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5.

3b Water and Sanitation Interactions


In choosing a sanitation technology it is essential to take into account two important
factors. The amount of the water that is available for flushing, and the amount of waste water
that must b collected. The lowest level, and from the users point of view the least
satisfactory, is water carried by bucket from the source to the house. The source may be a
well, a spring or stream, but in urban areas it is often communal standpipes in the street.
Usually the amount of water used does not very much if distance between the house and
water source is less than one and a half kilometres or if the trip takes less than half an hour.
Water consumption may be even higher in hte dense urban centres, and sewers will be
required to remove the wastewater. Where water is scarce and carried by busckets, the dry
latrine is an appropriate sanitation technology. The vented improved pit latrine or VIP is the
most appropriate technology here.
There are two types of VIP latrine. The compost latrine is another dry on site
sanitation technology, that can be used where water is very scarce. Unfortunately, to date, the
compost latrine has not proved very successful in low-income areas except in Vietnam. If
space is very limited, on-site excreta disposal may not be practical. A commonly used
sanitation technology in these cases is a cartage system, using bucket latrines. Bucket latrines
do not need a water supply at the latrine. Even if the operation and maintenance of the system
is good, it is bound to be less hyginic than other alternatives. It is not recommended. Where
water is available closer to the home through standpipes or yard taps, watersealed toilets are
feasible. These require six to ten liters of water per day per person for flushing. Sullage can
be stored in containers and used for flushing. Some houses build large cisterns which are
replenished by bucket carried water from the nearby standpipe, handpump or yard tap. The
first and most appropriate technology is the pour flush toilet which is widely used in northern
India and South East Asia. Double pit can be used, these are filled and emptied alternately.
Apart from the flush water, pour flush toilets cannot be used to dispose of large quantities of
sullage. Where leach pits cannot be used in on rock for example, then a vault system can be
isntalled. In communities built on rock for example, then a vault and collected periodically by
a vacuum tanker. However if insufficient water is added to the vault it may sometimes be
difficult to pump the nightsoil out. If too much water is added, the volume of the vault
content is increased. This increases the cost of collection and transportation.
The third sanitaion alternative which is appropriate where water supply is available
close to the home is aquaprivy. Aquaprivies are, however, expensive to build, as they are
commonly made of concrete and must have watertight vaults underground. We have seen
now sanitation technologies should be designed to be compatible with the amount of water
used and wasted. The technologies we have consideres so far are suitable when there is a
limited amount of wastewater to be disposed of. But what alternatives are there when the
wastewater exceeds the disposal capacity of the sanitation facility, and in particular where
water consumption is high and absorbtive capacity of the soil is low. Septic tanks are one
alternative. These are only applicable in the wealthier areas where people can afford the high
costs of construction and where large areas of land are available for theis leaching fields. As
aspiration rise and house connections to piped water systems become more prevalent, the

quantities of sullage to be collected increase. Disposal of sullage into ope stormwater drains
is undersirable because mosquitoes are likely breed in them and because ther is a temptation
for people to discharge effluent from cloggd septic tank soakaway into the drains, adding to
the hazard and nuisances. Sewers are the usual alternative, but they are very expensive. A
separate submodule on conventional sewerage is part this serise. A less expensive alternative
is the small bore which collects both sewage and sullage. Existing leach pits and septic pits
and septic tank can be upgraded to from interceptor tanks to remove the settleable solids
before the wastewater is carried away bye the sewer. The small bore sewer is less expensive
than the conventional sewer because it is small, installed in shallower trenches, and requires
fewer manholes and pumping stations. The collected wastewaters are treated by waste
stabilization ponds. In summary, we have looked at sanitation technologies which are
appropriate to various kinds of water supply: bucket carried, yard tap and house connection.
We have seen that increasing water supply does have an important bearing on the choice of
appropriate sanitaion technologies. We have also seen that improving water supply increses
the cost of wastewater disposal.

Conclusion
.Water consumption may be even higher in hte dense urban centres, and sewers will be
required to remove the wastewater. Where water is scarce and carried by busckets, the dry
latrine is an appropriate sanitation technology. The vented improved pit latrine or VIP is the
most appropriate technology here. There are two types of VIP latrine. The compost latrine is
another dry on site sanitation technology, that can be used where water is very scarce.
Unfortunately, to date, the compost latrine has not proved very successful in low-income
areas except in Vietnam. If space is very limited, on-site excreta disposal may not be
practical.
Where water is available closer to the home through standpipes or yard taps, watersealed
toilets are feasible. These require six to ten liters of water per day per person for flushing.
Sullage can be stored in containers and used for flushing.
Apart from the flush water, pour flush toilets cannot be used to dispose of large quantities of
sullage. Where leach pits cannot be used in on rock for example, then a vault system can be
isntalled.
The third sanitaion alternative which is appropriate where water supply is available close to
the home is aquaprivy. Aquaprivies are, however, expensive to build, as they are commonly
made of concrete and must have watertight vaults underground. We have seen now sanitation
technologies should be designed to be compatible with the amount of water used and wasted.

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