ON SITE SANITATION (INCLUDING ECO SANITATION)
Definition: Focuses on managing waste at the source with minimal environmental
impact.
• When the wastes are collected, treated, and disposed of at the point of generation, it
is called an on-site system.
• On-site sanitation systems are most suitable for sparsely settled rural areas with low
population density and low water consumption
• widely used in rural areas of both developed and developing countries, and in the
absence of more costly sewerage systems, are also extensively used in urban areas of
developing countries.
Advantages and disadvantages of on-site sanitation
Advantages of on-site sanitation
• Simple to construct, operate, and maintain.
• Less expensive to install and maintain.
• Surface water pollution is eliminated.
Disadvantages of on-site sanitation
• Not suitable for substrates with hard rock and high water table
conditions.
• Possibility of pathogens leaching into groundwater and contaminating
it.
• In densely populated urban areas, crucial groundwater resources can
get contaminated.
On-site sanitation technologies
The following on-site sanitation technologies are being used around the
world:
1. Pit latrines
2. Ventilated improved pit latrines
3. Composting toilets.
4. Ecological sanitation (Eco-san)
5. Two-pit pour flush toilets
6. Pour-flush toilets to septic tanks
Eco sanitation
• Ecological sanitation, commonly abbreviated as eco-san, is an approach
characterized by a desire to safely "close the loop" (mainly for nutrients and
organic matter) between sanitation and agriculture.
• Ecosan systems safely recycle excreta resources (plant nutrients and organic
matter) to crop production in such a way that the use of non-renewable
resources is minimized.
• Human feces and urine contain a large
amount of nutrients, which can be used in
agriculture for crop irrigation, for fish
aquaculture, or aquatic vegetable pond
fertilization.
• Ecological sanitation can be applied
both in cities (often in public toilet blocks)
and in semi-urban and rural areas.
Basic principles of Ecosan
• Offers a safe sanitation solution that promotes health by successfully and
hygienically removing pathogen-rich excreta from the immediate environment.
• Is environmentally sound because it doesn’t contaminate groundwater and also
saves scarce water resources.
• Recovers and recycles the nutrients from the excreta and creates a valuable
resource to reduce the need for artificial fertilizers in agriculture from what is
usually regarded as a waste product.
Objectives of ecological sanitation
• To provide affordable, hygienically safe, and desirable sanitary facilities.
• To reduce the health risks related to sanitation, contaminated water, and
waste.
• To prevent the pollution of surface and groundwater. To prevent the
degradation of soil fertility.
• To optimize the management of nutrients and water resources.
Advantages of ecological sanitation
• i) Improvement of health by minimizing the introduction of
pathogens from human excrements into the water cycle.
• Promotion of safe, hygienic recovery and use of nutrients,
organics, trace elements, water, and energy.
• Preservation of soil fertility and improvement of agricultural
productivity.
• Conservation of resources.
• Preference for modular, decentralized partial-flow systems for
more appropriate, cost-efficient solutions.
• Promotion of a holistic, interdisciplinary approach.
• Material flow cycle instead of disposal.
