• UGI USER
  • Dec 27, 2023
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DIVE INTO SANITATION SOLUTIONS: MANAGING USED WATER

Syllabus: 

GS2 : 

  • Welfare Schemes for Vulnerable Sections of the population by the Centre and States
  • Issues Relating to Development and Management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health.

Focus :

Sanitation Systems

Historical Background : 

  • Modern sanitation systems trace back to around 1800 in London, evolving from rudimentary practices introduced by ancient civilizations in 4000 BC.
Source: Mighty Earth

Present State of Sanitation System in India:

  • Sanitary toilet usage in rural areas has declined during the Covid-19 period.
  • Over six lakh rural toilets are grappling with severe water scarcity.
  • Around 1,20,000 toilets lack water supply, while many others are abandoned, exhibiting issues like collapsing roofs, deteriorating water pipes, and damaged doors.

Importance of Sanitation Systems:

  • Preventing Pollution: Complex sanitation systems are vital to contain, remove, and treat used water before disposal or reuse, preventing pollution and ensuring public health.
  • Impurity Accumulation: Used water accumulates natural and human-introduced impurities, including organic matter, nutrients, pathogens, and heavy metals.
  • Public Health Impact: Sanitation systems have significantly improved public health, but challenges persist in ensuring universal access.
  • Environment : From addressing odour and aesthetics, modern sanitation recognizes its vital role in public and environmental health.

Types of Sanitation Systems:

On-Site Sanitation Systems (OSS):

  • Twin Pits and Septic Tanks: Common in rural areas or spacious urban residences.
  • Alternative OSS types: Bio-digester Toilets, Bio-tanks, and Urine Diversion Dry Toilets.
  • Collection and Storage: These systems passively treat used water, disposing of liquid into surrounding soil.
  • Faecal Sludge: Residue from pits and tanks, primarily composed of solids from human excreta.

Twin Pits:

  • Operational Cycle: Two pits used alternately, allowing the liquid part to soak into the ground while solids degrade.
  • Periodic Disuse: One pit is covered and left unused for two years, ensuring safe, pathogen-free contents for reuse.
  • Limitations: May not be suitable for locations with slow water percolation, such as rocky soil.

Septic Tanks:

  • Operation: Watertight tanks where solids settle at the bottom, and scum (oil and grease) floats to the top.
  • Liquid Disposal: Clear liquid disposed of in surrounding soil through pits or longer, shallower trenches.
  • Maintenance: Regular removal of accumulated faecal sludge and scum using vacuum-equipped trucks.

Centralized Sewer Networks:

  • Urban Areas: Underground network of pipes (sewers) collect and convey used water to treatment facilities.
  • Gravity or Pump Assisted: Pipes transport used water from toilets, kitchens to treatment facilities.
  • Maintenance: Machine-holes for maintenance and to address blockages.

Treatment Facilities and Processes:

Faecal Sludge Treatment Plants (FSTPs):

  • Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) is process of containing, conveying, and treating faecal sludge
  • Types:
  • Mechanical: Utilizes equipment like screw presses or centrifuges for dewatering.
  • Gravity-Based: Employs sand drying beds and sunlight..
  • Benefits :
  • Solid Reuse: Treated solids can be reused in agriculture when composted.
  • Liquid Reuse: Treated water reused within FSTP facilities.

Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs):

  • Benefits : STPs use physical, biological, and chemical processes to remove pollutants from used water.
  • Treatment Stages: Primary separation, purification, and disinfection, Membrane filtration for additional purification.
  • Types: Mechanized and non-mechanized STPs based on techno-managerial and financial capacities.

Challenges in India:

  • Rising Open Defecation:
  • Witnessing a four-fold increase in open defecation in rural India.
  • Defecation sites located near garbage dumps and water bodies, posing environmental and health risks.
  • Dumpsites containing used masks, PPE kits, and effluents contribute to the surge.
  • Faecal Sludge Management:
  • Rural and small-town areas face impending challenges with faecal sludge management.
  • Tanks and single pits become full and pose difficulties during the emptying process. 
  • Manual Scavenging Concerns:
  • National Commission of Safai Karamcharis identifies 53,598 individuals engaged in manual scavenging, with a significant number in U.P.
  • Tamil Nadu reports the highest deaths related to manual scavenging.
  • Gender-Based Sanitation Insecurity:
  • Women disproportionately affected by the scarcity of sanitation facilities.
  • Women’s safety compromised during open defecation or while seeking toilets.
  • Infrastructural Challenges : 
  • Issues like poorly designed systems and inadequate operation is crucial to effectively manage used water and protect water bodies and groundwater aquifers.
  • Universal access to safely managed sanitation services remains a challenge, requiring improvements in system construction, and maintenance.
  • Issues with Open Water Bodies:
  • Presence of open ponds in rural and semi-urban regions along road corridors.
  • These ponds serve multiple purposes for people and livestock but contain poor-quality water, leading to diseases.
Governments Initiatives towards Sanitation:

·  Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM):

o  Launched in 2014, this nationwide campaign aimed to achieve universal sanitation coverage and eradicate open defecation.

o  SBM included constructing toilets, promoting cleanliness, and creating awareness about sanitation and its importance.

·  Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin (SBM-G):Focused on rural areas, SBM-G aimed to make villages open defecation-free (ODF) and improve solid and liquid waste management.

·  Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U):Geared towards urban areas, SBM-U concentrated on improving urban sanitation, waste management, and creating open-defecation-free cities.

·  National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP):Encompassing various aspects, NRDWP aimed to provide safe drinking water and proper sanitation facilities in rural areas.

·  Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT):Focused on urban areas, AMRUT aimed at improving basic infrastructure, including sanitation, water supply, and sewage networks.

·  Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) – Urban: PMAY-U included a component to ensure every household in urban areas has access to a toilet.

·   National Urban Sanitation Policy (NUSP): Aimed at promoting cleanliness and improving sanitation in urban areas through community participation and awareness.

Achievements :

·  Launched in 2014, ‘Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin’ has seen the construction of over 11 crore toilets.

·   Approximately 60 crore individuals have transitioned away from open defecation habits.

·  The government is executing the second phase, aiming to achieve ODF Plus status for all 6 lakh villages in India.

Way forward :

  • Re-Evaluating Toilet Infrastructure:
  • Address the reliance on unimproved water sources in rural areas, even within sanitary toilets.
  • Initiate a comprehensive assessment of toilets built over five years ago, focusing on maintenance systems.
  • Sanitation Labour Reforms:
  • Integrate sanitation reforms with water systems, evaluating sanitation behaviour at every stage.
  • Enforce the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation (Amendment) Bill, 2020 to mechanize scavenging and eradicate manual scavenging.
  • Elimination of High-Risk Toilets:
  • Eradicate the construction and usage of both dry latrines and hanging toilets.
  • Mitigate health risks in communities, extending beyond Covid-19.
  • Promoting Behavioural Change:
  • Implement Information, Education, and Communication strategies for behavioural change, particularly focusing on women and sanitation facilities.
  • Odour and aesthetics were initial drivers; now, the focus is on public and environmental health in sanitation efforts.

Enhancing sanitation in India is imperative for public health and environmental sustainability. Efforts towards accessible, efficient systems are pivotal for safeguarding communities and preserving natural resources.

 

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/a-dive-into-sanitation-solutions-processing-managing-and-treating-used-water/article67674091.ece/amp/

Mains Practice Question:

Critically analyze the challenges in Sanitation System in India.

What are the crucial steps toward achieving safe, sustainable, and inclusive sanitation for all in India?