QUESTION
Need details of wastewater treatment methods in rural India

Hi! I'm writing from Arghyam, Bangalore, which is a philanthropic trust focussing on water. We are interested in taking up domestic wastewater treatment in rural areas and would like to know about the existing wastewater treatment methods at household and cluster level in rural India. We would like to introduce wastewater treatment in a few villages of Karnataka if we find the process efficient, cost-effective and suitable for the area specific conditions. If any successful domestic wastewater treatment method prevails in rural India, it will be great to know the details of the treatment process, location, quantum of wastewater treated, population, cost, area and efficiency. We would also find very useful if people can share their impressions of the adoption of conventional wastewater treatment approaches like soak pits. Are these constructed according to prescribed standards, do the communities feel these are valuable and invest in maintaining them over time ? Mrinalini mrinalini@arghyam.org

by
24 September 2009