Decentralised Sanitation Systems

60% of the world’s population lacks access to safely managed sanitation and 1/3 lack even basic sanitation. Those who do have access to simple sanitation mostly use pit latrines. Particularly in urban areas, the lack of wastewater management endangers public health and pollutes the environment, as informal collection services often dispose of the faecal sludge in water bodies or fields.

Faecal sludge management (FSM) is a multidisciplinary approach to develop solutions for this problem. It includes technical options for customised sludge collection, transport, treatment, and recycling—while also integrating a business model as an essential part of the concept.

In the field of faecal sludge management (FSM), BORDA and its partner CDD Society are pioneers and leaders with over 10 years of on-the-ground project experience around the world.

Our full-cycle approach enables town-scale FSM infrastructure and services adapted to community needs, with FSM systems that are replicable and adaptable to other locations.

Our process includes:

• stakeholder surveys to better understand local sanitation needs and challenges
• data collection and analysis
• data- and stakeholder-informed designs for end-to-end FSM systems
• location-tailored faecal sludge treatment plant (FSTP) construction and operation, with technical specifications derived from the baseline study

Our system solutions include:

• policy frameworks for local authorities with stage-based implementation
• FSTP operating policies
• streamlined transportation of faecal sludge from septic tanks and pits
• support for local authorities and state governments in the bidding and selection process, in preparing bid documents and processes, and evaluating bidders

In many countries around the world, wastewater treatment systems are inadequate or non-existent. Conventional sewerage systems are often difficult or not feasible to build due to financial limitations, lack of density, or the rapid growth of unplanned settlements. As a result, more than 80% of the world’s wastewater is discharged untreated into the environment.

DEWATS are able to supply densely populated urban areas, as well as rural areas, with adequate wastewater treatment. Easy maintenance, low construction and operation costs, and independence from urban infrastructure makes DEWATS suitable for poor urban and peri-urban areas, schools, hospitals, and small businesses with organic loads in their wastewater.

The DEWATS technology implemented by the BORDA network has proven itself for many years in Asia and Africa, and has become an integral part of numerous government sanitation programmes.

> download the BORDA DEWATS inventory (4MB PDF)

Biogas can be produced from domestic wastewater, compost, faeces, industrial wastewater with organic matter, and livestock and slaughterhouse waste. A biogas plant is often installed with DEWATS to produce methane gas, which can be used for cooking or lighting. Using biogas—a renewable energy source—instead of firewood or other energy sources helps to protect the local environment and mitigate climate change.

Especially for poor families and school kitchens, using biogas brings substantial cost savings, reducing or eliminating the need to buy gas cartridges and firewood. It also enables users to operate small side businesses such as catering services or restaurants.

BORDA has pioneered the implementation and dissemination of biogas applications since the 1970s. In addition to biogas for homes, schools and small businesses, BORDA is also focusing on novel uses such as powering Stirling engines for agricultural use.

In many poor urban areas, neighbourhoods are difficult to reach and do not have any public or private waste management services. Waste piles up between houses, clogs drains and provides a breeding ground for pests. Decentralised solid waste management (DESWAM) offers concrete solutions to these problems.

The aim: bringing together local communities, governments and the private sector to establish sustainable decentralised structures to collect and treat waste in residential areas.

The BORDA network’s DESWAM service offers demand-driven modules that are adjusted to local environmental conditions and users, and provide different options for waste disposal and recycling. The end result: reuse-oriented infrastructures that keep waste out of the environment, recover valuable resources, and generate income for local communities. Optional modules include:

• materials recovery facilities (MRFs) built in close cooperation with local governments (where adequate space is available);
• composting plants where aerobic composting of organic waste reduces greenhouse gas emissions and produces nutrient-rich fertiliser;
• recycling depots that buy up recyclables, like plastic and glass, and resell them to the recycling industry;
• sorting facilities where mixed waste is separated into different categories, without further processing;
• proper disposal of residual waste at official landfills;
• waste reduction and prevention programmes;
• educational initiatives.

The BORDA network approach includes:

• module selection and customisation that takes into account the number of available staff, the amount of waste, topographic conditions, environmental capacity, and financial limits;
• decentralised facilities that are run by private operators or by community-based organisations emerging from user communities;
• enabling independent small businesses that can be established in areas with limited space;
• transferring knowledge to support facility operators;
• ensuring that facilities have sustainable sources of financing, such as from the sale of compost and recyclables, and monthly fees collected from participating households.

This innovative approach to providing decentralised solutions for waste management ensures sustainable functionality, even under difficult conditions. DESWAM not only contributes to a cleaner environment and improved public health, but also provides jobs and strengthens local development.