Future of Ecological sanitation

[keerthi sureshbabu]

Ecological sanitation will develop only when the government and industry see’s its potential benefit to society. The future of ecological sanitation lies in seeing its potential and investing further in its research, development and infrastructure. We cannot imagine the eco-san systems exist after 50-100yrs from now. With no doubt we can say that it will be much more sophisticated than now. But eco- san principles of containment, pathogen destruction and recycling of nutrients will remain the same because these are biological principles.
Envisage eco- san of the future being applied to various ecological, cultural and population-density conditions using technologies not yet invented or not yet applied to sanitation. We see planners of new towns based on master plans and building designs on ecological principles, including ecological sanitation. We can see existing cities served by old and decayed sewerage systems being retrofitted with ecological sanitation systems. Government and non government agencies have come forward offering eco-san options to rural communities and small towns as conventional approaches based on drop and store or flush and discharge.
Eco-cities and eco towns
From 1950, planners and ordinary citizens have been awakening to live in an ecologically sustainable way. We should consider our local and planetary eco-systems when we modify nature to improve our lives. If we continue on this path of increasing air and water pollution, destruction of natural habitats for varieties of species, we will seal or own doom, for a healthy eco-system which is a fundamental for all life on the planet.
Today awareness is slowly being transformed into action. Pioneers of eco0living concepts are considering how to reduce our dependence upon automobiles, with all their impact on air quality and urban design and living. Now green buildings are creating great interest, it is creating buildings that require less energy to heat, cool and light. Encouraging more green spaces, trees and other plants in urban areas and more forests in agricultural areas to enhance the chance for biodiversity. They are advocating locally- grown food to reduce dependence on food transported by highly polluting fossil fuels.
The most depending eco-san challenge in the coming years is to develop and implement systems for urban areas. Urban population is fast increasing. Can eco-san systems be used to serve this population?? There are examples of eco-san applied to urban areas and densely built up villages, but the projects are small scattered. Urban or rural, the basic eco-san approaches are sanitized and recycle. The technical solution required for multi storey buildings, difficulties of reaching large, fluctuating populations with information, challenges of communal collection system and the need to store, transport and treat large volumes of urine., faeces and greywater on-site or within the nearby.
Can we imagine how eco-san will be adopted after 50yrs for now ??

[Prof Dr V N Sivasankara Pillai]

Most of the people in slums and villages (mostly BPL) are following natural ecosanitation in the country. What we need is designed ecosanitation since land and water have exceeded carrying capacity. Since funded projects have ways of leaking cement, steel and manpoer allotments, beuraucrats will prefer to have cement-steel-contract format for ecosanitation. It is NGOs who can do a lot.

[Nalli Sridhar Prasad Rao]

Yes I do!! I am observing that there use to be frogs make noise as soon as it started raining and crabs use to come out of their holes, but now a days, I miss them all. I could not locate or hear them at all. Similarly, sparrows are missing, which they use to make noise before I wake up in the morning. Temperature is in raise, rains have been reduced, pollen and nectar production of the plants are at low. Extreme climate is very scary ...

[GOPI KANTA GHOSH]

This is a right path...there are problems..but we must overcome..in fact it will be still better even disposals are utilized to create valuable wealth like energy