Sanitation System: Their Types, and Needs

Context: The modern sanitation system, designed to contain, convey, treat, and either dispose of or reuse the used water was built in London around the 1800s due to the emergence of  industrialization-driven modern cities.

About Sanitation System

• Definition: A sanitation system includes the capture, storage, transport, treatment and disposal or reuse of human excreta and wastewater.

Types of Sanitation System

Sanitation Systems are usually determined based on the density of the population it is meant to serve.

• On-site sanitation systems (OSS):
  • These systems serve as collection and storage structures that passively treat the used water and dispose of the liquid into the surrounding soil. 
  • The solid  residue that collects within the pits is called faecal sludge, or septage
  • Generally a feature of rural areas or spacious urban residences, these system includes twin pits, septic tanks and bio digester systems.

• Off site Sanitation system:The faecal sludge needs to be transported to a centralised plant for its treatment. Generally a feature of densely populated urban areas.

Need for Sanitation System

• The treated solids can be reused in agriculture or landscaping as organic manure when composted with organic municipal solid waste. 
• Pollution: Direct disposal of waste water will lead to pollution of the environment and cause public health issues. Also to protect our increasingly precious water bodies and groundwater aquifers.
• Odour and aesthetics: To maintain a safe standard of living free of disease outbreaks, care has to be given to maintain the air and aesthetics of city surroundings. For example, the Great Stink of England prompted the British Government to invest in sanitation systems.  

News Source: The Hindu

Must Read: Progress on Household Drinking Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) 2000-2022