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Eco-san Toilet for Sustainable Sanitation Practice in Bangladesh

Pramanik Biplob, Ram Chandra Sarker, Dipok Chandra Sarker Department of Civil Engineering, Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology, Rajshahi, Bangladesh

Corresponding author Email: biplob_pramanik02@yahoo.com H/P: +8801754050064

Abstract Bangladesh has always to face pressing sanitation problems due to its vulnerable geographical location and lack of appropriate and adaptive technological options. EcoSan toilets are found as one of the most appropriate and proven technological options, as these are cost effective, established and environmentally as well as socially sounds and reliable option can effectively contribute in solving the existing and emerging sanitation problems of Bangladesh. Eco-San toilet is a urine diversion toilet and based on the idea that urine, faeces and water are resources in an ecological loop. It has two defecation holes at the top of each vault that receive faeces. Sufficient ashes are used to cover new faeces for protecting odor, flies, insects and pollutions. Moreover, it does not need to use water for cleaning and flashing. However, Eco-san can effectively contribute in safely transforming human urines and faces into high-potent organic fertilizers for eco-friendly agriculture and producing qualitative nutrient food-crops. Human urines are contained with high level of Nitrogen (75%- 87%), Phosphorus (45%-50%) and Potash (50%-54%). On the other hands, human faces contain 10% Nitrogen, 40% Phosphorus and 12% Potash. The general perceptions of people on ECOSAN were found encouraging. Almost 80% of the users apply these resources in their field. Similarly, due to lack of agricultural land, 12% of them shared with the neighbours once the urine collection tanks are full while the remaining 8% used to throw it down the drain. On the other hand, 72% of the Eco-san users had experience of increment in production, 19% noted little difference, and 9% found no change in production at all. Therefore, Eco-san toilet protect public health, prevent pollution and at the same time return valuable nutrients. This recycling of nutrients helps to ensure food security. The basic objective of this paper is to share the status of Eco-san toilet towards demonstrating sustainable sanitation for environment, health and development in Bangladesh. Key words: Vulnerable, Ecological Sanitation, Food security, Groundwater Contamination, Sustainable.

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1. Introduction Bangladesh is one of the most threatened countries of climate change due to its vulnerable geographical location. Inconsistent behavior of seasons, droughts, rapid declining trend of the groundwater, sea level raising, frequent floods, water-logging, river erosion, flash floods and mudslides in hilly regions led severe water and sanitation crisis. Sanitation promotion and ensuring its sustenance are also very challenging. However, Bangladesh produces 17 million metric tons of human faeces and 57 million metric tons of urine each year. The major portion of these excreta is deposited into water bodies and open places, so polluting water sources, groundwater and the general environment. As a result, a large number of people in Bangladesh suffer sanitation-related and water-borne diseases. The global health burden associated with these conditions is staggering, with an estimated 40006000 children dying each day from diseases associated with lack of access to safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene [3]. Moreover, pit latrines need for huge quantity of water for flashing and cleaning. Therefore, there is a dire need of holistic approach to call for hygienic, eco-friendly and sustainable technology, hence the option of Eco-San toilet.

Eco-san toilets offer easy solution of the problems because floodwater, draughts and other natural calamities cannot easily damage it. However, National economy of Bangladesh mainly depends upon agriculture. Use of excessive synthetic fertilizers and chemical pesticides cause for surface and sub-surface levels of water contamination, air-pollution, destroying soils fertility and water-holding capacities.. Eco-san toilets offer easy solution of the problems and can effectively contribute in safely transforming human urines and faeces into high-potent organic fertilizers for eco-friendly agriculture and producing qualitative nutrient food-crops. The existing conventional latrine options do not have systems to treat and reuse those in productive activities and are deposited in water bodies and open places, again cause for severe environmental pollution and contamination of water resources. As a result, majority of population in Bangladesh suffer from different kinds of water and excretaborne diseases that aggravate in their poverty situations. However, it can effectively contribute in safely transforming human urines and faces into high-potent organic fertilizers for eco-friendly agriculture and producing qualitative nutrient food-crops. Human urines are contained with high level of NPK, 75% to 87% Nitrogen, 45% to 50% Phosphorus and 50% to 54% Potash (K). On the other hands, human faces contain 10% Nitrogen, 40% Phosphorus and 12% Potash. One person can usually produce 500 to 550 urines and 50 to 60 kg faces in a year. However, Bangladesh produces 17 million metric tons of human faeces and 57 million
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metric tons of urine each year [2]. Therefore, Eco-san toilet should be used due to Bangladeshi people depends on agriculture where 63% of its land is used for agricultural purposes. Then people can easily get the food security due to use their crops by organic fertilizer.

Society for Peoples Actions in Change and Equity (SPACE) started promotion of Eco-san toilets during 2005 through a piloting project under various geographical characteristics. So far, SPACE has installed 463 Household and 25 School based Eco-san toilets through fullcost paying, cost sharing and micro-financing. The basic objective of this paper is to share the status of Eco-san toilet towards demonstrating sustainable sanitation in Bangladesh.

2. Background of Eco-san Toilet In many parts of Asia, human excreta have been used as a fertilizer for centuries. In the 1970s and1980s this concept was introduced to parts of Latin America and Africa in various designs [5]. Eco-san toilets have advantages as sanitation options in urban and peri-urban areas because they are permanent structures which can be attached to the house. Moreover, absence of odors associated with Eco-san toilets make them acceptable as a sanitation option in Bangladesh. It is also possible to install in high water tables areas where pit latrines cannot be installed. Eco-sanitation is based on main principles:

prevents disease and promotes health contributes to food security culturally acceptable, affordable, convenient and sustainable protects the environment conserves precious water and contributes to water security recovers and recycles nutrients and organic matter that need to be recycled back into the environment and into productive systems

3. Methodology 3.1 Set-Up of Eco-san Toilet The Eco-San toilet is a double vault dry toilet efficient to hygienically separate urine and faeces at source. It keeps dry feaces reserved for disinfecting inside the vaults. It has two

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defecation holes at the top of each vault that receive feces and directly throw those into the vault during defecation. One vault can be used until filling up. Estimated time is six month for filling up the chamber by 6-8 members in a family. Then it is left for another six months for disinfecting and transforming the feces into organic fertilizers while another vault is used. Each of the vaults is repeatedly used at least for period of 15 to 20 years. Sufficient ashes are used to cover new feces for protecting odor, flies, insects and pollutions. So, it does not need to use water for cleaning and flashing. There are two urination points at the front of footrests. It separates urine at source during defecation. Anal washing place is inside the toilet set in between of footrests. The vaults are little extended at backside, which are covered by heat panels. Sun creates sufficient heats inside of the vaults that contribute in disinfecting the stored feces. As the Eco-san toilets are installed upper-ground level and vaults are sealed with concretes, there are no possibilities to link the harms of feces with soils and surface water. Floodwater, draughts and other natural calamities cannot easily damage it (Figure 1). All Eco-san users collect urine in a urine collection tank, kept inside the toilet and used in the agricultural field in a 1:3 ratio of urine to water.

Figure 1: Eco-san toilet in flood season

3.2 Data Collection This paper has prepared on the basis of information collected from the implementation of Eco-San toilets in various geographical situations. Field observations through visits to the settlements and interaction with Eco-san users, their neighbourhood (including religious leaders, political leaders, sweeper, technical staff) and Eco-san promoters were also

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conducted to flavour this paper with field-based experiences. During field visits, impacts of Eco-San toilets in respect to social, economic and environmental aspects are observed.

3.3 Major Activities SPACE has undertaken and implemented a package of activities included; awareness raising; training on technical and social issues; advocacy campaign; laboratory test; monitoring and follow up; hand-washing system; farm plot demonstration; reuse of Eco-san fertilizers etc.

4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 4.1 Socio cultural context In Bangladesh context, Ecological sanitation is very challenging from the point of socio culture. The majority of villagers preferred water based latrines and refuse contact with faeces. Some mental barriers can also be overcome by the high standard of comfort reached as showed by an ecological sanitation project in Palestine [4]. At the beginning stage, users of are disturbed by having to move during defecation for achieving anal cleansing, spreading the pyramid of faces in the chamber using sticks, urine collection though bucket although 100% members of toilet owner families use toilets efficiently and properly (followed by the guidelines). During focus group discussions, users are clear regarding use and management of ecosan toilet including the movement after defecation and anal washing, use ash after defecation etc. Even SPACE has invited some religious, teacher from Madrasa and political leader to convince the toilet user and replicated that the UDT does not contradict Muslim practices.

4.2 Adaptable capacities Eco-san toilet has also been implemented in the flood prone areas. The project faced two big floods during 2006 and 2007 all the toilets found working without any problems and the owners could use those easily. Besides, the cyclone SIDR is also hilted the toilets. All the toilets are still standing without any damages. As the Eco-san toilets do not need water for cleaning and flashing, it also works fully during draughts. These entire situations clearly prove that the Eco-san toilets are adaptable with effects (Floods, draughts, tidal stage etc) of climate changes.

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4.3 Perception of Eco-san users The general perceptions of people on ECOSAN were found encouraging (Figure 2a). About 62% of the users felt excited whereas 23% expressed their satisfaction. However 12% expressed the need for further improvement whereas 3% expressed negative perceptions towards this technology. Similarly, the majority of the neighbours of the ECOSAN users (54%) expressed a positive perception of ECOSAN whereas 32% expressed satisfaction and 10% expressed the need for further improvement and 4% of them are not interested (Figure 2b). The motivation for becoming attracted to the Eco-san toilet is mainly due to easy availability of fertilizers, permanent structure, sanitation and environmentally sound technology.

3% 12%

Feeling excited Satisfactory Need Improvement Negative

4% 10%

Positive percenption Satisfactory

23% 62%

32%

54%

Need Improvement Negative

(a) User perception

(b) Neighbors perception Figure 2: Perception of Ecological Sanitation

4.4 Affordability At the period of investment, Eco-toilet is very expensive although it has lot advantages. After that, SPACE has developed different options of Eco-san toilets in order to make it affordable to all classes of people based on their purchasing capacities and choice. Cost of the modified and newly developed options is Tk. 6500 to Tk. 12500 (100-200 dollar), which is equivalent to concrete made slab-ring associated single and twin pit latrines. Eco-san promoters and beneficial should think that Eco-san is more than a toilet and it is also treatment or recycling system. However, the cost of fertilizer has increasing day by day. Last season, it was around $15 for a 50 kg bag where almost 70% of the population in Bangladesh lives on less than 2 dollar per day. Moreover, the fertility of the soil is naturally better.

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4.5 Pathogen Die Off and Odour Untreated human faces contain harmful pathogenic organisms and it is high risk for the users. But after storage period of six month in vault, it is complete inactivation of pathogen (Ecoli, Total coliform and Enterococci) with the optimal range of temperature, pH and moisture. In Bangladesh, Eco-san latrines are built on the principle that when ash, rice husks, saw dusts etc are added to faeces, the mixture rapidly breaks down to produce compost that is an asset to any farm or garden. And it effectively reduces the smell, and zero smell can be achieved by ventilation. Users can easily maintenance the Eco-san product (Figure 3). However, some Eco-san toilet users have complained about a bad smell and it is still considered an issue by them. It is also mentioned that Eco-san will be more easily accepted if the there is no odour from the excreta. After all, the odour is not a result of a fault with the technology, but a lack of sufficient level of awareness and knowledge on proper functionality and maintenance of the Eco-san toilet among users.

Figure 3: Management of Eco-san product.

4.6 Use of Faces and Urine Toilet owners are very much aware of the importance of urine and faces. If human urine were to be used as a fertilizer, the crop yields could be increased as was evident in work conducted in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka [1]. In Bangladesh, Eco-San toilet users cultivated vegetables at homestead farming using treated urines and feces and got benefitted. Almost 80% of the users apply in their field. Similarly, due to lack of agricultural land, 12% of them shared with the neighbours once the urine collection tanks are full while the remaining 8% used to throw it down the drain (Figure 4b). Some 70% use urine for vegetables, 22% for all

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kinds of crops and 6% use it in annual crops such as wheat, maize, and paddy, etc. On the other hand, 72% of the Eco-san users had experience of increment in production, 19% noted little difference, and 9% found no change in production at all (Figure 4a).

Agricultural Land

Increment of production

8% 12%
Shared with neighbour

9% 19% 72%
No change Little difference

Throw to drain

80%

(a) Application of urine and faeces

(b) Crop production after using urine and faeces

Figure 4: Use of Eco-san product and crop production

5. Conclusion Ecological Sanitation may contribute to ensure sustainable environmental sanitation in Bangladesh based on its geo-physical nature, economic characteristics and socio-economic status of the people. It is also logical and cost effective in theory and practice. While saving water is not the main focus of Eco-san, which tends to emphasize the benefits of reusing human excreta, it certainly is one of its major benefits. Moreover, the most common Eco-san technology, double-vault Eco-san toilets, prevent contamination of surface and ground water by processing faeces in spaces that do not come into contact with water and prevent leakage through soil. Thus, the level of acceptance of Eco-san by the users and willingness to install by non-users indicated possibilities of further scaling up this technology. Finally, it is recommended that INGO, NGO, Research Institute, Government should take policy and strategy to promote ecological sanitation in the various corner of the country. Future research will be needed to design and evaluate low cost sanitation technologies, such as point-of ecological sanitation so that people from different strata could get opportunity choice their options on the basis of affordability. Moreover, lot of information will be needed from Ecosan toilet user all over the country that will be helped to facilities and make a sustainable

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Eco-san toilet. Another important learning is that it is very difficult to mobilize the religion leader for the use of these toilet and it resources towards ecological sanitation.

Acknowledgement The author would like to express thanks to Mr Azahar Ali Pramanik (Executive Director of SPACE) for helping to write this paper.

References [1] Heinonen-Tanski, H.; Snel, M.; Wijk-Sijbesma, C.V.; Quazi, A.R.; Mathew, K.; Werellagama, I.; Rahman, M.; Rashid, S.M.A.; Jayaweera, P.; Judith, H. (2006). Assessing of environmental quality in six areas in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Environ. Dev. Sustain., 9, 355-368. [2] Md. Azahar Ali Prmanik (2009). Ecosan toilets for sustainable in Bangladesh-an experience of SPACE. International Conference on Sustainable Development for Water and Waste Water Treatment, December 14-15, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. [3] Moe C.L and Rheingans R.D. (2006). Global challenges in water, sanitation and health. Journal of water and health, 4.suppl, 41-57. [4] Mnch, E.V., Ochs, A., Amy, G., Mwase, H. and Fesselet, J.F. (2006) Provision of sustainable sanitation in emergencies: role of ecosan in 32nd WEDC International Conference, Colombo, Sri-Lanka, 2006. WEDC, Loughborough University: Loughborough, UK. [5] Winblad, U., Simpson-Hebert, M., Calvert, P., Rosemarin, A., Sawyer, R. & Xiao, J. (2004). Ecological Sanitation: revised and enlarged edition. Stockholm Environment Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.

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