Project Overview

OverviewObjectives

The population of Delhi is growing every day as a result of the increased number of migrants and urbanization. As one of the fastest growing metropolitan cities in India, it does not have a proper sewage disposal and drainage system. Delhi is facing a severe problem of untreated sewage as only about 55% of homes in Delhi are linked to a proper sewerage system and the remaining 45% of waste is discharged into the Yamuna River.

According to facts published by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) in 2012, only about 30% of all the sewage in Delhi is treated. It has been estimated that, on average, 3,296 million liters/per day of sewage is dumped in the Yamuna River. Delhi generates around 600 million gallons/per day of sewage, but the sewage treatment plants (STPs) set up in the city have a capacity to treat only 512.4 million gallons/per day of waste.

Many areas are not covered by current centralized sewerage systems and are in need of alternative decentralized solutions/fecal sludge management (FSM) as they are served through on-site sanitation systems.

The proposed project aims to demonstrate a small-scale, decentralized FSM solution in an urban, low-income, resettlement colony in Delhi (India’s capital) to focus on the growing concern of managing sewage by providing sustainable solutions. The project intends to identify similar low-income settlements, or resettlement colonies in the city, where the FSM solution can be considered for adoption and expansion by the Delhi government in the future. The priority of the project will be to install the FSM infrastructure at the identified location, and to demonstrate its application as a suitable solution for similar locations across Delhi.

Photos: Centre for Urban and Regional Excellence (CURE), India

Photo: Centre for Urban and Regional Excellence (CURE), India

The objective is to ensure that the community assumes ownership and ensures continued usage of the FSM solution, thereby contributing to its sustainability. Through demonstration of this solution, an effort will be made to convince the Delhi state government to consider adoption of this solution in similar contexts elsewhere in the city.

The project will address contemporary innovations encompassing the entire sanitation value chain (containment, collection, transport and treatment/reuse) and develop a viable business model for successful demonstration of the FSM solution. The work will be undertaken in close coordination with relevant government agencies such as the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB).

Photos: CURE

Photos: CURE

Location
The area proposed for the project is Savda Ghevra, a resettlement colony situated 40 km northwest of Delhi with a population of 36,000 and no access to piped water supply or connection to a sewerage network. As most households have pit latrines or poorly built septic tanks, they face a sludge containment issue. Seepage from these tanks entering into neighboring homes is common in the area. Therefore, addressing the problem of containment is one of the key priorities in Savda Ghevra. Demonstration of the solution is focused on six target blocks (A, B, C, D, J and K) in the area and covers a population of 20,000.

Currently, only 6,960 households have taken occupancy since 2008. The colony is representative of resettlement colonies in Delhi that require decentralized FSM solutions since they are not connected to the sewerage network.

Approach and process
A key feature of this proposed demonstration project will be its modular nature, allowing the (i) treatment system to be expanded in stages over time, (ii) expansion of the customer base from 1,000 families to 4,000 families, and (iii) replication of the modular treatment plant and collection network to cover the remaining households in Savda Ghevra as the population increases.

CURE has previously constructed cluster septic tanks (CSTs) to significantly help resolve containment-related challenges for the community. Due to its success, residents of other blocks in the resettlement colony have demanded a similar solution. While this hypothesis will be tested under the project, based on our current thinking, an important aspect of the modular approach is the integration of one or two CSTs strategically located within the targeted blocks of the resettlement colony to address issues of containment.

Connection to the septage/fecal sludge treatment plant will ensure that a minimum customer base already exists to commission the project quickly. The remaining households can be connected in stages as per the uptake and expansion plan in Savda Ghevra.

The project will engage with existing vacuum truck operators to ensure regular desludging of CSTs. In the interim, as CSTs are constructed by other blocks in the community, a plan will be developed (in consultation with the community) for the collection and transport of FS from these households. Also, such an approach ensures a more consistent and regular feedstock for treatment, allowing greater optimization of the treatment process, and resource recovery and reuse. In addition, it will provide opportunities to gain the necessary experience, promote progress along the various learning curves and encourage entrepreneurship.

Based on the lessons learned from the project, appropriate tools along with documentation and communication material will be developed to replicate FSM models within local and national governments. The documentation and protocols developed to support the project will be important tools to influence local and national governments and also as resource materials for people working on FSM in India.

A well-established Project Management Unit (PMU) team will provide advice and actively engage with concerned government departments, such as DUSIB and DJB, to increase their engagement in sanitation solutions for low-income urban settlements with a focus on FSM and decentralized solutions.

Partners
Jal Seva Charitable Foundation (JSCF), hereafter referred to as WaterAid India (WAI), the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), and the Centre for Urban and Regional Excellence (CURE) join together to demonstrate a fecal sludge treatment and management solution.

The primary goal of this project is to set up a decentralized, viable and sustainable FSM demonstration site in Savda Ghevra using a participatory approach to develop solutions for all components of the sanitation value chain.

The proposed demonstration will initially target a complete FSM solution for a population of 36,000 people to address all the challenges (some of which have been described earlier) faced by the residents. Based on existing baseline data generated for Savda Ghevra, the challenges faced by the community will be assessed to demonstrate the following:

  1. A decentralized, modular design for a treatment plant will be phased out in a suitable manner with corresponding investments.
  2. A sustainable business model and plan for FSM in locations with no access to a sewerage network.
  3. The solution will address each component of the sanitation value chain.

    Image: Architectural view of the STP
    Source: IWMI

    –     Containment, collection, transportation and treatment for disposal or reuse, and treatment of grey water.

  4. Institutional framework to be established – A participatory approach involving all stakeholders to deliver a sustainable FSM solution by establishing an effective institutional model.

Out of the 6,960 households situated on plots in Savda Ghevra, the solution is proposed for a population of 36,000 covering 4,000 households in a staged approach.

The first phase of the project will cover 1,000 households with two CSTs, where each one will be connected to 500 households in two blocks of Savda Ghevra. The project will connect the proposed fecal sludge treatment plant (FSTP) with the existing CST, which is connected to 180 homes (against the actual design of 322 households) at present, and the 13 community toilet complexes in Savda Ghevra operated by DUSIB.

However, the above plan of a staged/modular approach will need to be tested after a full feasibility analysis is conducted and the situation on the ground is assessed, once the project is activated.

The proposed demonstration will translate well-researched FSM solutions into tangible and socially-relevant “on-the-ground” activities which could be used to test research assumptions related to performance, costs, community acceptance and other factors.

Source: IWMI

 

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