Sanitary facilities in an Indian slum

1. Sanitary facilities in an Indian slum You are going to improve the sanitary facilities in a slum in a large Indian city. Based on the information given in this ppt and the linked files you should suggest sanitary facilities that you think is suitable in the given conditions. You should look into the design of the actual toilet and also the handling and treatment of the toilet waste. You do not need to consider the greywater. The Current situation Toilets and sewers The slum area is large and 180 000 people live in the area. There are very few toilet facilities. Most people do not have access to toilets and adults defecate in the open before sunrise and after sunset. For the women, especially, this causes problems during the day because they do not find shelter to urinate. Sexual harassment and even rape is a problem the women are facing when doing their necessary business. For the women especially safe toilets are needed (see chapter 2 in (4) for more information on these issues). The slum has a few large open drainage canals and small rivers. The canals are approximately 500m apart. In between these canals there are no planned sewer systems and if wastewater is generated it flows into the streets where primitive canals are excavated.

2. The Current situation - continued Water supply The water supply is mainly from groundwater both shallow dug wells and deeper wells. The shallow groundwater shows high counts of indicator bacteria and is not fit for drinking water by normal standards. The deeper groundwater is of better quality, but not safe. The authorities have built a few public taps, but they are few and located at the perimeter of the slum. The water in these taps is safer, but the slum dwellers may have to walk long distances to fetch water from these taps. Soils and geology The slum is located on a plane and the soil is typical red tropical clay. The infiltration possibilities are very limited in this soil. The clay forms macropores. Such macropores are potential conduits where pollutants discharged on the surface can travel and contaminate the groundwater below. The matrix of the clay is nearly impermeable and consists of thoroughly weathered clay minerals rendering a soil very rich in aluminum and iron oxides. This is also what gives the soil the red color. Socioeconomic aspects and health The people in the slum are Hindus. For a Hindu it is not allowed to touch or handle faeces. This is one reason why people from the lowest cast, often called scavengers, have handled the waste problems. It is therefore necessary, if possible, to construct a toilet facility where direct contact with the excreta is eliminated or minimized. The people do not have much money, but the women especially express that they are willing to pay for a safe toilet. 0,5 Rupie (equals 0,05 NOK or a little less than one US cent) per visit is possible to charge from the slum dwellers.

3. The Current situation - continued From the authorities side it is a goal to improve the environmental conditions and reduce the pollution in the area, but there is no money for doing that. The current situation is very bad from a health perspective because the lack of toilet facilities result in pollution of the local groundwater and also direct transmission routes because people literally “walk in faeces”. Gastrointestinal diseases are therefore common, especially among the children. Many sick days also hamper the development of the children and reduces their days in school and life quality in general. A local NGO has expressed interest in building a toilet center and is also interested in utilizing the excreta resources for potential production of compost and/or biogas and as fertilizer and soil amendment. See chapter 2 in (4) for more information on the social and health issues.

4. Your assessment You are given some examples of possible solutions to a sanitary challenge in a slum in the literature for this case. In 1 you will find a description of a so called DEWATS system that has been used with success in Indian slums. The system in (1) won a price in India in 2009. The DEWATS system is described more in detail in (2) and in (3) it is shown that you also can generate biogas in such a system. In (4) chapter 1 another system is described. In (4) chapter 2 social and health issues are elucidated. You can read about different aspects and examples of ecological sanitation in (5). The information in the literature and examples given serve as inspiration for you when you are going to make your own assessment for the situation given herein. You can also utilize the knowledge you have gained in other parts of this course and in the Frogn case and compose your own suggested solution. Remember no solution is completely wrong, - all solutions have advantages and disadvantages.

5. Hints to the group work • Check your understanding of the scenario by discussing it within your group. Make a list in which you write down everything you know about this situation (do not forget the cross cutting issues). Begin with the information contained in the case description. Add knowledge that group members bring. • A problem statement should come from your analysis of what you know. In one or two sentences you should be able to describe what your group is trying to solve, produce, respond to, or find out. • Prepare a list of questions you think need to be answered to solve the problem. Record them under a list titled: "What do we need to know?”- Just as an example -e.g.- technologies available?, value of excreta? Impact of socioeconomic factor in the selection of technology. • List recommendations, solutions under the heading: "What should we do?" List actions to be taken, e.g., question an expert, questions to teachers, get on-line data, visit library. • Analyze information you have gathered. You may need to revise the problem statement. You may identify more problem statements. At this point, your group will recommend a solution or an opinion. • Present findings. Prepare a small report as a ppt presentation in which you make recommendations, predictions, inferences, or other aspects appropriate solution of the problem based on your data and background. Be prepared to present and support your recommendation in class. Make a short presentation (10min) of your suggested solution.