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- SuSanA India Chapter Thematic Discussion: Liquid Waste Management in SBM 2
SuSanA India Chapter Thematic Discussion: Liquid Waste Management in SBM 2
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Re: SuSanA India Chapter Thematic Discussion: Liquid Waste Management in SBM 2
Hi Elisabeth,
My take is liquid waste includes any water not originating from toilets/septic tanks. Therefore, it includes water from kitchens and bathrooms. Water from toilets/septic tanks is considered black water and covered separately.
Liquid waste management is considered along with solid waste (plastics, mostly) management in SBM 2.
Hope this helps. If there are other views, happy to hear them.
Regards
Nitya
My take is liquid waste includes any water not originating from toilets/septic tanks. Therefore, it includes water from kitchens and bathrooms. Water from toilets/septic tanks is considered black water and covered separately.
Liquid waste management is considered along with solid waste (plastics, mostly) management in SBM 2.
Hope this helps. If there are other views, happy to hear them.
Regards
Nitya
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- I'm a master's student (Infrastructure and Environmental Engineering) at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden. I'm interested in working with affordable decentralized wastewater treatment solutions.
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Re: SuSanA India Chapter Thematic Discussion: Liquid Waste Management in SBM 2
Hi Elisabeth,
From my understanding based on Swachh Bharat Mission documents available online, it seems the liquid waste refers to both greywater and septage. Septage here refers to the effluent from containment (septic tanks/pits). This thread of discussions focuses on the greywater part alone.
From Primer SLWM
"Waste
Waste is any item beyond use in its current form and discarded as unwanted. It can be solid or liquid with respective management methods.
Solid Waste
In rural areas, examples of solid waste include wastes from kitchens, gardens, cattle sheds, agriculture, and materials such as metal, paper, plastic, cloth, and so on. They are organic and inorganic materials with no remaining economic value to the owner produced by homes, commercial, and industrial establishments.
Liquid Waste
When water is used once and is no longer fit for human consumption or any other use, it is considered to be a liquid waste. Wastewater can be subcategorized as industrial and domestic:
Industrial wastewater is generated by manufacturing processes and is difficult to treat.
Domestic wastewater includes water discharged from homes, commercial complexes, hotels, and educational institutions."
I feel wastewater has been mentioned as "liquid waste" so that it might be easier for a general audience to differentiate different wastes that are generated in a rural community. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Best regards,
Vasanth.
From my understanding based on Swachh Bharat Mission documents available online, it seems the liquid waste refers to both greywater and septage. Septage here refers to the effluent from containment (septic tanks/pits). This thread of discussions focuses on the greywater part alone.
From Primer SLWM
"Waste
Waste is any item beyond use in its current form and discarded as unwanted. It can be solid or liquid with respective management methods.
Solid Waste
In rural areas, examples of solid waste include wastes from kitchens, gardens, cattle sheds, agriculture, and materials such as metal, paper, plastic, cloth, and so on. They are organic and inorganic materials with no remaining economic value to the owner produced by homes, commercial, and industrial establishments.
Liquid Waste
When water is used once and is no longer fit for human consumption or any other use, it is considered to be a liquid waste. Wastewater can be subcategorized as industrial and domestic:
Industrial wastewater is generated by manufacturing processes and is difficult to treat.
Domestic wastewater includes water discharged from homes, commercial complexes, hotels, and educational institutions."
I feel wastewater has been mentioned as "liquid waste" so that it might be easier for a general audience to differentiate different wastes that are generated in a rural community. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Best regards,
Vasanth.
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Re: SuSanA India Chapter Thematic Discussion: Liquid Waste Management in SBM 2
Hi Nitya and all,
Just a small question from someone outside of India: why is the Indian government now using the term "liquid waste" instead of simply "grey water" for SBM Phase 2? Is liquid waste in this context meant to be exactly that same as grey water? If so, then why invent a new term?
Also what would they call the effluent from septic tanks? I would call it "partially treated domestic wastewater". Do they also call it "liquid waste" or is it excluded from the discussion as it contains fecal matter and is therefore not "grey water"?
Regards,
Elisabeth
Just a small question from someone outside of India: why is the Indian government now using the term "liquid waste" instead of simply "grey water" for SBM Phase 2? Is liquid waste in this context meant to be exactly that same as grey water? If so, then why invent a new term?
Also what would they call the effluent from septic tanks? I would call it "partially treated domestic wastewater". Do they also call it "liquid waste" or is it excluded from the discussion as it contains fecal matter and is therefore not "grey water"?
Regards,
Elisabeth
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You need to login to replyRe: SuSanA India Chapter Thematic Discussion: Liquid Waste Management in SBM 2
Posted on behalf of Rajiv Sinha:
I developed an INNOVATIVE VERMIFILRATION TECHNOLOGY for management of LIQUID WASTES (WASTEWATERS) by EARTHWORMS at Griffith University, Australia in 2005.
Several VERMIFILTER PLANTS are Operating in Gujarat & Maharashtra & the CLEAN WATER (Disinfected & Detoxified) is being used for Farm & Garden IRRIGATION saving HUGE GROUNDWATER of India.
Tell this to Ms. Sandhya Haribal & FORWARD my Mail to her with the attachment. See my 30 mins. VEDIOFILM on YOU-TUBE - ‘Wastewater Treatment by Earthworms- RajivSinha’. She can contact the CEO & Tech. Manager of TRANSPEK Company in Gujarat who commercialized my Technology with great SCIENTIFIC IMPROVEMENTS.
With Best Wishes
Prof. Dr. Rajiv K Sinha
Environmental Scientist & Retd.Assoc. Professor, Griffith University, AUSTRALIA
I developed an INNOVATIVE VERMIFILRATION TECHNOLOGY for management of LIQUID WASTES (WASTEWATERS) by EARTHWORMS at Griffith University, Australia in 2005.
Several VERMIFILTER PLANTS are Operating in Gujarat & Maharashtra & the CLEAN WATER (Disinfected & Detoxified) is being used for Farm & Garden IRRIGATION saving HUGE GROUNDWATER of India.
Tell this to Ms. Sandhya Haribal & FORWARD my Mail to her with the attachment. See my 30 mins. VEDIOFILM on YOU-TUBE - ‘Wastewater Treatment by Earthworms- RajivSinha’. She can contact the CEO & Tech. Manager of TRANSPEK Company in Gujarat who commercialized my Technology with great SCIENTIFIC IMPROVEMENTS.
With Best Wishes
Prof. Dr. Rajiv K Sinha
Environmental Scientist & Retd.Assoc. Professor, Griffith University, AUSTRALIA
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You need to login to replyRe: SuSanA India Chapter Thematic Discussion: Liquid Waste Management in SBM 2
Posted on behalf of T K Das:
The following may please be noted in respect of Liquid Waste Management in rural India:
no waste water would be required to be disposed off in the drains.
The grey water can also be disposed off in the household premises as well by constructing a simple soak pit (with layers of rocks (bigger size at the lower level ,followed by smaller size rocks ,pieces of bricks, sands etc.). Link of video ( ) method of constructing soak pit for grey water in Jamuna Nagar of Haryana.
As per a report of Quartz ( qz.com/india/661119/toilets-toilets-ever...re-does-the-shit-go/ )shows proportion of Indian villages with waste water disposal (No-arrangment-44.4%), Pakki Nali-36.7 %;Kachi Nali -19%). (2)The main concern is with the “black water “ from septic tank(32 % are septic tank & 41 % are single pit toilets in rural India -as per Quality Council of India ( QCI)-Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation Study 2017) in rural areas ,in most peri-urban villages and substantive proportion of villages of rural areas.
Most septic tank toilets ( 32%) and single pit (41%) toilets are not connected by sewer line to STPs of cities and towns .The black water from septic tank is mostly drained out to drains that pass through village ,where even children play
near drains and some villages households even dispose black water off in open space near the toilets .Although recommendation is to construct soak pit along with septic tank toilets ,mostly during NBA or SBM(G) soak pits were
not built along with septic tank toilets. If there is space soak pit can still be built ; but in most households in per-urban areas there will not be space for building soak pit with each septic tank. In that case only method left is to carry “black water” from septic tank and treat in “Waste Stabilization Ponds “,where ever there is space for three to
four tanks in the village.
As a best practice example in “Patoda” GP of Maharashtra, all drains are covered andlead to a Waste Stabilization Pond System consisting of six tanks (in lieu of ponds) and grey water households are poured in the first tank and subsequently treated from first to second …..to 6th tank and finally pumped out to community gardens .BOD & COD of treated water found to be 13 and 44 respectively.
In Punjab Waste Stabilization Pond” have been constructed in substantive number ( cdn.cseindia.org/userfiles/Mohd%20Ishfaq...ct-DWSS%20Punjab.pdf )of villages in convergence of fund under
SLWM in SBM(G) and “Sustainability “fund under NRDWP.
In most villages community mostly favor C.C. road , but it does not facilitate percolation of rain water down wards and obvious recharging hence, awareness campaign and advocacy initiative at policy level should be mounted
for construction of roads with boulders in lieu of CC road ,which facilitate percolation of rain water and recharging.
(56)The best method of getting rid of “black water “ from septic tank (where tanks are off the toilet structure) and even lifting of fecal sludge ,if space for even a single pit, then even one pit may be divided by a sealed wall (extended by 1 ft below the bottom level of pit ) and connecting two pits via a Junction Box with pipe coming out from bottom of pan trap .The tank may be discarded. Through a training on “retrofitting” in a few toilets of Haryana in Nilokheri block this has been demonstrated (6th February, 2020)during training (TOT) of 60 engineers from all district of Haryana (for septic tank and single pit toilets .This will not only solve disposal of black water from septic tank ,but fecal sludge ,at least where there is space available for at least one pit and tank is off the toilet structure. Interested person can read an article ( www.linkedin.com/post/edit/6696047141992857600/ ) in Linked in.
Dr.T,K. Das
Independent Consultant ,WASH [Former National Resource Center (NRC) Consultant
Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation (MDWS )&
Former State Consultant ,UNICEF (Rajasthan , Chhattisgarh & West Bengal) ,WASH
The following may please be noted in respect of Liquid Waste Management in rural India:
- Best method of managing
no waste water would be required to be disposed off in the drains.
The grey water can also be disposed off in the household premises as well by constructing a simple soak pit (with layers of rocks (bigger size at the lower level ,followed by smaller size rocks ,pieces of bricks, sands etc.). Link of video ( ) method of constructing soak pit for grey water in Jamuna Nagar of Haryana.
As per a report of Quartz ( qz.com/india/661119/toilets-toilets-ever...re-does-the-shit-go/ )shows proportion of Indian villages with waste water disposal (No-arrangment-44.4%), Pakki Nali-36.7 %;Kachi Nali -19%). (2)The main concern is with the “black water “ from septic tank(32 % are septic tank & 41 % are single pit toilets in rural India -as per Quality Council of India ( QCI)-Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation Study 2017) in rural areas ,in most peri-urban villages and substantive proportion of villages of rural areas.
Most septic tank toilets ( 32%) and single pit (41%) toilets are not connected by sewer line to STPs of cities and towns .The black water from septic tank is mostly drained out to drains that pass through village ,where even children play
near drains and some villages households even dispose black water off in open space near the toilets .Although recommendation is to construct soak pit along with septic tank toilets ,mostly during NBA or SBM(G) soak pits were
not built along with septic tank toilets. If there is space soak pit can still be built ; but in most households in per-urban areas there will not be space for building soak pit with each septic tank. In that case only method left is to carry “black water” from septic tank and treat in “Waste Stabilization Ponds “,where ever there is space for three to
four tanks in the village.
As a best practice example in “Patoda” GP of Maharashtra, all drains are covered andlead to a Waste Stabilization Pond System consisting of six tanks (in lieu of ponds) and grey water households are poured in the first tank and subsequently treated from first to second …..to 6th tank and finally pumped out to community gardens .BOD & COD of treated water found to be 13 and 44 respectively.
In Punjab Waste Stabilization Pond” have been constructed in substantive number ( cdn.cseindia.org/userfiles/Mohd%20Ishfaq...ct-DWSS%20Punjab.pdf )of villages in convergence of fund under
SLWM in SBM(G) and “Sustainability “fund under NRDWP.
In most villages community mostly favor C.C. road , but it does not facilitate percolation of rain water down wards and obvious recharging hence, awareness campaign and advocacy initiative at policy level should be mounted
for construction of roads with boulders in lieu of CC road ,which facilitate percolation of rain water and recharging.
(56)The best method of getting rid of “black water “ from septic tank (where tanks are off the toilet structure) and even lifting of fecal sludge ,if space for even a single pit, then even one pit may be divided by a sealed wall (extended by 1 ft below the bottom level of pit ) and connecting two pits via a Junction Box with pipe coming out from bottom of pan trap .The tank may be discarded. Through a training on “retrofitting” in a few toilets of Haryana in Nilokheri block this has been demonstrated (6th February, 2020)during training (TOT) of 60 engineers from all district of Haryana (for septic tank and single pit toilets .This will not only solve disposal of black water from septic tank ,but fecal sludge ,at least where there is space available for at least one pit and tank is off the toilet structure. Interested person can read an article ( www.linkedin.com/post/edit/6696047141992857600/ ) in Linked in.
Dr.T,K. Das
Independent Consultant ,WASH [Former National Resource Center (NRC) Consultant
Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation (MDWS )&
Former State Consultant ,UNICEF (Rajasthan , Chhattisgarh & West Bengal) ,WASH
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You need to login to replyRe: SuSanA India Chapter Thematic Discussion: Liquid Waste Management in SBM 2
Posted on behalf of Ravishankar Sunkadakatte:
My views of the said subject are as below.
Ravishankar
My views of the said subject are as below.
- Any proposed treatment of LW (liquid waste) must follow "principle of subsidiarity" LW
must be treated at the household level, community and village at the same
sequence. It should be noted that treatment at the HH (household) /
community level will happen only if there is subsidy or outside funding.
- Type of treatment proposed must be simple and should be able to be built by local contractors /
mysteries. Any component having energy guzzlers and having
intensive O&M will not work. I have seen people removing the
plants of the planted reed bed and using the gravel surface for drying
their cloths. They found it is maintenance intensive and were scared of
snakes and other creatures in the reed bed.
- Treatment proposed depends on a number of factors.
- area available at the HH / community
- soil type
- water table
- nearness to any underground source of water
- Socio-economic conditions of the (HH, community or village)
- Capex as well as O&M requirements
- Reuse potential of the treated LW
- Flood frequency
- Model drawings / estimates for different hydro-geological conditions shall be made available at the
Panchayat Raj department. The drawings shall be self explanatory (like
twin pit toilets, septic tank+soak pits,etc). - In case of construction at the HH level, the household itself / mistry will do everything. In case of
community / village level intervention, village water committee will
supervise these activities. PR engineers from block level / district level
cal lend technical support during execution. - Demonstration units at the regional level will make things better.
Ravishankar
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You need to login to replyRe: SuSanA India Chapter Thematic Discussion: Liquid Waste Management in SBM 2
Dear members,
In the discussion liquid waste management in the SwachhBharat Mission 2 guidelines, we have received a few responses. Please do respond to this discussion over the next few days. The responses received so far are summarised below.
Sandhya Haribal, Project Manager in Consortium for DEWATS Dissemination (CDD) Society said guidelines with respect to liquid waste management (LWM) propose soak/leach pits as the most effective and simple greywater management solutions. They are not universally usable. In coastal rural areas, there are instances of water from open wells being contaminated as water tables are high and most people use dug-wells. They are impractical in peri-urban areas owing to a lack space. In dry and arid regions with low water tables and high temperatures, greywater dries up or is absorbed in the open drains before reaching outfall points.
The construction of concrete roads with no or poorly planned drains causes water-logging and stagnation. Often, differences in levels between intersecting drains are the culprit. People dump garbage in drains, making the problem worse. The guidelines leaves the selection of a solution up to local planning officials. They will need support from the Districts or Block units so that the Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs) can choose the most suitable technology, management protocol and implement the same on the ground. The people who usually prepare Village Development Plans are local officials or panchayat members with little or no capacity to understand nuances of engineering or planning. They usually depend on external consultants (if there is a budget available to hire one) or on the local PRED (Panchayat Raj Engineering Division) or Public Works Department (PWD) teams, which often propose conventional, urban-centric solutions.
Sandhya posed the following questions to the forum:
The grey water plus cow wash water was drained into a farm pond which the farmer had built with government assistance. It had a debris trap at the entrance. The greywater aerates in the sun for a few days and is then pumped to the field for irrigation using drip irrigation. The farmer maintains the drain since he stands to gain. In the semi-arid landscape of Kolar, water is gold. Residents have agreed to cooperate by not throwing garbage into the drain. Their benefit will be a reduction in vector borne diseases. The whole activity cost Asha ₹ 2,000.
Other villages have taken up this model. It is a striking partnership among villagers and shows how low cost solutions can be found. The trick is to expand the solution space with innovative local solutions as much as possible and not to imagine difficulties in general all around. Specific context based difficulties will need specific solutions. If the whole village and farmers are involved in finding solutions and many problems will appear. Instead, if a solution like DEWATS is imposed on villagers, one will struggle to keep finding ways to run the system and keep on blaming somebody or the other.
Ajit Seshadri said village officers and elected representatives would monitor the quality and design of construction. Decentralisation was the solution to liquid waste management. Community Business Mechanisms could cover expenses and generate a surplus for maintenance. Grey water treated in a decentralised manner would be usable in irrigation. As part of the community outreach and education, people could be discouraged from using chemical cleaners to simplify designs of DEWATS plants. Regarding technical competencies at different levels, he said even if NGOs and SHGs existed, there was a lack of political will and desire on the part of local bodies.
In the discussion liquid waste management in the SwachhBharat Mission 2 guidelines, we have received a few responses. Please do respond to this discussion over the next few days. The responses received so far are summarised below.
Sandhya Haribal, Project Manager in Consortium for DEWATS Dissemination (CDD) Society said guidelines with respect to liquid waste management (LWM) propose soak/leach pits as the most effective and simple greywater management solutions. They are not universally usable. In coastal rural areas, there are instances of water from open wells being contaminated as water tables are high and most people use dug-wells. They are impractical in peri-urban areas owing to a lack space. In dry and arid regions with low water tables and high temperatures, greywater dries up or is absorbed in the open drains before reaching outfall points.
The construction of concrete roads with no or poorly planned drains causes water-logging and stagnation. Often, differences in levels between intersecting drains are the culprit. People dump garbage in drains, making the problem worse. The guidelines leaves the selection of a solution up to local planning officials. They will need support from the Districts or Block units so that the Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs) can choose the most suitable technology, management protocol and implement the same on the ground. The people who usually prepare Village Development Plans are local officials or panchayat members with little or no capacity to understand nuances of engineering or planning. They usually depend on external consultants (if there is a budget available to hire one) or on the local PRED (Panchayat Raj Engineering Division) or Public Works Department (PWD) teams, which often propose conventional, urban-centric solutions.
Sandhya posed the following questions to the forum:
- Who monitors the quality of design and construction of rural infrastructure such as wastewater treatment systems, drains and roads?
- Are there technically competent team/s at the District or Block levels for this, and how can the capacities of the existing Engineering/Planning Divisions at these levels be built up?
- Are there existing capacity building programmes to plug in this particular gap or any other existing Institutional structure that can support such activities?
- The panchayat or the taluka, or the District Rural Development Agency refused to take the ownership of the plant
- The convergence mentioned through MGNREGA was not applicable as the workers under MGNREGA were unskilled labourers
- The DBOT (Design, Build, operate and transfer) contract needs to be revisited
- The MGNREGA workers need training if the panchayat plans to handle the O&M by itself in future
- The villagers need to instructed to stop throwing plastic bottles in the open drains along with construction
- In some villages, septic tank outfalls are let into drains; this needs to stop
- Frequent water testing to check the treated water meets the standards need to be done
- The state, district and taluka engineers need to be trained to evaluate a grey water design submitted by the contractor
- Site selection for any plant is an important as the site selected lies in a low line area and frequent flooding of water occurs during monsoon.
- Rainwater needs to diverted from the site for LWM
The grey water plus cow wash water was drained into a farm pond which the farmer had built with government assistance. It had a debris trap at the entrance. The greywater aerates in the sun for a few days and is then pumped to the field for irrigation using drip irrigation. The farmer maintains the drain since he stands to gain. In the semi-arid landscape of Kolar, water is gold. Residents have agreed to cooperate by not throwing garbage into the drain. Their benefit will be a reduction in vector borne diseases. The whole activity cost Asha ₹ 2,000.
Other villages have taken up this model. It is a striking partnership among villagers and shows how low cost solutions can be found. The trick is to expand the solution space with innovative local solutions as much as possible and not to imagine difficulties in general all around. Specific context based difficulties will need specific solutions. If the whole village and farmers are involved in finding solutions and many problems will appear. Instead, if a solution like DEWATS is imposed on villagers, one will struggle to keep finding ways to run the system and keep on blaming somebody or the other.
Ajit Seshadri said village officers and elected representatives would monitor the quality and design of construction. Decentralisation was the solution to liquid waste management. Community Business Mechanisms could cover expenses and generate a surplus for maintenance. Grey water treated in a decentralised manner would be usable in irrigation. As part of the community outreach and education, people could be discouraged from using chemical cleaners to simplify designs of DEWATS plants. Regarding technical competencies at different levels, he said even if NGOs and SHGs existed, there was a lack of political will and desire on the part of local bodies.
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- Marine Chief Engineer by profession (1971- present) and at present Faculty in Marine Engg. Deptt. Vels University, Chennai, India. Also proficient in giving Environmental solutions , Designation- Prof. Ajit Seshadri, Head- Environment, The Vigyan Vijay Foundation, NGO, New Delhi, INDIA , Consultant located at present at Chennai, India
Re: SuSanA India Chapter Thematic Discussion: Liquid Waste Management in SBM 2- Avenues & Challenges for greywater management in Rural India
Dear SusanA Members,
Will try to answer the questions as best as possible:
1. Who monitors the quality of design and construction of rural infrastructure such as wastewater treatment
systems, drains and roads?
WWT Plants, ssm, drains and roads- leading to all infras, these are dealt with By :
Village ROs, Elected Heads, or Village Panch, persons, There is always a cash crunch, plans, and bodies are there but if finances cannot be met, then it cannot be done.
Therefore, totally decentralised, or localised versions will work, ie each individual HHs are dealing with SLWM, and gainfully used.
CBM- Community Business Mechanisms are evolved, in which the expenses,both Cap-Ex and Op Ex are covered and a certain extra 50% is generated so that each of the initiatives are sustained, certain 10- 20% will be expended to make certain adjustments, O&m and others.
SWM = generates manure on co- composting mode, if CTCs or others are present,
then WWT can be made anerobic in form of bio-digester
ie BGP= Bio GasPlant, However, the SLWM, bio wastes can be done on vermi or pit- composting receiving communitybio-wastes and cattle cow-dung and agri-wastes Etc. Worms, when cultured by communities from vermi -pits are used by communities on fish catches in ponds Etc (where available)
WWT Plnts= Toilet sewage water is dealt with into septic tank, soak-pit .
Wash water from HHs, are planned taken in the decentralised mode, and remedied water is led to agri-farm irrigation,
Efforts can be made so as not to use chemical cleaners, use bio-soaps, “besan”, shikkakai powder Etc.
If soaps are used then use sparingly, WWT Plants Dewats type are made simpler and remedied water can be easily used for agri-farms,
2. Are there technically competent team/s at the District or Block levels for this, and how can the capacities of the existing Engineering/Planning Divisions at these levels be built up?
Difficult to answer , however Even if NGOs and SHGs exist in certain regions. both Political will and desire on the part of LBs, Local Bodies at village level is always lacking, hence the initiatives are difficult to be achieved.
3. Are there existing capacity building programmes to plug in this particular gap or any other
existing Institutional structure that can support such activities?; Difficult to answer ..
It is seen that at most regions, nothing is done, leading to unhygienic, dirty condition, leading to Public health issues Etc.
Minimal effort if afforded, goes a long way in solving many direct and consequential problems,
well wishes,
Ajit Seshadri,
Head- Environment, The Vigyan Vijay Foundation NGO , New Delhi.
Will try to answer the questions as best as possible:
1. Who monitors the quality of design and construction of rural infrastructure such as wastewater treatment
systems, drains and roads?
WWT Plants, ssm, drains and roads- leading to all infras, these are dealt with By :
Village ROs, Elected Heads, or Village Panch, persons, There is always a cash crunch, plans, and bodies are there but if finances cannot be met, then it cannot be done.
Therefore, totally decentralised, or localised versions will work, ie each individual HHs are dealing with SLWM, and gainfully used.
CBM- Community Business Mechanisms are evolved, in which the expenses,both Cap-Ex and Op Ex are covered and a certain extra 50% is generated so that each of the initiatives are sustained, certain 10- 20% will be expended to make certain adjustments, O&m and others.
SWM = generates manure on co- composting mode, if CTCs or others are present,
then WWT can be made anerobic in form of bio-digester
ie BGP= Bio GasPlant, However, the SLWM, bio wastes can be done on vermi or pit- composting receiving communitybio-wastes and cattle cow-dung and agri-wastes Etc. Worms, when cultured by communities from vermi -pits are used by communities on fish catches in ponds Etc (where available)
WWT Plnts= Toilet sewage water is dealt with into septic tank, soak-pit .
Wash water from HHs, are planned taken in the decentralised mode, and remedied water is led to agri-farm irrigation,
Efforts can be made so as not to use chemical cleaners, use bio-soaps, “besan”, shikkakai powder Etc.
If soaps are used then use sparingly, WWT Plants Dewats type are made simpler and remedied water can be easily used for agri-farms,
2. Are there technically competent team/s at the District or Block levels for this, and how can the capacities of the existing Engineering/Planning Divisions at these levels be built up?
Difficult to answer , however Even if NGOs and SHGs exist in certain regions. both Political will and desire on the part of LBs, Local Bodies at village level is always lacking, hence the initiatives are difficult to be achieved.
3. Are there existing capacity building programmes to plug in this particular gap or any other
existing Institutional structure that can support such activities?; Difficult to answer ..
It is seen that at most regions, nothing is done, leading to unhygienic, dirty condition, leading to Public health issues Etc.
Minimal effort if afforded, goes a long way in solving many direct and consequential problems,
well wishes,
Ajit Seshadri,
Head- Environment, The Vigyan Vijay Foundation NGO , New Delhi.
Prof. Ajit Seshadri, Faculty in Marine Engg. Deptt. Vels University, and
Head-Environment , VigyanVijay Foundation, Consultant (Water shed Mngmnt, WWT, WASH, others)Located at present at Chennai, India
Head-Environment , VigyanVijay Foundation, Consultant (Water shed Mngmnt, WWT, WASH, others)Located at present at Chennai, India
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Re: SuSanA India Chapter Thematic Discussion: Liquid Waste Management in SBM 2
The simpler greywater management designs are , the more likely that they will get implemented and maintained.
Here is an example from village Minijenahalli , Kolar District , Karnataka . Asha , an NGO worker , got together a farmer and some workers. The village drain was cleaned and removed of silt and other debris . The farmer provided assistance of a tractor and a trailer to pick up the silt and take it to his farm to be used as soil conditioner.
The grey water plus cow wash water is now led into a farm pond which the farmer has got built with government assistance. The farm pond has a debris trap before entrance. The greywater stocked is allowed to aerate in the sun for a few days and is then pumped to the farmers field for irrigation purpose using drip irrigation. The farmer now maintains the drain since it benefits him with usable water. In a semi arid landscape water is gold. Residents have agreed to cooperate by not throwing garbage into the drain. They will benefit since no vector borne disease will affect them if they allow no stagnant water. A pandemic has also taught lessons of cleanliness.
This model is now being replicated in the other surrounding villages . It cost the NGO that ASHA runs Rs 2000/- to get the whole thing done.
In striking partnerships between village , sludge from the twin leach pits, greywater , drains and villagers sustainable , low cost solutions can be found. The trick is to expand the solution space with innovative local solutions as much as possible and not to imagine difficulties in general all around. Specific context based difficulties will need specific solutions.
Involve the village and farmers in finding solutions and many will appear. Find a solution like DEWATS and impose it on villagers and one will struggle to keep finding ways to run the system and keep on blaming somebody or the other.
My two paisa of ground based solutions.
Here is an example from village Minijenahalli , Kolar District , Karnataka . Asha , an NGO worker , got together a farmer and some workers. The village drain was cleaned and removed of silt and other debris . The farmer provided assistance of a tractor and a trailer to pick up the silt and take it to his farm to be used as soil conditioner.
The grey water plus cow wash water is now led into a farm pond which the farmer has got built with government assistance. The farm pond has a debris trap before entrance. The greywater stocked is allowed to aerate in the sun for a few days and is then pumped to the farmers field for irrigation purpose using drip irrigation. The farmer now maintains the drain since it benefits him with usable water. In a semi arid landscape water is gold. Residents have agreed to cooperate by not throwing garbage into the drain. They will benefit since no vector borne disease will affect them if they allow no stagnant water. A pandemic has also taught lessons of cleanliness.
This model is now being replicated in the other surrounding villages . It cost the NGO that ASHA runs Rs 2000/- to get the whole thing done.
In striking partnerships between village , sludge from the twin leach pits, greywater , drains and villagers sustainable , low cost solutions can be found. The trick is to expand the solution space with innovative local solutions as much as possible and not to imagine difficulties in general all around. Specific context based difficulties will need specific solutions.
Involve the village and farmers in finding solutions and many will appear. Find a solution like DEWATS and impose it on villagers and one will struggle to keep finding ways to run the system and keep on blaming somebody or the other.
My two paisa of ground based solutions.
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- A development professional with more than 2 years of experience in WASH (Water Sanitation and Hygiene) sector. My key qualifications are in the areas of innovation and change in WASH, capacity development and lastly supporting government networks, community based institutions including GPs, VWSCs, SHGs and ULBs for Water and sanitation compliance.
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Re: SuSanA India Chapter Thematic Discussion: Liquid Waste Management in SBM 2
I am Arunkumar, currently working as a District WASH Consultant with UNICEF. The topic of discussion is relevant in today's context and more consultations are needed for knowledge management and improve the current situation of unhygienic discharge of liquid wastewater.
First of all, I want to make clear that the guideline states that Grey water is wastewater from kitchen, bathroom that has no faecal content. Further, I would like to describe a greywater management plant recently installed in Lodra village of Gujarat. This greywater management system is a pilot model that follows the principle of DEWATS system. This system uses three stage process, where primary filtration tank is the first stage, sedimentation & Anaerobic Baffled Reactor is the second stage and the third & final stage is the planted reedbed system. The wastewater gets filtered through the three stage and finally reaches the storage tank that could be reused for irrigation and agricultural purpose.
The government wanted to keep the O&M expenditure as much as minimal. Hence, the plant was designed to operate with no external energy used the gravity technique.
Based on the experience in installing the plant, I would like to quote points that were difficult to tackle or not till achieved.
First of all, I want to make clear that the guideline states that Grey water is wastewater from kitchen, bathroom that has no faecal content. Further, I would like to describe a greywater management plant recently installed in Lodra village of Gujarat. This greywater management system is a pilot model that follows the principle of DEWATS system. This system uses three stage process, where primary filtration tank is the first stage, sedimentation & Anaerobic Baffled Reactor is the second stage and the third & final stage is the planted reedbed system. The wastewater gets filtered through the three stage and finally reaches the storage tank that could be reused for irrigation and agricultural purpose.
The government wanted to keep the O&M expenditure as much as minimal. Hence, the plant was designed to operate with no external energy used the gravity technique.
Based on the experience in installing the plant, I would like to quote points that were difficult to tackle or not till achieved.
- The panchayat or the taluka, or the District Rural Development Agency refuse to take the ownership of the plant
- The convergence mentioned through MGNREGA was not applicable as the workers under MGNREGA were unskilled labours who were not able to do work as expected by the contractor
- The DBOT(Design, Build, operate and transfer) contract need to revisited as the contract design need to show evidence to the panchayat that the treated water could be reused and the panchayat could earn sufficient income from it.
- The MGNREGA workers skill training is required if the panchayat is planning to handle the O&M by itself in future. (These include understanding on how to plant plantation in the reedbed system, Cleaning of reedbed, placement of course aggregate in appropriate manner (larger ones in the entry, and smaller in the middle), cleaning of ABR tanks, how to add gobar to the ABR tank and when to add and between what time needed to add. So, skill building is an important criteria for panchayat.
- The villagers also need to sensitised to stop throwing plastic bottles in case of open drains in the villages. In lodra plant, even today large quantities of plastic bottles are flowing through the wastewater channel.
- The greywater plant installation should simultaneously go with sensitising the HHs of the villagers, commercial establishment to stop them throwing solid waste into the drain pipes.
- In some villages, the black water is connected to the grey water which incase need to be separated.
- Frequent water testing to check the treated water meets the standards need to be done. (For instance every 6 months or earlier if needed)
- The state, district & taluka level engineers need to be trained to evaluate a grey water design submitted by the contractor. None of the engineers are aware how to calculate a retention time for treatment of wastewater.
- Site selection for any plant is an important as the site selected lies in a low line area and frequent flooding of water occurs during monsoon.
- Rain water needs to diverted from the site for LWM
Regards,
Arunkumar
WASH Consultant, UNICEF Gandhi Nagar, India
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Arunkumar
WASH Consultant, UNICEF Gandhi Nagar, India
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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- Consultant & Advisor in the Sanitation sector: Senior Project Manager at CDD Society
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Re: SuSanA India Chapter Thematic Discussion: Liquid Waste Management in SBM 2- Avenues & Challenges for greywater management in Rural India
I am Sandhya Haribal, Project Manager in Consortium for DEWATSTM Dissemination (CDD) Society, with over 17 years’ experience in infrastructure consulting & advisory services particularly in the public-private partnership (PPP) domain & techno-commercial role in the real estate and sanitation sectors. CDD Society is a not-for-profit organization, registered in 2005, that innovates, demonstrates and disseminates decentralized nature-based solutions for the conservation, collection, treatment and reuse of water resources and management of sanitation facilities.
On reviewing the SBM 2 guidelines with respect to liquid waste management (LWM), I have made the following observations:
The guidelines propose soak/leach pits as the most effective and simple greywater management solutions today. However, in coastal rural areas, it has been observed that given high water tables and reliance of the public on individual household open wells, there are instances of water from open wells getting contaminated. In case of peri-urban areas, there are more acute problems with lack of sufficient space adding to the challenge in planning for such systems. In dry and arid regions on the other hand, it has been observed that low water tables coupled with high temperatures lead to soaking of the greywater in the open drains itself before reaching the outfall points. In many such areas, the developments have been found very dense making it impossible to plan for individual household soak pits. Also, construction of concrete roads (under funded schemes) with poorly planned open drains has led to water logging and stagnation. Improper levels between intersecting drains have been found the culprits in many cases which usually happen on road intersections making them convenient spots to dump solid waste, in the process aggravating the stagnation issues.
The guidelines appear to be a prescriptive document which need further contextualization on ground. If the question is whether guidelines provide a sufficient menu of technologies, it does, however, the selection of the ideal solution still rests on the judgement of the local planning officials. Hence, there will be some support required either at the Districts or Block levels so that the Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs) can choose the most suitable technology, management protocol and implement the same on the ground.
For many years now, PRIs have been preparing individual Village Development Plans for drawing funds towards investment on infrastructure, unless it is created under any Central/State funded Government Schemes. The people who usually prepare these plans are local officials with little or no capacity to understand nuances of engineering or planning. In such cases they usually depend on external consultants (if there is a budget available to hire one) or on the local PRED (Panchayat Raj Engineering Division) or Public Works Department (PWD) teams, which often propose conventional, urban-centric solutions.
I would like to request the forum members to consider the following questions –
Sandhya
On reviewing the SBM 2 guidelines with respect to liquid waste management (LWM), I have made the following observations:
The guidelines propose soak/leach pits as the most effective and simple greywater management solutions today. However, in coastal rural areas, it has been observed that given high water tables and reliance of the public on individual household open wells, there are instances of water from open wells getting contaminated. In case of peri-urban areas, there are more acute problems with lack of sufficient space adding to the challenge in planning for such systems. In dry and arid regions on the other hand, it has been observed that low water tables coupled with high temperatures lead to soaking of the greywater in the open drains itself before reaching the outfall points. In many such areas, the developments have been found very dense making it impossible to plan for individual household soak pits. Also, construction of concrete roads (under funded schemes) with poorly planned open drains has led to water logging and stagnation. Improper levels between intersecting drains have been found the culprits in many cases which usually happen on road intersections making them convenient spots to dump solid waste, in the process aggravating the stagnation issues.
The guidelines appear to be a prescriptive document which need further contextualization on ground. If the question is whether guidelines provide a sufficient menu of technologies, it does, however, the selection of the ideal solution still rests on the judgement of the local planning officials. Hence, there will be some support required either at the Districts or Block levels so that the Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs) can choose the most suitable technology, management protocol and implement the same on the ground.
For many years now, PRIs have been preparing individual Village Development Plans for drawing funds towards investment on infrastructure, unless it is created under any Central/State funded Government Schemes. The people who usually prepare these plans are local officials with little or no capacity to understand nuances of engineering or planning. In such cases they usually depend on external consultants (if there is a budget available to hire one) or on the local PRED (Panchayat Raj Engineering Division) or Public Works Department (PWD) teams, which often propose conventional, urban-centric solutions.
I would like to request the forum members to consider the following questions –
- Who monitors the quality of design and construction of rural infrastructure such as wastewater treatment systems, drains and roads?
- Are there technically competent team/s at the District or Block levels for this, and how can the capacities of the existing Engineering/Planning Divisions at these levels be built up?
- Are there existing capacity building programmes to plug in this particular gap or any other existing Institutional structure that can support such activities?
Sandhya
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You need to login to replySuSanA India Chapter Thematic Discussion: Liquid Waste Management in SBM 2
The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India recently brought out the strategy and
guidelines
for SBM Phase 2, 2020-21 to 2024-25 to consolidate gains made in SBM Phase 1, where the goal was eliminating open defecation. The outlay for the period is estimated at ₹ 140,881 crores. In addition to consolidating gains from SBM 1, the second phase focuses on solid and liquid waste management (SLWM).
Like the first phase, the second one also aims to leverage the capacity of individuals and communities in rural India. While ensuring villages remain ODF, SBM 2 aims at providing remaining households with toilets and improving the overall standard of living by better environmental sanitation. Thus, its objectives are
SBM 2 guidelines state 80 per cent of grey water generated by households and all public places needs to be treated and reused. This includes grey water generated from kitchens, bathrooms and storm water that flows through channels and/or individual and community soak pits. It also includes black water from septic tanks, a common occurrence in rural and semi-urban areas, where these overflow into roadside drains, ditches and eventually local ponds or wells.
Grey water from bathrooms and kitchens are a major problem in rural India as it is not treated. It will only become a bigger problem with increase in numbers of household water connections. Current per capita water use in most of rural India is low and less than 18 per cent have a household water connection. In the absence of proper management, i.e., treatment and reuse, grey water contaminates surface and ground water, besides providing breeding grounds for disease vectors.
Treatment options are given in detail in the annexure to the guidelines. They provide a decision tree and treatments for different geographical regions and populations suitable for individual households and communities. The emphasis is on methods that can be set up and maintained without external help.
These are leach pits (individual and community), waste stabilisation ponds, constructed wetlands, decentralised water treatment systems and phytorid systems. There are others such as vermi-filtration and floating island that can be used to remediate stagnant or slow-flowing water. Each has its own space and cost implications. If made properly designed and constructed to accommodate anticipate population growth, they require little maintenance that semi-skilled labourers can provide.
DDWS recommends that in villages with populations up to 5,000, grey water can be collected in community soak pits or treated by artificial wetlands, waste stabilisation ponds and decentralised water treatment systems using shallow small bore sewers. For larger villages, DDWS recommends covered similar sewage systems connected to one of the treatment methods above. The capital expenditure can come from the 15thFinance Commission and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Guarantee Scheme MGNREGS).
The population density of villages varies a great deal from district to district, necessitating a localised approach to LWM. In densely populated areas, community soak pits and treatment may be feasible if land is available. Else, shallow narrow-bore sewers or covered drains are a viable option. Against this backdrop, for effective grey water management, we seek information on the following issues:
Sandhya and Rohini from the Consortium for DEWATS Dissemination Society will lead this discussion and provide their comments shortly.
The discussion will be open for comments till 30 August, 2020. We will conduct a webinar on "How to Empower Panchayats to Effectively Manage Grey Water" on 21 August. We will send out the details shortly.
Regards,
Nitya
Like the first phase, the second one also aims to leverage the capacity of individuals and communities in rural India. While ensuring villages remain ODF, SBM 2 aims at providing remaining households with toilets and improving the overall standard of living by better environmental sanitation. Thus, its objectives are
- Sustaining the gains of SBM-1 and ensuring sustained access to safely managed sanitation for all rural Indians
- Achieve a clean living environment through SLWM
- Sustained usage of Individual Household Latrines(IHHL)
- Continuous behaviour change communication
- Ensuring no one is left behind and providing sanitation access to new households (HHs)
- Sanitation coverage of public spaces (through public and community toilets)
- Implementation of Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) in rural areas
SBM 2 guidelines state 80 per cent of grey water generated by households and all public places needs to be treated and reused. This includes grey water generated from kitchens, bathrooms and storm water that flows through channels and/or individual and community soak pits. It also includes black water from septic tanks, a common occurrence in rural and semi-urban areas, where these overflow into roadside drains, ditches and eventually local ponds or wells.
Grey water from bathrooms and kitchens are a major problem in rural India as it is not treated. It will only become a bigger problem with increase in numbers of household water connections. Current per capita water use in most of rural India is low and less than 18 per cent have a household water connection. In the absence of proper management, i.e., treatment and reuse, grey water contaminates surface and ground water, besides providing breeding grounds for disease vectors.
Treatment options are given in detail in the annexure to the guidelines. They provide a decision tree and treatments for different geographical regions and populations suitable for individual households and communities. The emphasis is on methods that can be set up and maintained without external help.
These are leach pits (individual and community), waste stabilisation ponds, constructed wetlands, decentralised water treatment systems and phytorid systems. There are others such as vermi-filtration and floating island that can be used to remediate stagnant or slow-flowing water. Each has its own space and cost implications. If made properly designed and constructed to accommodate anticipate population growth, they require little maintenance that semi-skilled labourers can provide.
DDWS recommends that in villages with populations up to 5,000, grey water can be collected in community soak pits or treated by artificial wetlands, waste stabilisation ponds and decentralised water treatment systems using shallow small bore sewers. For larger villages, DDWS recommends covered similar sewage systems connected to one of the treatment methods above. The capital expenditure can come from the 15thFinance Commission and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Guarantee Scheme MGNREGS).
The population density of villages varies a great deal from district to district, necessitating a localised approach to LWM. In densely populated areas, community soak pits and treatment may be feasible if land is available. Else, shallow narrow-bore sewers or covered drains are a viable option. Against this backdrop, for effective grey water management, we seek information on the following issues:
- In addition to what is suggested above, what cost-effective, technically simple LWM options exist for different population densities?
- What technical skills are needed to make and maintain these structures?
- Please describe a model LWM plan for village that have populations less than 5,000; more than 5,000
Sandhya and Rohini from the Consortium for DEWATS Dissemination Society will lead this discussion and provide their comments shortly.
The discussion will be open for comments till 30 August, 2020. We will conduct a webinar on "How to Empower Panchayats to Effectively Manage Grey Water" on 21 August. We will send out the details shortly.
Regards,
Nitya
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