Ecosan Expert Training Course Capacity Building for Ecological
Ecosan Expert Training Course Capacity Building for Ecological Sanitation in Bhutan Ecosan concept - Closing the Loop Michael Kropac, seecon international, Switzerland
What does sanitation include? üdrainage and disposal (re-use, recycling) of household grey water ümanagement/ recycling of (organic) solid wastes ütreatment and disposal/ recycling of drainage of stormwater E. Menger-Krug Source: (3) J. Heeb ücollection and management of industrial waste products ümanagement of hazardous wastes, including hospital wastes, and chemical/radioactive and other dangerous substances. Main Focus of Ecosan M. Wafler üsafe collection, storage, treatment and recycling of human excreta (faeces and urine) and sewage effluents
Problems we currently face: No Sanitation… Source: Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation (JMP). Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation: Special Focus on Sanitation. UNICEF, New York and WHO, Geneva, 2008.
Problems we currently face: Not working Sanitation… • Users not involved in sanitation decisions • Users do not acknowledge importance of sanitation • Sanitation not adapted to local conditions • No sense of ownership by the people • No or insufficient maintenance Sanitation systems are working improperly… or not at all
Problems we currently face: Unimproved Sanitation… • People don’t like using smelly toilets • Toilets are not hygienic • Toilets are a health risk Safe and healthy sanitation not ensured
Problems we currently face: (Ground)-water pollution… On-site wastewater disposal systems like pit latrines or soak pits can contaminate groundwater (infiltration of wastewater) when the groundwater table is high Source: (4) Health risk: Polluted well-water
Problems we currently face: Flush Toilets waste water With conventional waterborne flush-toilets, we mix roughly 50 kg of faecal matter (per person/year) 50 kg roughly 500 l of urine (per person/year) 500 L with roughly 20’ 000 l of clean flushwater* © Arun 20’ 000 L If this wastewater is discharged untreated into rivers, an even higher amount of water is polluted *Based on the Swiss average for a toilet that uses about 8 L of Water per flush (11).
Problems we currently face: Conventional Waterborne Sanitation …are “flush and forget” sanitation solutions, where human wastes are flushed away with huge amounts of scarce freshwater, polluting rivers and the drinking water of people living further downstream. What happens at the end of the pipe?
Problems we currently face: Conventional Waterborne Sanitation What happens at the end of the pipe? If we are very lucky, there might be a “state of the art” conventional Sewage Treatment Plant: Which will need: • Long sewer network & pumps to get the wastewater to the plant • Electricity for aeration, pumps and other moving parts • Skilled (and thus expensive) operation & maintenance staff • Backup generator for powercuts • Diesel for generator Who will pay for this?
Problems we currently face: Conventional Waterborne Sanitation Who will pay for this? Usually nobody! • Wastewater is moved out of cities • But worldwide, approx. 90% of the wastewater is not treated (properly) • Environment & water sources further downstream are polluted Problem is shifted downstream!
Conventional Sanitation: No Recycling of Water and Nutrients Water Nutrients ? • Nutrient recovery not done or often impossible in cities (due to the mixing of domestic wastewater with industrial wastewater) • Huge demand for energy intensive artificial fertilisers, in response to the problem of decreasing soil fertility. (16)
Alternative, sustainable solutions are needed! We need to rethink our sanitation approach; a new philosophy is needed! Sustainable sanitation solutions : 1. should be eco-friendly (no pollution of ground- and surface water) 2. need to be user-friendly 3. should need low maintenance 4. should be cost effective 5. should produce and not require energy (e. g. biogas) 6. are usually decentralized 7. should reuse nutrients, and water contained in wastewater P. K. Jenssen Conradin J. Heeb K. Conradin P. Jenssen
Ecological Sanitation as a Sustainable Solution The basic principle of ecological sanitation is to close the loop between sanitation and agriculture without compromising health FOOD closing the loop between sanitation and agriculture NUTRIENTS Pathogen destruction Source: (4)
Ecological Sanitation as a Sustainable Solution Ecosan is a new way of thinking sanitation, not a specific technology! Ecological Sanitation… • …regards all (dry and wet) “wastes” as resources … • …which can be recovered and safely reused and recycled after adequate treatment in agriculture.
Closing the Loop: Reuse of Urine and Faeces in Agriculture Source: (33) faeces & urine source: Vinnerås, 2003 N = Nitrogen P = Phosphorus K = Potassium Urine only none
Closing the Loop: Urine as Fertilizer Urine is an excellent nitrogen-rich fertilizer! Sugar cane without urine Sugar cane with urine
Closing the Loop: Faeces as Compost Treated faeces give excellent compost that improve the soil After one week without water. . . Benefits of Compost: üImproves soil structure üImproves pore space üIncreases water-holding üBetter water supply for crops compost improved soil untreated soil source: Petter Jenssen üBetter storage and exchange capacity for (micro) nutrients üReservoir of N P K S steadily released by mineralisation üetc. !Attention!: There are many disease-causing pathogens in faeces proper treatment is necessary!
Closing the Loop: Other Reuse Possibilities: Biogas as a sustainable energy source from wastewater: ð For cooking ð For heating ð For lights ð For electricity production Reuse of water after treatment: ð Irrigation in agriculture ð Industry, flush for toilets ð Recharge of groundwater
Advantages of ecosan Systems: Closing the Loop(s) Water (drinking water) Energy Nutrient Filtration (membra ne, sand) Groundwater recharge Greywater Recreational water Biological Treat. Watering garden ment Fertilizer (N, P, K) Blackwater Organi c waste Aerobic treatment (compos ting) Anaerobic treatment (biogas) Soil amendment
Ecological Sanitation: Source Separation is often practiced substances treatment utilisation urine (yellowwater) hygienisation by storage or drying liquid or dry fertiliser faeces (brownwater) anaerobic digestion, drying, composting, mixing with organic solid waste biogas, soil improvement Greywater (showers, washing, etc. ) rainwater constructed wetlands, gardening, wastewater ponds, biol. treatment filtration, biol. treatment irrigation, groundwater recharge or direct reuse water supply, groundwater recharge
Advantages of ecosan Systems • Improvement of health • Promotion of recycling • Conservation of resources • Preference for modular, decentralised partial-flow systems • Contribution to the preservation of soil fertility • Improvement of agricultural productivity and hence contributes to food security Source: (18) • Increasing user comfort/security, in particular for women and girls Promotion of a holistic, interdisciplinary approach. • Cyclic Material-flow instead of disposal. Source: (18)
There is not only one Ecosan Technology… …many technology components can be used for Ecosan! Urine-diversion flush toilets Constructed Wetlands Toilet-linked Biogas Plants Urine-diverting dehydration toilets Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems …and many more!
Conclusion – Ecological Sanitation Approach Ecosan is… J. Heeb …not a certain technology . . . not only about waterless toilets . . . not only about wastewater treatment…
Conclusion - Ecological Sanitation Approach Ecosan… …regards all (dry and wet) “wastes” as resources …is all about reuse, recovery and recycling of nutrients & water …is a new holistic way of thinking, not a specific technology!
Ecosan Training Course Capacity Building for Ecological Sanitation in India Thank you very much for your attention! Michael Kropac, seecon international, Switzerland
++ References (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15) (16) (17) (18) (19) Werner, Ch. Panesar, A. Bracken, P. , Mang, H. P. , Huba-Mang, E. Gerold, A. M. , Demsat, S. , Eicher, I. (GTZ) (2004): An ecosan source book for the preparation and implementation of ecological sanitation projects. 3 rd draft, February 2004. GTZ. Environmental Sanitation Working Group of the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council WSSCC (2004): Bellagio statement: Clean, healthy and productive living: A new approach to environmental sanitation. Evans, B. (2004): Whatever Happened to Sanitation? - Practical steps to achieving a core Development Goal. Millennium Project: Task Force on Water and Sanitation in March 2004. Werner, Ch. , Mang H. -P. , Klingel, F. Bracken, P. (2004): General overview of ecosan. Power. Point-Presentation. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) Gmb. H ecological sanitation programme. Evans, R. (1990): Tod in Hamburg. Stadt, Gesellschaft und Politik in den Cholerajahren 1830 -1910. Rowohlt. Ecosanres (2005): Fact Sheet No 1: The Sanitation Crisis. Ecological Sanitation Research/SIDA, Sweden. Available at: http: //www. ecosanres. org/PDF%20 files/Fact_sheets/ESR 1 lowres. pdf (Accessed 9. 11. 2005). NOVAQUATIS, EAWAG (2005): Nova 5 Workpackages: Micropollutants. Available at: http: //www. novaquatis. eawag. ch/Downloads/Nova_05. pdf (Accessed 27. 10. 2005). Encyclopaedia Britannica Online: Eutrophication http: //search. eb. com/eb/article-9033307? query=eutrophication&ct= (Accessed 27. 10. 2005) GTZ: ecosan – Ecological Sanitation: Shortcomings of conventional sanitation systems. Available at: http: //www 2. gtz. de/ecosan/english/thema 1. htm (Accessed 9. 11. 2005). Deplazes, G. & Hieber, M (2005): Handlungsbedarf beim Abwasser im ländlichen Raum. – In: Schweizer Gemeinde 10/2005. BUWAL Bundesamt für Umwelt, Wald und Landschaft (2005): http: //www. trinkwasser. ch/dt/html/bildergallerie/frameset. htm (accessed 28. 09. 2005) Alsén, K. W. & Jenssen, P. D. (2004): Ecological Sanitation. For mankind and nature. Norwegian University of Life Sciences. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online: Runoff. http: //search. eb. com/eb/article-9064427? query=runoff&ct= (Accessed 11. 2005) Ecosanres (2005): Fact Sheet No 2: The Main Features of Ecological Sanitation Research/SIDA, Sweden. Available at: http: //www. ecosanres. org/PDF%20 files/Fact_sheets/ESR 2 lowres. pdf (Accessed 9. 11. 2005). Esrey, S. A. , Andersson, I. Hillers, A. , Sawyer, R. (2001): Closing the Loop. Ecological Sanitation for Food Security. Publications on Water Resources No. 18. UNDP, SIDA. Jenssen, P. D. (2005): Ecological Sanitation – a technology assessment. Norwegian University of Life Sciences. Power. Point. Presentation, held at the 9 th. International conference on ”Ecological Sanitation” Mumbai India, November 25 th, 2005. Werner, Ch. , Abdoulaye Fall, P. , Schlick, J. & H. -P. Mang (2003): Reasons and principles for ecological sanitation. 2 nd International Symposium on Ecological Sanitation, April 2003. Lubeck, Germany. Available at: www. gtz. de/de/dokumente/enecosan-reasons-and-principles-2004. pdf GTZ: ecosan – Ecological Sanitation: Advantages of ecosan concepts. Available at: http: //www 2. gtz. de/ecosan/english/thema 2. htm (Accessed 9. 11. 2005). Werner, Ch. (2004): Ecological sanitation – principles, urban application and challenges. PP-Presentation at the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, 12 th Session - New York, 14 -30 April 2004. Available at: www 2. gtz. de/ecosan/download/CSD 12 ecosan-werner. pdf
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