RURAL SANITATION –ISSUES AND PRACTICES

SANITATIONPrinciples, practices, provisions or services related to cleanliness and hygiene in personal and public life for the protection and promotion of human health and well being and breaking the cycle of disease or illness. Relating to the collection, treatment, removal or disposal of human excreta, household waste water and other pollutants. World Health Organization states that “Sanitation generally refers to the provision of facilities and services for the safe disposal of human urine and faeces.”Inadequate sanitation is a major cause of disease world-wide and improving sanitation is known to have a significant beneficial impact on health both in households and across communities.

PRINCIPLES

India’s first Nation wide program for Rural Sanitation, the Central Rural Sanitation program was launched in 1986.

OBJECTIVE Improve quality of life of rural people and mainly to provide privacy to women.

Open defecation is a huge problem in rural areas.

Lack of priority to safe confinement and disposal of human excreta poses significant health risks manifest in sanitation challenge facing the nation today.

It is estimated that ONE in every TEN deaths in Indian villages is linked to poor sanitation and hygiene.

TOTAL SANITATION CAMPAIGNTSC Program to

ensure Sanitation facilities In rural areas to eradicate open defecation.

It follows principle of “No to low subsidy” where nominal subsidy is given in form of incentives for construction of toilets.

Launched in 1999. Major goal was to stop open defecation by 2012, though it has reduced, the practice hasn’t vanished in many areas.

Motivating communities and Panchayati Raj Institutions for promoting sustainable sanitation facilities through awareness creation and health education. Cover schools with sanitation facilities and promote hygiene and encourage cost effective sanitation facilities.INDIVIDUAL HOUSEHOLD LATRINE COVERAGE HAS SHOT UP FROM 22% in 2001 TO 68% in 2010.

RURAL SANITARY MARTRural Sanitary Mart plays an important role in facilitating supply of sanitary products and services in rural India.Its function is to accelerate the pace of sanitation program and to provide need based and economically viable sanitation options

ACHIEVEMENTSSikkim had become the first state

to achieve 100% rural sanitation coverage, becoming the first “Nirmal Rajya” in the country.

Increase in Nirmal Gram Puraskar, 25,251 villages have achieved total sanitation.

1.05 million toilets have been constructed in school since 1999.

0.36 million toilets have been constructed in schools since 1999.

The Central Government budget for rural sanitation has increased from 1650 million in 2002 to 16,500 million in 2012.

ECO-SAN TOILETS

Prevention of pollution

Sanitizing excreta

Using the safe products for agricultural purposes

Design A leak proof faeces and urine collection chambers and superstructure with arrangements that help in source separation of faeces, urine and wash water.

Construction using locally available materials. Cost of household ecosan toilets can be drastically reduced by using low cost materials like bamboo, thatch, gunny bags for the construction of superstructure.

Care should be taken to prevent entry of rainwater into the dry compost toilet.

AQUA-PRIVY This is a simple storage and settling tank that is located directly below the toilet.

Accumulated solids sludge must be removed frequently and treated.

Effluent Anaerobic.Users should be

careful when opening the tank because noxious and flammable gases may be released.

Thus, open fire should be avoided when opening the septic tank.

SINGLE PIT SYSTEM

•System Use of a single pit to collect and store the excreta.

•Options : 1 – If there is enough space, pit can be filled with soil and trees planted, building a new pit later.

•2- Sludge removed and transported to Faecal Sludge treatment Facility.

•Pits may overflow in case of heavy rainfall and floods.

•Depth- > 5m depending on type of Soil.•Can be used for 30 yrs without emptying.

WATERLESS SYSTEM WITH ALTERNATING PITS

• Produces dense composting like material by using alternating pits without addition of flush water.

• Connected to Double VIP or composting chamber.• Alternating pits Gives material opportunity to

drain, degrade and transform into nutrient rich, hygienically improved humic material that can be disposed safely.

• When one pit is filled, its covered and temporarily replaced by 2nd pit.

• Unlike 1st system, sludge does not require further treatment.

• Success depends on extended storage period ( the more it gets degraded)

• Suitable option for water scarce areas.

DOUBLE VENTILATED IMPROVED PIT

COMPOSTING TOILETS

Composting toilets are toilet systems, which allow to minimise water use and to recycle nutrients contained in excreta and faeces.  Compost is a valuable soil amendment which increases soil fertility.

sufficient oxygen, provided by active or passive aeration; (b) proper moisture (ideally 45 to 70% moisture content); (c) internal (heap) temperature of 40 to 50 °C (achieved by proper chamber dimensioning)Dry material, which contains carbon (such as sawdust or ash) increase composting properties. The moisture must be controlled to prevent anaerobic conditions and carbon to nitrogen ratio must be well balanced. Volume of unit must be such that temperature is 40 to 50 °C.

FOSSA ALTERNA

• The Fossa Alterna is an alternating,waterless double pit technology. Compared to the double VIP which is just designed to collect, store and partially treat excreta, the Fossa Alterna is designed to make EcoHumus.

• It is dug to a max depth of 1.5m and requires a constant input of soil after defeacation introducing variety of organisms for degradation process.

• Filling period- max 2 years. Makes material safer and easy to handle (compacted+degraded)

• Shallow pits, thereby easy to empty. Emptied manually.

• Ventilation pipe and addition of bulking material can reduce smell.

• Appropriate for water scarce areas.

POUR FLUSH SYSTEM WITH TWIN PITS

• Water based system producing partially digested, humus like product used for soil amendment.

• Twin pits – lined with porous material allowing effluents to infiltrate to the ground and solid accumulate and degrades at the bottom of the pit.

• 1st pit contains blackwater and 2nd pit is out of service. When 1st pit is filled, it is temporarily replaced by the other pit.

• Minimum – 2 years of filling.• Black water alternatively can be transported to

Anaerobic Biogas reactor. The biogas produced can be used for cooking and treated sludge used for soil amendment.

• System installed where Ground Water Table is low.

WATERLESS SYSTEM WITH URINE DIVERSION

• Designed to separate urine and faeces and allow faeces to dehydrate and recover urine for beneficial use.

• Appropriate for rocky areas and where there is high Ground water table level.

• Dehydration vaults used to collect, store and dry faeces. Cleansing water diverted to soak pit.

• Constant supply of ash, lime or dry earth to cover faeces to minimize odour and form a barrier between flies and sludge.

• Urine diverted to ground or transported to storage tanks in Jerrycans.

• Dried faeces removed for treatment.• Success Efficient separation of urine and faeces.• Dry and hot climatic conditions may enhance the

process.

DEHYDRATION VAULTS

•A Urine Diverting Dry Toilet (UDDT) is a toilet that operates without water and has a divider so that the user with little effort can divert the urine away from the faeces.

•A Urine Diverting Flush Toilet (UDFT) similar to a Cistern Flush toilet except for diversion in the toilet bowl that separates the urine from faeces.