Ecosan Toilets Make perfect sense in the rural areas
Tapan K. Padhi Convener, Eastern Zonal Water Partnership National Institute for Development 322, Saheednagar, Bhubaneswar
Challenges The present dominant model of sanitation has been pour flush, pit latrines . Ground and surface water contamination In flood and water logged areas these toilets turn out to be seasonal. As the water level rises during the flood and rain, the latrines are rendered non-operational. Fecal matter mixes with flood water leading to water quality and health problems. Even for the non-flood situations in coastal areas, in doabs where water table is barely below 8-10 feet or even less, what happens ? May be this area is yet to be studied and understood properly. Do the sub surface and ground water get contaminated by pathogens? Are we sitting on a ticking time bomb?
Challenges contd‌
Enhanced Water requirement Sanitation in the form of pour flush latrines has really incresed the domestic water requirement by a few more buckets.
Challenges contd‌
Enhanced burden and drudgery of women We have pour flush latrines in the rural areas without ensuring piped water supply at the household level. Wh o fetches the water to be poured for flushing? Women. Women have to pay the extra price for their dignity once the latrines are commissioned
Challenges contd‌
Nutrient locking in the present model The food that we consume finally gets locked in the pits which is hardly recovered and brought back to the nutrient cycle. If we assume that the whole of India has the pit latrines and all these latrines are used diligently total nutrient of the food gets locked in the pits, what will happen to Indian agriculture? So we have a real ecological problem at hand.
Making a case for Ecosan toilets Ecosan toilets or dry toilets addresses most of the challenges that has been discussed here. As the fecal matter is stored above the ground and subjected to faster
decomposition, they do not contaminate the ground water. Because of the height they are less subjected to flood and water logging related water table rise. It can sustain f lood of two feet above the ground if the chambers are sealed properly. Water for flushing is not needed. Hence it is more water efficient. Reduces the drudgery of women for carrying that extra water that finally has to be flushed out. Most importantly it produces high quality manure in the form of urine and the decomposed fecal matter
But there are challenges too
Ecosan toilets require a little more as the cost. Earlier there was a huge cost gap between an Ecosan toilet and the subsidy available for toilets. Now that the subsidy has come to the tune of about 10,000 it is nearer to ecosan toilets. There is a huge area of innovation for pulling down the cost of the ecosan toilets so that it can be constructed within the available subsidy. Or else there should be more subsidy for those who take up ecosan. Agriculture Dept. can be brought on board as it will benefit the sector immensely. Government has accepted ecosan as an option, what is needed is to pursue it earnestly. A village as a unit, rather than household, will really yield the benefit s envisaged. And it needs even stronger IEC for promotion than the existing mode of sanitation.
Summing up… •Ecosan toilets are more water efficient. •Ecosan toilets reduce the drudgery of women •Ecosan toilets help in nutrition recycling.
Ecosan toilets make a perfect ecological sense. Though it is not that easy to ground, which sensible, good work has been easy ?