Affordability of Decentralized Wastewater Systems: A Case Study in Integrated Planning from INDIA

Abstract

Based on experiences about the planning of decentralized wastewater treatment systems for slums of two rural towns in India, the paper asks to what extent affordability for the future users may impede the realization of other sustainability goals. The planning aimed at ensuring economic, social, and environmental sustainability. To this end the planning process promoted the participation of stakeholders and it was supplemented by an in-depth analysis (using novel methods) of the socio-economic situation of the future users. In particular, an approach towards estimating willingness to pay from small samples was developed. Taking all this information into account, planning identified a well-established technology that it is inexpensive, robust, and easy to maintain. The experiences of this planning process may generalize to other developing countries seeking socially acceptable low cost solutions with reasonable pollution reduction for resolving the sanitation crisis.

Renovation of Automation System Based on Industrial Internet of Things: A Case Study of a Sewage Treatment Plant

“…Traditional sewage treatment processes include the Anaerobic Anoxic Oxic (A2O), the Sequencing Batch Reactor Activated Sludge Process (SBR), and the Cyclic Activated Sludge System (CASS) [6]. The A2O process is simple but has a large circulating water volume.…”

“…After using this system, the staff can deal with it in 3 min, ensuring the quality of the effluent. The COD instrument range is (0-100) mg/L, normal water quality standard is (40-60) mg/L; SS instrument range is (0-100) mg/L, normal water quality standard is (10-20) mg/L, pH instrument range is (0-14) and normal water quality standard is (6)(7)(8). In the experiment, when the CASS tank level is 0.8 m, only one blower is running.…”

Wastewater surveillance could serve as a pandemic early warning system for COVID‐19 and beyond

“…While the engagement of government and non‐government agencies may be more noticeable to the public, other players such as universities, hotels, and airlines have also joined surveillance efforts (Gibas et al, 2021; Schmitz et al, 2021; Scott et al, 2021). There is also a potential for broadening participation in surveillance to housing societies in India, where residents have decentralized wastewater management systems, for example, housing complexes with their own sewershed and treatment facilities (Alley, 2023; Alley et al, 2018; Brunner et al, 2018; Kuttuva et al, 2018). There are places, where communities manage their own decentralized facilities, can be incorporated into surveillance efforts since many are already trained to comply with state and national regulations, policies, and standards on wastewater treatment and effluent discharge.…”

Time and motion assessment of pit-emptying operations in Kigali, Rwanda

“…With the UN Sustainable Development Goal of ensuring sanitation for all by 2030 (SDG6), the demand for new ways to safely collect, transport, and dispose of fecal waste from household sanitation facilities is increasing (United Nations Publications 2020). This is especially true as traditional sewage infrastructure remains unaffordable for households and governments in most low-income contexts (Dodane et al 2012;Brunner et al 2018). Around 2.7 billion people use on-site sanitation worldwide, where an estimated 1.77 billion use some form of pit latrine as their primary means of excreta disposal (Graham Jay & Polizzotto Matthew 2013;Strande & Brdjanovic 2014).…”