Slum Sanitation - Shelter Initiative
- Dr. S. V. Ranade
Shelter Associates is a Non-Government Organization (NGO) working in Maharashtra, India. It provides technical support for community-managed slum rehabilitation housing and essential services projects. The organization with main office in Pune is managed by Architects, social workers and technical staff.
They have successfully completed slum sanitation projects in Pune, Sangli, Miraj and at present are engaged in individual toilet project for residents of Vichare Mala area.
I came to know about Shelter Associates last year when their technical staff approached me regarding some difficulties in septic tank construction at Miraj scheme. Septic tank provides only partial treatment to human waste and works under anaerobic conditions. If the inlet and outlet pipes do not have Tee pipes or if the vent pipe is not provided, smell nuisance becomes problem. If there is leakage in tank construction, it may cause ground water pollution. I gave some guidelines for proper septic tank design at that time.
Recently they called me to visit Vichare mala at Kolhapur and advise on the septic tank installations in individual one room houses. I found that the houses in the colony have very narrow roads with open gutters on both sides. Due to hard rock at shallow depth, there was difficulty in providing septic tank below each toilet. All houses have small one room space within which these toilets are being constructed.
I suggested to change the design of septic tank such that enough space for waste storage can be achieved. Proper Tee pipes at inlet and outlet and vent pipe with jally (mosquito net) at top were some suggestions. But the biggest problem, I realised that the septic tank effluent is discharged in open gutter flowing in between the slums in a narrow road. This septic waste water along with solid waste dumped by residents was clogging the gutters at many places and were creating grave sanitation problem. These gutters were transporting solid waste along with septic tank effluent to open nallas finally taking the waste load to river.
A thought came to my mind that central underground drainage instead of open gutters and individual septic tanks would have become more economical and environmentally safe alternative.
Shelter Assocates should work out alternative cost effective and environmentally acceptable projects to address slum sanitation problems.
Even community toilets with biogas plants could become better suited if sufficient space can be procured. This will reduce the cost of individual toilets and would not hamper the usable space in such one room houses. Shelter Associates should work out alternative cost effective and environmentally acceptable projects to address slum sanitation problems.
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