriate in medium- to high-density areas
with a flat topography, particularly where the water table is high.
 Twin Pit Pour flush latrine
• Can be built and repaired with locally
available materials
• Because double pits are used
alternately, their life is virtually
unlimited
• Excavation of humus is easier than faecal
sludge
• Potential for use of stored faecal
material as soil conditioner
• Flies and odours are significantly
reduced (compared to pits without a
waterseal)
• Low (but variable) capital costs
depending on materials; no or low
operating costs if self-emptied
Leach pit with sand envelope
Septic Tank
Performance of Septic Tank taken from Literature
 Typical Septic Tank System

Well

Renovated Wastewater
Septic Tank with absorption trenches
Septic Tank and Soakage pit
Septic Tank with anaerobic filter
 Small Bore Sewerage
• Greywater can be managed at the
same time
• Can be built and repaired with
locally available materials
• Construction can provide short-
term employment to local
labourers
• Capital costs are less than
Conventional Gravity Sewers; low
operating costs
• Can be extended as a community
changes and grows
• Requires expert design and
construction supervision
• Requires education and
acceptance to be used correctly
• Effluent and sludge (from
interceptors) requires secondary
treatment and/or appropriate
discharge
 Conventional Sewerage
• Stormwater and greywater can be
managed at the same time or
separately
• Construction can provide short-
term employment to local
labourers
• A long time required to connect all
homes
• Not all parts and materials may be
available locally
• Difficult and costly to extend as a
community changes and grows
• Requires expert design and
construction supervision
• Waste water and sludge requires
secondary treatment
and/or appropriate discharge
• High capital and operation cost
 Septage Management
• Need to have proper
regulation.
• Expertise for planning
and technical solution
necessary.
• Technology for septage
removal
• Involvement of private
entrepreneur
• Septage treatment and
disposal option to be
considered.
Technology Options for Septage Management
Co-composting with organic solid
waste
Sludge Drying Bed
Sludge Thickening
Stabilisation Pond System
Anaerobic Sludge Digestion
Sludge treatment in a reed bed
The Challenges
Faecal Sludge Managment: Inputs
 Way forward- Key Questions

■ What sanitation infrastructure and services

are in place, and how effective are they?
■ Where are sanitation problems most acute?
■ Whether there is a need for new
infrastructure or services, and whether there
is a need for upgrading?
■ Which areas should be prioritized for
improvement?
Way forward - Step by step approach

Water borne sewerage

Small bore sewerage

Septic tank system

Pour flush latrines

Pit latrines
THANK YOU