USE OF SUSTAINABILITY INDICATORS TO COMPARE THE ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF AN ACTIVATED SLUDGE PLANT AND A SEPTIC SYSTEM

FOR RURAL AREAS IN MAURITIUS

Pamben Moonsamy BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering FT University of Mauritius 1013802 Degree Project supervised by R.Rughooputh and J.Rana

Problem Statement
Rural areas account for 58% of the

Mauritian population. The National Sewerage Master Plan was devised in 1993 to cater for 50% of the population with the vision to achieve 80% coverage by the year 2020. What is being done for the remaining 20%? What about the coastal areas, especially to the south of the island?

Aim: To compare the sustainability aspects between a conventional activated sludge plant and an on-site septic system for the villages of Surinam and Chemin Grenier
Objectives: Find out about the situation of the wastewater disposal methods in the two villages Determine the indicators which are relevant to the subject. Design both systems based on available data and reasonable assumptions. Find a means to quantify the indicators chosen. Analyze, interprete and formulate a valid conclusion about the economic and environmental sustainability of the systems compared to each other.

Literature Review Main findings

93% of households use only absorption pits as

wastewater disposal, 5% use pit latrines, 2% use septic tanks. Absorption pits and pit latrines do not provide any significant treatment for wastewater. Septic tanks alone provide only primary treatment. Environmental indicators: Biochemical Oxygen Demand, Total Suspended Solids, Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Pathogen removal. Economic indicators: Construction cost, Operation and Management cost, Land use, Reuse benefits.

Methodology
1
Carry out a critical literature review of the situation of wastewater disposal, find out what economic and environmental indicators to use, obtain effluent standards, obtain influent parameter values.

2
3

Carry out the design of both systems. Estimate the pollutant removal from the design calculations.

Estimate the construction costs (material, machinery and labour) Estimate the operation and maintenance costs (electricity use, staffing).

Methodology
4
Calculate the land use of both systems

5
6

Estimate the volume of material with potential to be reused using reasonable assumptions. Calculate their turnover using available prices. Compile all data to get a good appraisal of the economic and environmental sustainability of both systems related to each other.

Preliminary findings
100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

Preliminary findings
Comparison of land use
0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2

0.1
0 Septic system Activated sludge plant

Layout of septic system for a 4-person household