On-Farm Use of Faecal Sludge

Example from Birendranagar Municipality, Surkhet

National Workshop on FSM, March 17, 2015

Nadira Khawaja, WASH Sector Leader

Reuse of Faecal Sludge in Agriculture N, P, K, organic matter

Fertiliser and Soil Conditioner

Why to use

How to use

Challenges

Guidelines

Peak P- Phosphorus is a finite resource

Septage has high volume water and few solids

How to use on farm land safely

Health- pathogens and worm eggs

Social Norms- is it acceptable to reuse FS; smell

Environment- ground water pollution

Cost/affordability/business models

All end products can be used if safety guidelines are respected

Eutrophication- algal growth in water bodies

3

Size: 169 km2

Population: 93,718

Birendranagar Municipality

Birendranagar Municipality

Majority of households have flush toilet with soak pit or septic tank

Faecal Sludge:Emptying and Transport Services

5

• Municipality truck out of service

• Private Sector:

1 service provider with one truck (6000 L capacity)

7-8 trips per week

Charges: 5000 – 6000 NPR

Business expansion: Demand exists for single

provider

Faecal Sludge:Disposal

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1) Dumping:

Designated landfill site 10 km from town centre- not

used

Dumping in forest area- 6-7 km from town centre

2) Untreated use on farm land (rice)

Farmers pay 300 – 400 NPR per truck

Faecal Sludge:Disposal

7

Faecal Sludge:Disposal

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Faecal sludge application on vegetable farming

without any treatment

Solution:

Work with farmer groups,

close to the city centre,

to use faecal sludge collected from the city,

apply on crops as fertiliser,

in safe (health and environment) manner,

with benefits to crops.

Farmer Field Schools on Integrated Crop Management

Crops:PotatoCauliflowerCabbage

Multi-barrier Approach for Use of Human Excreta in Agriculture

in Order to Protect Health

Barrier 1: Treatment Process

Fermenter Pool Technology (6 m3)

Prepare Mixture of 200L:Molasses (20 kg)Bacterial (EM) solution (20L)WaterBio-pesticide- jeevato (1 L)Store for 1 week in sun

Barrier 1: Treatment Process

Fermenter Pool Technology

Mix solution and sludge.Add ash if available.Cover, leave for 2 weeks.Mix regularly.

Barrier 2: Wear Protective Equipment

Barrier 3: Method of application

Fertigation or application manually in furrows

Barrier 4:Witholding period

Stop one month before harvest

Joint Monitoring by Stakeholders

Preliminary Results:Reuse in Agriculture

19

• No chemical fertilizer

• No chemical pesticide

• Larger size of potatoes

• Yield the same or more as compared to farmer practices

and chemical fertilizers

• Can use multiple sources of organic matter in fermenter:

Septage, traditional toilets, animal manure, green

manure

Preliminary Results:Social Norms

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• High acceptance and demand for faecal sludge

• Use of own toilet waste

• Illiterate farmers also can easily understand about

the process of preparing fermented FS as well as

applying in vegetables.

Preliminary Results:Health

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Pathogen Sample 1 Sample 2 Sample 3 Sample 3

E. coli 9 x 104 31 x 103 28 x 103 18 x 103

Helminth Eggs

Hookworm Hookworm, Ascaris

Absent Ascaris

Salmonella sp.

Absent Absent Present Present

Results from treated sludge: significant reduction in pathogens

Results from harvested crops in process

Preliminary Results:Affordability

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Farmers

• One time investment of 32,000 NPR for fertigation of

1500 m2 land

(6 m3 lined pool, drum, pump/pipes)

• Per cropping season cost of materials: 3,000 to 4,000

NPR (EM, molasses, jeevato, septage)

Desludging tanker

• Reduction in travel cost from 12 km round trip to

dumping ground down to 6 km round trip to farmers

Preliminary Results:Environment

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• No risk to ground water pollution

• No dumping

• Reuse of phosphorus mineral

Preliminary Results:Challenges

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• Adjust technology and application for rain fed crops

• Optimise treatment process

• Optimise use on crops- application rates and timing

• Access of trucks to fields