Community News/Bangalore City News

Even human fecas is sufficient to generate power

The dwellers in both Ullala Upanagar and Kengeri Beedi workers colony Bangalore where most of the dwellers who are garment workers, beedi workers, incense stick makers, domestic helpers are happy about DEWATS approach of making their life better by improving hygiene, able to secure source of energy by powering their biogas stove, light lamp.

L.Raghunanda

4^th Estate

03.01.2012

There is no better way than what a Decentralised Waste Water Treatment Systems (DEWATS) is doing in backward communities or slums of Bangalore providing hygiene environment, by providing excellent sanitation by reuse of waste water.

“We have secured ten projects as to setting up of toilets, wastewater recyclingplant two are already in operation one at Ullalu Upanagar and other at Kengeri Beedi workers colony which are backward region and slum so to say” says Sushma Sinha unit co-ordinator of DEWATS in Bangalore when asked about work DEWATS has done toimprove civic condition, hygiene waste management.

When asked about how this projects works involving community “ The DEWATS which made mark in city in 2010, has already reputation of having completed400 projects all over India in providing better sanitation, waste water management and waste to energy and most of our work can be seen in slums,villages.

The whole treatment process of wastewater is completely gravity driven without any energy requirement at all. This means that power cuts and load shedding or even accidental switching off of motors or pumps does not come into the picture at all, something which has been the bane of traditional wastewater treatment systems.

Wastewater flows as low as 100 litres or 1 cubic metre to as high as 1,000 cubic metres can be handled by DEWATS . There is very little or no maintenance though the performance has to be monitored regularly.

“Ullal Upanagar was most backward, packed with slum dwellers, hygiene was poorly maintained by the dwellers, under Sanitation Water And Sustainability (SWAS) we have provided them toilets and bathroom,

“When we approached with plan to Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board(BWSSB) and Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagar Palike, our approach was appreciated by them, and they built at the cost of seven lakhs rupees the sanitation complex has 22 toilets 11 for men and 11 for women with 4 bathroom, in this sanitation complex rain water harvesting mechanism is also adopted and source of water collected is used by users of toilet and bathroom , asked us to go forward with it, infact they said it is best practice available and asked us to make use of it.

The complex maintained by four women part of Ullala Upangara slum dwellers maintain the complex by charging the toilet or bathroom users Rs 2, and money generated each days is only used to maintain the complex

The biogas generator which will be in operation 2 to 3 hours in morning, 1 hour in afternoon and 1 hour in evening is used by dwellers happily, one thousand people of Ullala Upanagar are the beneficiary of the service” says Sushma Sinha briefing about whole operation of these sanitation complex, waste recycling and energy generation.

“Here it is not just convenience of sanitation that one need to appreciate but waste water management through recycling, energy generation out of the waste also economic benefits that is accrued by slum dwellers, with sanitation complex maintained by four women while time to time but DEWATS will be there in ensuring that the complex works well and in any problem as to operation will be sorted out.

“The 11,000 liters of waste generated in a day in terms of both solid waste and liquid water after diverted to differentimhoff tank the solid waste human excreta is retained in biogas settler here high concentration of organics makes gas recovery interesting with ideal condition and temperature is enough for biogas production

Also by burning one source of odour from treatment unit is eliminated adding also to reduction of green house gas emission, biogas consisting of methane generated at biogas reactor is used to power hot water boiler which is housed inside sanitation complex, power stove used by most of slum dwellers and light lamp, Ullala Upanagar is making benefit of it.

While there are good number of traditional method followed in waste water treatment how is this decentralised waste water treatment different from the traditional method to the question Sushma Sinha said “This traditional form of treatment is insufficient to render the outgoing effluents pollution free in high water table areas, septic tanks can cause contamination of groundwater and surface water.

“Cleaning septic tanks too is a cumbersome and unpleasant affair. Domestic wastewater has a high percentage of nitrogen and carbonaceous materials as well as bacteria but is relatively simple to treat as compared to industrial wastewater. The world over, focus is on shifting to decentralised methods of treating wastewater which are simple to operate and economical too and here DEWATS is more useful.

“In Kengeri beedi workers colony DEWATS has come out with waste water treatment and recycling facility, the household waste from 120 houses both solid waste and liquid waste is collected treated only to be used again 36,000 litres of waste water from 120 household is once again used by the dwellers of Kengeri beedi workers colony, here again this waste water treatment facility is maintained by Kengeri Panchayat.

“In this typical system domestic household waste water is made to flowto a primary treatment system consisting of a settling and floating tank, a secondary treatment system of an up-flow type baffled reactor which digests wastewater anaerobically, a tertiar

When asked who are the fund sponsor for DEWATS project in India, Sushma Sinha said “There are good number of donors like Commission for European Union, German Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation and Development, Water and sanitation program of World bank and Bremen Overseas Research Development Agency (BORDA) -German funding agencyy treatment in subsurface horizontal flow sand filters with reed beds, and, finally, a polishing pond for oxygenation and UV disinfection from the sun’s rays, after whole treatment is over the water is ready to use.

The work we are doing in Bangalore is supported by Grama Swaraj Samhiti and Foundation for Educational Innovations in Asia and of course BORDA.