Pit latrine faecal sludge solid waste quantification and characterization to inform the design of treatment facilities in peri-urban areas: A case study of Kanyama

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to quantify waste content in faecal sludge using an appropriate method and characterise the solid wastes inherent with the faecal sludge into categories. A total of eight (8) domestic pit-latrines were analysed in the peri-urban area of Kanyama settlement in Lusaka from July to October, 2018. From each latrine, three (3) samples were obtained for analysis of solid waste and sand/grit quantities. The quantified solid waste was further characterised to generate its composition. The method of estimation involved separation of the excreta from the solid waste and grit/sand of the faecal sludge by means of washing and drying of the contents. The results indicated high content of total waste, taken as the summation of all the solid waste including grit/sand which averaged 34.2±10.3% (n=24) per wet mass of faecal sludge and 68.9±8.0% (n=24) per dry mass of faecal sludge. Characterisation of the solid waste in the faecal sludge (n=24) showed a composition of 54.4±13.3% textiles, 16.7±6.4% plastics, 8.6±9.3% others, 8.6±5.8% organic waste, 7.6±4.8% paper, 3.1±3.6% metal and 1.0±1.2% glass. The high content of waste has an implication on the handling of faecal sludge especially at the stages of desludging, treatment and disposal/re-use. The study proposed and recommended implementation of user education, improving solid waste management systems in periurban areas and studying the feasibility of placing some facilities like biogas digesters above ground to facilitate removal of grit, which is usually problematic with underground facilities. The study also proposed and recommended strengthening the regulation on the construction and operations of latrines, which should be supported by enacting a responsive regulatory framework to ensure all measures, are effectively implemented.

Smart and Resilient Infrastructure For Emerging Economies: Perspectives on Building Better

“…The Estimated. The Central Statistics Office (CSO) estimates the entire Kanyama population density in 2010 was around 5,636 persons per km 2 (Tembo et al 2019). The community of Kanyama is one of the settlements in Lusaka, Zambia that experiences persistent floods in the rainy season.…”

Blood flows: mapping journeys of menstrual waste in Blantyre, Malawi

“…Sustainable management of pit latrines by periodic emptying is critical to delivering universal sanitation in rapidly densifying urban areas, as space constraints mean that continuing to abandon full pit latrines is infeasible (Chunga et al 2016, Berendes et al 2017). However, the ubiquitous presence of menstrual waste in pit latrines poses a challenge to easy and safe emptying (Tembo et al 2019). When full pits are emptied by mechanical methods, such as pumps, discarded menstrual cloth can wrap around the propelling blades of these devices and cause them to malfunction (Sisco et al 2017).…”

“…As pit emptying businesses are unlikely to be able to afford pumps with powerful maceration capabilities, manual emptying of the waste is instead necessary to avoid blocking the pumps (Chipeta et al 2017). Furthermore, the presence of menstrual absorbents and other solid waste in faecal sludge makes it economically challenging to reuse the material (Tembo et al 2019). Compost and biogas are valuable resources in low-income peri-urban contexts that can be produced from faecal sludge, but the presence of solid waste can affect both the quality of these products and the profitability of their production operations (Strande and Brdjanovic 2014).…”