Africa wide WASH technology review published

The WASHTech project has published a literature review [1] focusing on 14 technologies used in Africa in the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector.

Descriptions for each technology include a selection of interesting case studies, and an explanation as to whether the technology meets technical, financial, social and institutional success criteria.
Only two technologies met all four success criteria: hand dug wells and the India Mark II pump, and the latter only with the caveat that there was a functional maintenance system.

The least successful technology was the Playpump. Pending further research, jerry cans and the gulper were only found to meet one success criteria (technical success). Except for bio-additives to pit latrines and Playpumps, all other technologies were technically successful. The other success criteria were met by roughly half of the technologies.

Core issues that WASHTech plans to take up further include the appeal of inappropriate technologies like Playpumps and Lifestraws to naive donors, and ways to get government approval for low-cost, locally managed technologies like rope pumps, biosand filters, constructed rainwater harvesting jars, water jetting and tippy taps.

[1] Parker, A. et al., 2011. Africa wide water, sanitation and hygiene technology review. (WASHTech Deliverable 2.1). The Hague: WASHTech c/o IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre and Cranfield: Cranfield University. 93 p. : 1 box, 9 fig., 1 tab. Includes references.
Available at: http://wp.me/a1szDW-1o
The aim of the WASHTech project (2011-2013) is to introduce a robust Technology Assessment Framework (TAF), with local partners in Burkina Faso, Ghana and Uganda, that will assess the potential of new innovative WASH technologies. WASHTech is co-funded under the 7th Framework Programme of the European Commission’s Africa research programme. To learn more go to washtechafrica.wordpress.com

Gates Foundation awards grants for 26 sanitation technology projects

A reusable self-decontaminating sanitary napkin, a children’s latrine training mat and a latrine using urine to flush instead of water are among 26 sanitation technology projects that have been awarded Gates Foundation grants. The topics of the wining projects range from hygiene, to household  latrines, ecological sanitation, and wastewater/sludge treatment and reuse for fertiliser and energy.

On 28 April 2011, the Gates Foundation announced that 88 new global health projects received grants, each worth US$ 100,000, in the 6th round of the Grand Challenges Explorations initiative. Out of these 88 projects, there were 26 winners in the category “Create the Next Generation of Sanitation Technologies”. See the full list of 26 sanitation awards. Projects with demonstrated success in their initial phase of research have the opportunity to receive Phase II funding of up to US$ 1 million.

There is another opportunity to submit proposals for sanitation technology grants in round 7 of the Grand Challenges Explorations (deadline 19 May 2011).

Akvopedia Sanitation portal – now in Spanish

Through the invaluable support of our intern Niharika Joshi, our Sanitation Platform is now also available in Spanish. After we included the French version last year, this is another step on the road to making Akvopedia a true multi-language platform. We hope it will be useful to Spanish-speaking people around the world.

The new Spanish portal contains 54 detailed articles on a wide range of sanitation technologies. The material was adapted from the extremely useful Compendium of Sanitation Systems and Technologies (2008, Spanish version here), written by Elisabeth Tilley and colleagues of Sandec, the Department of Water and Sanitation in Developing Countries at eawag, the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland. The authors eventually have plans to make that publication available in Swahili. I’ll look forward to that.

The Spanish version of the Sandec Compendium of Sanitation Systems, produced by Sandec.

Mark Westra is editor of Akvopedia, and is based in The Hague.

Eco-home: a model for water and sanitation self-reliance in Kathmandu

A resident of Kathmandu has adopted ecological solutions to cope with the city’s persistent water shortage and power cuts.

Report of a visit to Dr. Shrestha’s Eco-home on 14 March 2010.

Dr. Roshan Raj Shrestha in his Eco-home. Photo: C. Dietvorst

Dr. Roshan Raj Shrestha built his Eco-home in November 2002. The two and a half story building is neither connected to the city water supply nor to the sewerage network. It uses several kinds of water conservation methods including rainwater harvesting, greywater recycling, ecological sanitation, Solar Water Disinfection (SODIS) and organic waste composting. Dr. Shrestha says he was able to recover the extra investment of US$ 1,000 for his water conservations systems within three years.

The Eco-home has helped Dr. Shrestha cope with Kathmandu’s severe water crisis. The public water supply can only meet half of the actual demand and the city’s Bagmati river is turning into an open sewer. The ground water level is decreasing by 2.5 metres a year due to over extraction. The mega Melamchi Water Supply Project, started in 1998 to tackle Kathmandu’s water crisis, has been plagued by delays.

Rainwater catchment terrace and tanks. Photo: C. Dietvorst

With an average annual precipitation of 1,600 mm in the Kathmandu Valley, Dr. Shrestha found that rainwater would provide with enough water for his family of five. Rainwater is collected on two roof terraces and stored in a 9,000 litre underground tank. Excess rainwater is diverted into a dug well, which acts as an intermittent tank that can store nearly 10,000 litres and also supports shallow groundwater recharge. SODIS is used to treat rainwater for drinking water, while water from the dug well is pretreated first in a biosand filter.

Residents constructing new houses in Kathmandu now get a 10% tax rebate on their building permit fee if they include a rainwater harvesting system in their design. The rebate can reach 30% in other municipalities in Nepal, says Prakash Amatya, the Executive Director of NGO Forum.

No water goes wasted in the Eco-home. Dr. Shrestha has installed a urine diversion dry toilet in his master bedroom. Urine and composted feces are used as garden fertilizer. A small reed bed treatment system is used to recycle grey water for garden watering, washing the car and for an extra flush toilet.

Solar panel. Photo: C. Dietvorst

The latest addition to the Eco-home is a 100-Watt Solar House System (SHS), installed in 2009. The solar panels provide enough energy to light the lamps in the house. Costing US$ 1,000, the system is only affordable for middle-class families, Shrestha admits, but it has proved its worth now that power cuts of up to 12 hours a day have become standard in Kathmandu.

Dr. Shrestha is proud of his model Eco-home. He is happy to give visitors and groups of students a tour. He finds that people readily accept the concept of rainwater harvesting and greywater recycling. They are not so keen about ecological sanitation though, because of the socio-cultural barriers associated with feces.

Dr. Roshan Raj Shrestha is Chief Technical Advisor, South-Asia Region for the UN-HABITAT Water for Asian Cities Programme

Sources used:

• Eco-home for sustainable living, Himalayan Times / UrbWatSan Nepal, 19 June 2009
• Eco-home for sustainable water management : a case study in Kathmandu, Nepal. Ministry of Physical Planning and Works / UN-HABITAT. October 2008 (brochure)
• Shrestha, R.R. (2007). Sustainable water management : a case study in Kathmandu. Presentation at Ecosan – Fortaleza 2007

SODIS water bottle. Photo: C. Dietvorst

Reed Bed Treatment System for greywater recycling. Photo: C. Dietvorst

Urine diversion dry toilet. Photo: C. Dietvorst

Biosand filter. Photo: C. Dietvorst

POOSH: bucket mounted ecosan toilet

Students from the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have designed a bucket-mounted ecosan toilet for developing countries.

The main features of the design are:

• a toilet seat with a rubber resting surface that fits on a wide variety of buckets, including the common five-gallon bucket standard
• a biodegradable bag,  which collects the waste and includes some chemicals that speed up the decomposition of the human waste (modeled on the Peepoo Bag) for use as fertilizer
• automatic sealing when the bag is full and the seat is removed.

The students presented the POOSH during the RedDot design awards ceremony in November 2009 Singapore.

Source: Yanko Design, 08 Jan 2010 ; Mark Whiting’s posterous, 30 Nov 2009

Urine separation: Sinquiver to market urine-separating toilets in Chile

Chilean chemical solutions firm Sinquiver is looking into marketing urine separation systems in Chile, the firm’s wastewater manager Alistair Marsh told BNamericas.

There are several advantages to the system, according to Marsh. “First of all, you don’t need freshwater to flush urine so you save on water use and costs,” he said.

The concept involves installing a different pipeline which would channel the urine to be stored in a tank. “Urine is a huge source of nitrogen and phosphate which could then be used for the production of fertilizer,” Marsh said.

“This kind of system would be especially useful in mining operations which involve a large number of people,” said Marsh, adding: “It would save water while simultaneously providing a source of fertilizer for local farmers.”

An additional benefit is that by taking the urine out of sewage, wastewater is easier to treat.

Urine accounts for less than 1% of wastewater but it contains about 80% of the nitrogen, 50% of the phosphate and 70% of the potassium, all of which must be removed. Nutrient removal is the most difficult aspect of wastewater treatment. By separating the urine at source, studies have shown energy savings of 25% at wastewater treatment plants.

“We are looking to offer urine-separating toilets to municipalities and companies that employ a large number of people such as malls and hotels, among others,” Marsh said.

“Wastewater treatment is still very new in Latin America but there is a great need for it and that is where we come in,” said Marsh, adding: “Sinquiver is looking for the best technology and solutions to introduce into the local market.”

In addition to wastewater treatment, the company provides solutions for the wood and paper industry, and sells industrial equipment.

Source: Greta Bourke, BNamericas.com [subscription site], 19 Nov 2009

Public toilets: Mukuru BioCentres project, Kenya, wins honorable mention in 2009 Buckminster Fuller Challenge

The Mukuru BioCentres project, submitted by Umande Trust (Kenya) and GOAL Ireland, has received an honorable mention in the 2009 Buckminster Fuller Challenge. BioCentres offer “a comprehensive solution to some of the most egregious problems of urban slums, from poor sanitation to lack of clean water to unpredictable or nonexistent energy infrastructure”, according to the jury report. “The BioCentres, of which there are already 12 in operation in Kenya, are public toilets housed above a biogas digester that produces affordable fuel from human waste, which is then made available to the local community. The facilities also provide clean water, public space, and workspace which serves as an incubator for local businesses”.

A BioCentre is a biogas generating latrine block, managed by community groups, which can be located anywhere in a slum as it treats human waste in-situ without requiring sewerage infrastructure. It comprises of the following:

•  Digester: Mixes water and human waste in anaerobic conditions to make biogas; remaining liquid effluent is 90% pathogen free and filtered on site.
•  BioGas: Used for cooking and can be linked to children’s feeding projects. It reduces carbon emissions by converting methane to CO2 and water and by substituting the need for other fuels.
•  Toilets and washrooms: Ground floor to ensure disabled access with free ‘child only’ cubicles
•  Water Kiosk: selling affordable clean water
• Upper Floors: Maximizes restricted urban space, has a hall and ancillary rooms for community and livelihoods activities eg cottage industries or restaurant. Income generated through rental can subsidize the operation of the toilets.

The BioCentre can be built with locally available technology, local unskilled labor and requires minimal maintenance as it has no movable parts.

In each BioCentre there is a room for a community health worker. These are community members, trained by GOAL to disseminate hygiene and health information

Read the full project description here.

Web site: Unimade – BioCentres

Source: Buckminster Fuller Challenge, 04 May 2009

BioCentre in Kibera, Nairobi. Photo: Unmande Trust / Buckminster Fuller Challenge

BioCentre Groundfloor Plan. Photo: Unmande Trust / Buckminster Fuller Challenge

BioCentre design. Photo: Unmande Trust / Buckminster Fuller Challenge

Floating toilets for floating villages on Cambodia’s Tonle Sap lake

The Singapore-based nongovernment organization, Lien Aid, has introduced  floating toilets as part of its “River of life” project for the floating communities of Tonle Sap lake in Cambodia (see also an earlier blog post on this project). In February 2009, Lien Aid was introducing “different toilet designs that they can build on their houseboats”, CEO Sahari Ani told the Asian Development Bank . “Simultaneously, we’re providing them with a safer choice for drinking water by building a floating water treatment plant” Mr. Ani said. “We are exploring several options including the use of especially adapted septic tanks plus ecological sanitation using the urine diversion-dissecting (UDD) toilet”.

Based on the villagers’ preferences, Lien Aid “determined the size of the toilets, buckets to be used for storage of excreta, ecosan pans (2-hole or 3-hole), and other design considerations [resulting in] 3 workable designs to date” (see sample designs of the three options here). “Our next challenges are to modify existing toilets to incorporate the UDD options, ensure availability of suitable drying material for covering feces, and keep the costs manageable”, Mr. Ani explained.

Lien Aid, which works together with the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD) and local authorities, “is developing simple [...] publications on methods of construction, use, and maintenance of the floating toilets”.

Floating toilets cost “between US$50-200, depending on whether the family will just upgrade their existing drop-hole toilet to accommodate the UDD technology or whether the entire toilet, including superstructure, will be constructed from scratch. The size of the toilet will also dictate the cost – toilets that can accommodate 2 tanks will obviously cost more [The 2 tanks will be for families who wish to avoid handling semi-decomposed excreta every few months. Once the first vault is full, it can be sealed for a few months until the feces dries up, and the alternate second vault will be used. Toilets with only 1 vault means the family will have to dispose of semi-composted feces at monthly intervals.]. We’re still trying to lower the cost by using indigenous materials and encouraging local entrepreneurs to manufacture the UDD pans”.

Together with the floating toilets, “a land-based composting unit and collection system will be established to manage the semi-composted feces. We hope to promote the use of fully decomposed feces as compost”.

Lien Aid had “already set up a community center for water-sanitation related training and advocacy activities” and “will also form a water-sanitation group from among the residents and community leaders”.

Source: ADB, Feb 2009

Biogas: DMT Mobile Toilets, Nigeria, to produce gas from human waste

DMT Mobile Toilet's motto

DMT Mobile Toilets, has unveiled a programme [to] generate at least 35 per cent gas for domestic use and electricity from human and animal waste for the Lagos mega city project [in 2009]. The mega city project is jointly being promoted by the Federal Government, Lagos and Ogun State governments.

According to the Chairman of DMT Mobile Toilets, Dr. Yemi Ogunbiyi, the biogas plant is designed to process and convert sanitation waste into cooking gas and other gases that could be used to generate electricity at its site on the Lagos-Ibadan Experssway.

[...] The plant, which was developed with technical assistance from DMT‘s foreign partner, Environmental Resource Management Foundation, will commence production in 2009. [R]aw materials for the plant would be sourced from DMT’s mobile toilets, abattoirs and septic tanks.

[T]he plant would power a housing estate near it on an experimental basis.

Former bodyguard, DMT founder Isaac Durojaiye

[DMT plans to introduce] six new designs [...] within the first quarter of 2009 that will incorporate overhead 300-litre tanks, solar lighting and air freshener dispensers. Plastic will also replace ceramic toilet fittings to prevent breakages and to act as an added safety measure, especially in schools.

[DMT runs a] Basic Toilet for Schools Scheme through which schools [are] offered mobile toilets at special discounts. The company had earlier donated 100 toilets to public schools in Lagos and Ogun states.

DMT stands for Dignified Mobile Toilets.  At the beginning of 2008, DMT founder and Managing Director, Isaac Durojaiye, was one of five Ashoka-Lemelson Fellows, who were recognised for developing innovative sanitation business models.

See a Sept 2008 Reuters video on DMT here.

Source: Akinpelu Dada, The Punch, 22 Dec 2008

Coca-Cola Foundation awards US$ 1 million for innovative water and sanitation solutions

The Coca-Cola Foundation will award a total of US$1 million to support four innovative projects to improve water resources and sanitation in developing nations. The projects were selected by the Global Water Challenge (GWC) business coalition and Ashoka’s Changemakers through “Tapping Local Innovation: Unclogging the Water and Sanitation Crisis,” an online competition calling for groundbreaking solutions to some of the world’s most pressing water and sanitation challenges. A total of 265 projects from social entrepreneurs in 54 countries around the world were submitted to the competition.

The projects receiving funding are:

• Naandi Foundation: Clean drinking water for underserved populations in India
• Manna Energy Foundation: Water treatment plants to create fuel for families in rural Rwanda
• Ecotact: Treatment systems that safely transform waste into fuel and fertilizer for Kenyan communities
• Clean Shop: Public education to support clean latrines for South African schools

Further details of the projects are given below:

Naandi Foundation, India: Community-based Safe Drinking Water Systems:
Through a collaborative partnership between villages, technology partners and the states, the Naandi Foundation is facilitating the availability of safe drinking water to citizens in the Andhra Pradesh and Punjab states of India. The village panchayats support the development of water purification plants in the villages, and the partnership supplies water to villagers at a nominal user fee, which pays for the operations and maintenance that make the plant sustainable. A public education program in the villages also creates an environment for greater understanding of health, hygiene and sanitation issues among local citizens.

Naandi Foundation, has partnered with WaterHealth International (USA) and developed the Community Safe Water Systems (CSWS) model. It has also partnered with Tata Projects Limited – India, in developing a similar community based model to address fluoride contamination.

More information is available at www.naandi.org.

Manna Energy Foundation, Rwanda: Developing Another World in Rural Rwanda:
With funding through carbon credits, the Manna Energy Foundation is installing close to 500 water treatment systems and biogas generators for secondary schools in Rwanda. The project will reach a population of 236,000 students, which amounts to three percent of the Rwandan population. The water treatment plants will use gravity and photovoltaic filtration systems, and the biogas generators will take human and kitchen waste and capture the waste methane, which can be used in high efficiency cook stoves. More information is available at www.mannaenergy.org

Ecotact – Innovating Sanitation, Kenya: Iko-Toilet Thinking Beyond a Toilet:
Ecotact is implementing an innovative model for installing and operating pay-for-use toilets in urban areas of Kenya by leveraging recent innovations in environmental sanitation. Waterless urinals reduce water consumption; urine is segregated and sold as fertilizer, and some facilities will use human waste to generate methane gas which reduces sewage disposal. Each toilet offers additional services, tailored to meet the needs of the local community: a small business, showers, and an ATM. The diverse array of funding sources includes user fees, advertising revenues, and the leasing of a small space to microentrepreneurs. More information is available at www.ecotact.org.

Clean Shop, South Africa: Schools Sanitation Improvement and Enhancement Project:
Clean Shop employs 350 people and conducts daily cleaning and hygiene services for schools, universities, mines, supermarkets, and gas stations. In partnership with the University of Venda, Clean Shop educates parents with children in public schools to clean and operate local school latrines. It is poised to operate in many more schools in partnership with the South African government. More information is available at www.thecleanshop.co.za. Further details about these solutions and more can be found at www.changemakers.net.

Source : Coca-Cola, 19 Dec 2008