Ecological Sanitation: An Alternative Route to Sustainable Livelihoods
Content Table
Abstract
Most of the cities in Nepal, except Kathmandu, the sewerage system and onsite sanitation system are very poor due to improper management, less attention, and lack of political commitment of Gevernments of Nepal. The planned and safe disposal of human excreta is a must for preventing drinking water from pollution and conserving soil fertility. The conventional linear approach to sanitation can cause both environmental and health problems. So, this paper basically focus for managing the safe disposal of human excreta by introducing some techniques and shows the relationship of ecological sanitation to sustainable development, proverty reduction by increasing food security through the return of nutrient from excreta.
Ecological sanitation is an attempt to move away from linear solutions of waste disposal towards systems based on a circular flow of nutrients. It considers human excreta a resource and not a waste to be disposed of. Ecological sanitation is environmentally sound, where excreta are recovered, rendered safe, and recycled into soil, no pollution occurs and the environment is protected.
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Key Words
Human excreta, ecotoilet, poverty allevation, soil conditioner, nutrients
Introduction
Most of the sewage in Nepal is untreatedly discharged into the river, lakes and land prior to treatment, which polluts rivers, lakes and land areas and thus causing the spread of waterborne diseases. The dumping of human exreta into the water bodies and land destroys aquatic life and greatly reduces the potential of the water bodies and land to support food security. Conventional linear approaches to sanitation is the "flush and discharge" model and the "drop and store" model can cause both environmental and health problems. The "flush and discharge" model of discharged waste can contaminate water sources, causing serious health risks. Even the very simple "drop and store" models, such as the pit latrines used in many parts of the rural area of Nepal, have their limitations and risks. They cannot be used in areas with impenetrable ground and high water tables or where flooding is a problem. There is a risk that groundwater may be contaminated with pathogens from pit latrines, threaten the water supply. Furthermore, certain disease vectors breed in humid pits causing diseases such as filariasis, yellow fever and arboviruses (Esrey et. al. 2001). Pit latrines can also be rejected by potential users because of smells and flies. In addition, a limitation in both models is the failure to return natural fertilizers contained in human excreta to the land which means that a valuable resource (human excreta) which could restore depleted soils is wasted. Chemical fertilizers are then required which in turn, deplete other valuable finite resources, such as fossil fuels and phosphate. Such an approach is not sustainable and will ultimately diminish food supplies (Esrey and Andersson, 2000a).
Ecological Sanitation: An Approach
Ecological sanitation is an ecosystem approach of waste disposal based on three key principles that sanitation should be safe from a health perspective; "green" or non polluting; and be based on principles of reuse and recycling of the valuable nutrients in human excreta (Esrey and Andersson, 2000b). There are two basic techniques in ecological sanitation. One is urine diversion, in which urine and faeces are kept separate. In the second technique urine and faeces are combined and transformed into humus through a composting process. In each type of ecological sanitation, it is possible to manage the system with little or no water, and it is also possible to keep the end products out of ground and surface waters.
Shallow groundwater (shallow tube wells) is the main source of drinking water in Terai (the low land region of Nepal). A study conducted by Department of Water Supply and Sewerage (DWSS) showed that more than 55% of terai tubewells are microbiologically contaminated. There might be many reasons for this contamination but pit latrines share the most. The planned and safe disposal of human excreta is a most for preventing drinking water from pollution and conserving soil fertility. An Elevated Double Box Urine Diverting (DU) toilet has been proposed to flooding and in the place where ground water table is high. The content of ecotoilet is almost pathogen free, has good water retention capacity and contains lots of nutrients that are necessary for plant growth and at the same time it conserves ground water from microbial contamination. Redirection of properly composted excreta (from ecotoilet) replenishes the nutrients and organic matter that are removed from soil due to crop harvest. Ecotoilet thus helps to increase crop production, reduce morbidity and mortality and eventually helps alleviates poverty (Lamichhane, 2002).
Ecological sanitation is an attempt to move away from linear solutions of waste disposal towards systems based on a circular flow of nutritients. It considers human excreta a resource and not a waste to be disposed of. Ecological sanitation is environmentally sound, where excreta are recovered, rendered safe, and recycled into soil, no pollution occurs and the environment is protected. Not only is drinking water preserved for drinking, rather than flushing, receiving bodies of water are protected from nutrients and organic matter. The environmental and human health risks are minimized and eliminated. Fish populations, coral reefs, and biodiversity are protected. Nitrogen pollution, with adverse human health effects, is reduced: (Esrey and Andersson, 2000b). The nutrient loop is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1: The Nutrient Loop: Recovering, rendering safe and recycling nutrients in human excreta
Ecological sanitation systems can make an invaluable contribution to sustainable livelihoods and poverty reduction, including in urban areas, by increasing food security through the return of nutrients from excreta to the soil to increase soil fertility and by reducing pollution and health risks. Such systems also impact positively on food security through better management of scarce water resources and contribute to health through reducing transmission of disease and increasing nutritional intake. The compost produced can be sold or used for household food production. The establishment of home gardens and sale of produce can be facilitated and the resulting increased income can lead to greater nutritional well-being for families. The establishment of an ecological sanitation system can create opportunities for local entrepreneurs to design and build toilets as well as provide training on the building of the toilets and the use of the end product, creating further income generation potential.
Ecological sanitation approaches are thus far more feasible than conventional sanitation systems both financially and environmentally and offer more from a sustainable livelihood and poverty reduction perspective. In addition, these systems can foster decentralized management systems, with potential for empowering people, providing for local livelihoods and enhancing community cohesion. This paper contends, however, that the contribution of ecological sanitation will be significantly enhanced if gender perspectives are an integral part of future developments.
Conclusions
Ecological sanitation improvements should be developed within a framework that links poverty reduction, human rights and democratic development, gender equality and maintenance of the natural resource base. The framework must be people-centred, recognizing the poor women and men as actors and change agents rather than victims. The contributions, needs, priorities of all stakeholders, women as well as men, should be taken into account. The importance of institutions and governance issues for natural resource management, calling for frameworks which build on traditional knowledge, technology and regulatory mechanisms rather than on systems imposed from outside.
Human excreta have become one of the main environmental pollutants in rivers of Nepal. Children, elderly people and women are the main vulnerable groups to insanitary conditions and women take benefit most by construction of sanitary toilets as they needed maximum privacy for their ablutions. Thus ecotoilets helps to reduce morbidity and mortality rates. It also increase the aesthetics apperance of village.
In particular, there is need to give greater attention to the gender perspectives in management and governance issues linked to ecological sanitation. Ecological sanitation approaches can only be empowering if both women and men have the possibility to influence the direction of, participate actively in the implementation of, and benefit from, these approaches
References
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