Septic Tanks and Small Sewages Discharges

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Septic Tanks and Small Sewages Discharges November 2019 Information Septic tanks and small sewages discharges Properties not connected to the be registered or require a permit; instead mains sewer any operator must follow a set of general binding rules where they are making a small If a property or business is not connected to sewage discharge. the mains sewer, its sewage will go to one of the following: However, a permit will still be required in areas that are identified as being a septic tank - an underground tank environmentally sensitive. where the solids sink to the bottom and the liquid flows out and soaks through What is a small sewage the ground discharge? a small sewage treatment plant (also A discharge of 2m² per day or less known as a package treatment plant) - (equivalent to sewage from 9 people a part-mechanical system that treats the living in a single property) to the ground liquid so it’s clean enough to go into a via a septic tank and infiltration system; river or stream or a cesspool (also called a cesspit) - a A discharge of 5m² per day or less sealed tank that collects the sewage (equivalent to sewage from 31 people a non-standard system, e.g. a reed occupying a single property) to water. bed or a trench arch system, which may need a permit from the Environment For larger discharges, different rules apply. Agency. Who is an Operator? The New Regulations An operator is a person who has control New regulations brought in on 1 January over the operation of a septic tank or 2015 (“the Regulations”), have attempted to sewage treatment system. An operator may simplify the regulation of domestic small be: sewage discharges from septic tanks or small sewage treatment plants. This 1 an owner of the system; information sheet summarises those rules. Head Office 2 someone who uses it even though the Heathervale House 2-4 Vale Avenue If you have a cesspool, the rules will not system itself or part of it may be located Tunbridge Wells apply, although planning controls apply to on neighbouring land; or Kent TN1 1DJ the installation of new cesspools and the T 01892 510000 F 01892 540170 Environment Agency can take enforcement 3 another person e.g. a tenant or action if a cesspool is in poor condition. leaseholder who agrees to be Thames Gateway responsible for operation and Corinthian House Galleon Boulevard Septic tanks and small sewage maintenance through a written Crossways Business Park treatment plants agreement. Dartford Kent DA2 6QE If you share a septic tank with other T 01322 623700 In most cases, septic tanks and small F 01322 623701 sewage treatment plants no longer need to properties, responsibility for the septic tank and its discharge and for complying with the www.ts-p.co.uk 1 LIVE 7414976-4 November 2019 Septic tanks and small sewages discharges Continued general binding rules is a shared manufacturer’s specification and be responsibility, unless you have a written large enough to handle the maximum of agreement which states otherwise. sewage that it will need to treat; Maintenance must be undertaken What is an existing discharge? regularly. Records (for example, maintenance, tank emptying and If the discharge was already being made servicing receipts) must be kept for 5 before 31 December 2014, it is an existing years (you should pass any records on discharge. If you have upgraded or replaced to the new occupier if you move house); your treatment system (or are planning to do so) but still make the discharge to the Waste sludge from the system must be same place, this is still an existing safely disposed of by a registered waste discharge. carrier, a minimum of once a year; and The discharge must not cause pollution What is a new discharge? of surface water or groundwater. It should be noted that discharges from A new discharge is one that was started septic tanks directly to surface water (as after 1 January 2015. If you have upgraded opposed to those that discharge to the or replaced your existing treatment system ground) are not allowed under the (or are planning to do so) and make the General Binding Rules. Environment discharge to a different place, this would be Agency guidance on the Rules states classed as a new discharge. that septic tanks of this type should be replaced or upgraded within a The General Binding Rules reasonable timescale, typically 12 months. Under the Regulations anyone who has a domestic septic tank or small sewage Additional rules also contain detailed treatment plant will be expected to follow a technical information on the size and siting set of rules (“the General Binding Rules”) of a discharge. It is therefore advisable to whether or not a permit is required. obtain a septic tank/drainage survey from a qualified drainage expert to ascertain The rules apply to all sewer discharges and whether the drainage system is compliant, include specific regulations depending on suitable for the property and in satisfactory whether sewage is discharged to drainage condition. water or via an infiltration system or drainage field. Guidance can be found at: www.gov.uk/permits-you-need-for-septic- There are also additional rules which only tanks/overview apply to new discharges. Permit Requirements Rules applicable to all small sewer discharges: Permits will continue to be used in areas designated as environmentally sensitive; the The system must be installed and Environment Agency will be able to tell you operated in accordance with the www.ts-p.co.uk 2 LIVE 7414976-4 November 2019 Septic tanks and small sewages discharges Continued if a particular area is designated as issuing a warning; environmentally sensitive. statutory enforcement notices and works notices; Households and businesses located in an area nearest to a groundwater drinking suspension or revocation of water supply (known as a groundwater environmental permits; source protection zone 1 or SPZ1) will be in injunctions; environmentally sensitive areas. carrying out remedial works; Permits will also be required where systems other civil and financial sanctions are not able to meet the General Binding including Fixed Penalty Notices; and Rules. prosecution and orders ancillary to The Environment Agency will grant a permit prosecution. if there is: Property sellers no evidence of pollution; or the risk of pollution is acceptable Property sellers must provide the purchaser with a written notice if a property has a If there is evidence of pollution or the risk of septic tank or small sewage treatment plant. pollution is unacceptable the Environment The notice must include details of the Agency will ask you to make changes to location, maintenance and a description of your system and may issue a permit with the waste water system. In most cases this improvement conditions. information is included within property information forms that are completed as part The current permit application charge for a of the conveyancing process. small sewage discharge is £125. Further information Enforcement This information sheet is not intended to be The Environmental Agency has said that if it a substitute for specific advice and is for identifies a small sewage discharge which general guidance only. It is based upon our requires a permit, its first course of action understanding of the legal position as at will always be to provide advice and November 2019 and may be affected by guidance to help the operator make a permit subsequent changes in the law. application. For more information please contact Sarah If you are granted a permit but the Easton on 01892 510000 or email at: Environment Agency finds that your system may be causing pollution to surface or [email protected] groundwater it will contact you to discuss the issues. The formal options that the Environment Agency has include, amongst others: © Thomson Snell & Passmore LLP All Rights Reserved www.ts-p.co.uk 3 LIVE 7414976-4 .
Recommended publications
  • Fecal Sludge Management (FSM) Services in Nigeria} Public Disclosure Authorized
    Report No: AUS0000053 . Nigeria Sustainable WSS Services in Nigeria { Fecal Sludge Management (FSM) Services in Nigeria} Public Disclosure Authorized . {December 2017} . WAT . Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized . Document of the World Bank . © 2017 The World Bank 1818 H Street NW, Washington DC 20433 Telephone: 202-473-1000; Internet: www.worldbank.org Some rights reserved This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect the views of the Executive Directors of The World Bank or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. Rights and Permissions The material in this work is subject to copyright. Because The World Bank encourages dissemination of its knowledge, this work may be reproduced, in whole or in part, for noncommercial purposes as long as full attribution to this work is given. Attribution—Please cite the work as follows: “World Bank. {YEAR OF PUBLICATION}. {TITLE}. © World Bank.” All queries on rights and licenses, including subsidiary rights, should be addressed to World Bank Publications, The World Bank Group, 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA; fax: 202-522-2625; e-mail: [email protected]. Technical Assistance to Fecal Sludge Management Services in Port Harcourt, Nigeria Selection #1222708 ASSESSMENT REPORT AND PROJECT DEVELOPMENT IN SELECTED PILOT AREAS 1 August 2017 ii Project Development in Selected Pilot Areas EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The imperative for improving the collection, treatment, and disposal of human excreta is gaining increasing attention in international development efforts.
    [Show full text]
  • Business Analysis of Fecal Sludge Management: Emptying and Transportation Services in Africa and Asia Draft Final Report
    Business Analysis of Fecal Sludge Management: Emptying and Transportation Services in Africa and Asia Draft Final Report Sangeeta Chowdhry and Doulaye Kone Sponsored by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation September 2012 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This report was written by Sangeeta Chowdhry (independent consultant) under the guidance and supervision of Dr. Doulaye Kone (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation). Several sector experts provided generous support of their time as advisors to this study. Their participation in several workshops that were held in in Africa and Asia, and review and feedback of the country proposals and reports is greatly appreciated. Rajesh Advani from the World Bank needs a special mention here. Mr. Advani provided valuable training in financial analysis to the country teams at workshops in Asia and Africa. The sector experts who served as advisors to this project are: Rajesh Advani (World Bank), Akica Bahri (African Development Bank), Matovu Jafari (Private Emptiers’ Association, Uganda), Roshan Shrestha (UNDP) and Dr Thammarat Koottatep (Asian Institute of Technology). Report disclaimer: This report is based on research funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The findings and conclusions contained within are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect positions or policies of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Copyright notice: © 2012 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. All Rights Reserved. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
    [Show full text]
  • 1. Urine Diversion
    1. Urine diversion – hygienic risks and microbial guidelines for reuse © Caroline Schönning Department of Parasitology, Mycology and Environmental Microbiology Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control (SMI) SE-171 82 Solna Sweden [email protected] This chapter is based on the doctoral thesis published by the author in February 2001: Höglund, C. (2001). Evaluation of microbial health risks associated with the reuse of source separated human urine. PhD thesis, Department of Biotechnology, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden. ISBN 91-7283-039-5. The full thesis (87 pages, without published papers) can be downloaded from: http://www.lib.kth.se/Sammanfattningar/hoglund010223.pdf Dr Håkan Jönsson, Swedish University for Agricultural Sciences is acknowledged for compiling Section 3, and Dr Jan-Olof Drangert, Linköping University is acknowledged for compiling Section 9. TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 1. INTRODUCTION 2 1.1 History 2 1.2 Nutrient content and volume of domestic wastewater 3 2. URINE DIVERSION 3 2.1 Urine diversion in Sweden 4 2.2 Source-separation of urine in other parts of the world 6 2.3 Ecological Sanitation 6 3. URINE AS A FERTILISER IN AGRICULTURE 7 3.1 Characteristics of diverted human urine 7 3.2 Collection and storage of the urine – developing countries 7 3.3 Urine as a fertiliser 8 3.4 Crops to fertilise 9 3.5 Dosage 9 3.6 Fertilising experiments 10 3.7 Acceptance 11 4. PATHOGENIC MICROORGANISMS IN URINE 11 5. FAECAL CONTAMINATION 13 5.1 Analysis of indicator bacteria to determine faecal contamination 14 5.2 Analysis of faecal sterols to determine faecal contamination 15 5.3 Discussion 16 6.
    [Show full text]
  • Doctor of Philosophy
    KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY KUMASI, GHANA Optimizing Vermitechnology for the Treatment of Blackwater: A Case of the Biofil Toilet Technology By OWUSU, Peter Antwi (BSc. Civil Eng., MSc. Water supply and Environmental Sanitation) A Thesis Submitted to the Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy October, 2017 DECLARATION I hereby declare that this submission is my own work towards the PhD and that, to the best of my knowledge, it contains no material previously published by another person nor material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree of any university, except where due acknowledgement has been made in the text. OWUSU Peter Antwi ………………….. ……………. (PG 8372212) Signature Date Certified by: Dr. Richard Buamah …………………. .................... (Supervisor) Signature Date Dr. Helen M. K. Essandoh (Mrs) …………………. .................... (Supervisor) Signature Date Prof. Esi Awuah (Mrs) …………………. .................... (Supervisor) Signature Date Prof. Samuel Odai …………………. .................... (Head of Department) Signature Date i ABSTRACT Human excreta management in urban settings is becoming a serious public health burden. This thesis used a vermi-based treatment system; “Biofil Toilet Technology (BTT)” for the treatment of faecal matter. The BTT has an average household size of 0.65 cum; a granite porous filter composite for solid-liquid separation; coconut fibre as a bulking material and worms “Eudrilus eugeniae”
    [Show full text]
  • Cost-Benefit Analysis of Fecal Sludge Treatment Interventions in Ghana
    COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF FECAL SLUDGE TREATMENT INTERVENTIONS IN GHANA ESI AWUAH Department of Civil Engineering, KNUST, Kumasi Ghana AHMED ISSAHAKU Department of Civil Engineering, KNUST, Kumasi Ghana MARTHA OSEI MARFO Department of Water and Sanitation UCC, Cape Coast Ghana SAMPSON ODURO-KWARTENG Department of Civil Engineering, KNUST, Kumasi Ghana MICHEAL ADDO AZIATSI Department of Civil Engineering, KNUST, Kumasi Ghana NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING COMMISSION COPENHAGEN CONSENSUS CENTER © 2020 Copenhagen Consensus Center [email protected] www.copenhagenconsensus.com This work has been produced as a part of the Ghana Priorities project. Some rights reserved This work is available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0). Under the Creative Commons Attribution license, you are free to copy, distribute, transmit, and adapt this work, including for commercial purposes, under the following conditions: Attribution Please cite the work as follows: #AUTHOR NAME#, #PAPER TITLE#, Ghana Priorities, Copenhagen Consensus Center, 2020. License: Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 4.0. Third-party-content Copenhagen Consensus Center does not necessarily own each component of the content contained within the work. If you wish to re-use a component of the work, it is your responsibility to determine whether permission is needed for that re-use and to obtain permission from the copyright owner. Examples of components can include, but are not limited to, tables, figures, or images. PRELIMINARY DRAFT AS OF
    [Show full text]
  • Wastewater Treatment Technologies List.Cdr
    GK.TAMILGOD.ORG List Of Wastewater Treatment TECHNOLOGIES TECHNOLOGIES G K . T A M I L G O D . O R G G K . TA M I L G O D . O R G A Ta m i l Q A P o r t a l . Wastewater Treatment Technologies Activated sludge model Activated sludge systems Adsorption/Bio-oxidation process Advanced oxidation process Aerated lagoon Aerobic granular reactor Aerobic granular sludge technology Aerobic granulation Aerobic treatment system Anaerobic clarigester Anaerobic digester types Anaerobic digestion Anaerobic filter Anaerobic lagoon Anammox API oil-water separator Belt filter Bioconversion of biomass to mixed alcohol fuels Biofilters Bioreactor Bioretention Biorotor Capacitive deionization Carbon filtering Cesspit Chemical addition wastewater treatment Clarifier Coarse bubble diffusers Composting toilet Constructed wetland Cross-flow filtration Dark fermentation Decentralized wastewater system Diffuser (sewage) Page 01 G K . TA M I L G O D . O R G A Ta m i l Q A P o r t a l . G K . TA M I L G O D . O R G A Ta m i l Q A P o r t a l . Wastewater Treatment Technologies Dissolved air flotation Dissolved gas flotation Desalination Distillation EcocyclET systems Electrocoagulation Electrodeionization Electrodialysis Electrolysis Enhanced biological phosphorus removal Expanded granular sludge bed digestion Extended aeration Facultative lagoon Fenton's reagent Filtration Fine bubble diffusers Flocculation & sedimentation Flotation process Forward osmosis Froth flotation Hydrocyclone Imhoff tank Induced gas flotation Ion exchange Lamella clarifier (inclined plate clarifier)[1] Living machines Maceration (sewage) Media filter Membrane bioreactor Membrane distillation Membrane fouling Microbial fuel cell Microflotation Moving bed biofilm reactor Page 02 G K .
    [Show full text]
  • Compendium of Sanitation Technologies in Emergencies
    Compendium 1st Edition of Sanitation Technologies in Emergencies Compendium 1st Edition of Sanitation Technologies in Emergencies Robert Gensch (GTO), Amy Jennings (BORDA), Samuel Renggli (Eawag), Philippe Reymond (Eawag) We would like to thank the following individuals and their organisations/institutions for their invaluable contributions to this publication: Djilali Abdelghafour, Nienke Andriessen, Leonellha Barreto-Dillon, Andy Bastable, Magdalena Bäuerl, Benjamin Bernan- dino, Damian Blanc, Franck Bouvet, Patrick Bracken, Chris Buckley, Marc-Andre Bünzli, Chris Canaday, Daniel Clauss, Benjamin Dard, Malcolm Dickson, Paul Donahue, Georg Ecker, Miriam Englund, Marta Fernández Cortés, Suzanne Ferron, Claire Furlong, Sergio Gelli, Feline Gerstenberg, Moritz Gold, Celia González Otálora, Peter Harvey, Oliver Hoffmann, Tineke Hooijmans, Andrews Jacobs, Heidi Johnston, Christopher Kellner, Anthony Kilbride, Sasha Kramer, Jenny Lamb, Günther Langergraber, Anne Lloyd, Andreas Ludwig, Christoph Lüthi, Saskia Machel, Grover Mamani, Adeline Mertenat, Mona Mijthab, Alexander Miller, Patrice Moix, Paolo Monaco, Bella Monse, Hans-Joachim Mosler, Burt Murray, Arne Pane sar, Thilo Panzerbieter, Jonathan Parkinson, Dominique Porteaud, Nick Preneta, Torsten Reckerzügl, Bob Reed, Stefan Reuter, Romain Revol, Nina Röttgers, Johannes Rück, Vasco Schelbert, Jan-Christoph Schlenk, Jan-Hendrik Schmidt, Stephanie Schramm, Jan Spit, Haakon Spriewald, Steve Sugden, Annkatrin Tempel, Elisabeth Tilley, Erika Trabucco, Tobias Ulbrich, Lukas Ulrich, Claudio Valsangiacomo,
    [Show full text]
  • Future Options for Sewage and Drainage Systems Three Scenarios for Transitions and Continuity
    sustainability Article Future Options for Sewage and Drainage Systems Three Scenarios for Transitions and Continuity Karel Mulder 1,2 1 Faculty of Technology, Innovation & Society, The Hague University of Applied Science, 2521 EN Den Haag, The Netherlands; [email protected] 2 The Netherlands and Faculty of Technology, Policy & Management, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands Received: 10 December 2018; Accepted: 28 February 2019; Published: 6 March 2019 Abstract: The challenge of sustainable development requires cities to aim for drastic improvements in the systems that support its vital functions. Innovating these systems can be extremely hard, and might take lots of time. A transparent and democratic strategy is important to guarantee support for change. Such a process should aim at developing consensus regarding a basic vision to guide the process of systems change. This paper sketches future options for the development of sanitation- and urban drainage systems in industrialized economies. It will provide an analysis of relevant trends for sewage system innovation. In history, sewage systems have emerged from urban sewage and precipitation removal systems, to urban sewage and precipitation removal and cleaning systems. The challenge for the future is recovering energy and resources from sewage systems while maintaining/improving its sanitary service and lowering its emissions. Keywords: urban sustainability; systems strategy; systems innovation; sewage systems 1. Introduction The challenge of sustainable development—i.e., bringing the global metabolic processes that provide for human needs within the limitations of our finite planet, and prioritizing the underprivileged in harvesting the fruits of these processes—requires leaps in the resource efficiency of these metabolic processes.
    [Show full text]
  • Faecal Sludge Management in the Ho Municipality, Ghana
    KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, KUMASI, GHANA Faecal Sludge Management in the Ho Municipality, Ghana BY Antoinette Ama Agboado (BSc. Mechanical Engineering) A Thesis submitted to the Department of Civil Engineering College of Engineering in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE JUNE, 2015 CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that this thesis is my own work towards the Master of Science (MSc) and that to the best of my knowledge contains no materials previously published by another person nor material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree of the University, except where due acknowledgement has been made in the text. Miss Antoinette Ama Agboado …………………… ………………….. (PG 9727213) Signature Date Certified by: Dr. Helen M.K. Essandoh ….…………… … ………………….. (Supervisor) Signature Date Certified By: Prof. Y.A Tuffour …………………… …………………... (Head of Department) Signature Date ii ABSTRACT This study investigated the faecal sludge management practices in five communities (Matse, Ziavi Dzogbe, Hodzo Aviepe, Sokode Gborgame and Ho Township) in the Ho municipality and proposes sustainable solutions for efficient faecal sludge management. Semi-structured interviews, field observations and review of secondary data were used to assess the management practices in these communities. Samples of faecal sludge generated from household and public toilets (septic tanks and VIP) were analyzed for physico-chemical parameters. Majority of the respondents in the study communities were found to depend on public toilets. 8.5% - 15% of the respondents lack basic sanitation facilities and therefore were engaged in open defaecation. Even though there are two faecal sludge disposal sites for the municipality, the sludge is dumped untreated into the environment.
    [Show full text]
  • Decentralized Cluster Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Systems For
    Water, Wastewater, and Energy Solutions for Off-grid Bedouin, Palestinian, and Jordanian Communities Clive Lipchin, PhD, director, Center for Transboundary Water Management [email protected] Arizona Nevada Israel Population (million) 6.9 2.9 8 Surface Area (km2) 295 286 21 Per capita water consumption (gallon/day) 148 205 100 Percent water use in agriculture 69 77 50 Average monthly water bill ($) for family of four (100 gallons/person/day) 34.29 (Phoenix) 32.93 (Las Vegas) 1.89/cubic meter Annual precipitation (inches) 13 9.5 22 Sea of Galillee, groundwater, Main water source Colorado river Colorado river desalination Reclaimed water (%) 3 N/A 80 Off Grid Communities Unfortunately it is a fact that, in the world today, a staggering 1.3 billion people have limited access to water, sanitation and electricity. Many of these people live in rural and semi-rural communities. Until such communities have access to efficient water, energy and sanitation services, little progress can be made to develop their economies and improve their lives. Off Grid Communities • Around 70% of the Palestinian population in the West Bank • Approximately 30% of the Jordanian population • Roughly 50% of the Bedouin population in the Negev, Israel . After R. Waskom, N. Grigg, and M. Akhbari, 2014 Off-grid Communities and Cross Border Complications Source: The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. 2015 [cited 2015 November]; Available from: http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/. The Negev Bedouin • The largest minority population in the Negev – approx. 200,000 people • Arab, Muslim but not Palestinian • Are citizens of the state of Israel The Negev Bedouin • According to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics of 2014, the Bedouin (Muslim) Population in the Negev numbered 224,200, representing 27.4% of the total population of the Negev.
    [Show full text]
  • Faecal Sludge Management: Highlights and Exercises
    Faecal Sludge Management: Highlights and Exercises Editors Miriam Englund Linda Strande Bibliographic Reference: Englund, M. and Strande, L., (Editors). 2019. Faecal Sludge Management: Highlights and Exercises. Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology. Dübendorf, Switzerland. ISBN: 978-3-906484-70-9 © Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology Sandec: Department Sanitation, Water and Solid Waste for Development Dübendorf, Switzerland, www.sandec.ch Permission is granted for reproduction of this material, in whole or part, for education, scientific or development related purposes except those involving commercial sale, provided that full citation of the source is given. A free PDF copy of this publication can be downloaded from www.sandec.ch/fsm_tools. Text Editing: Claire Taylor Photos: Eawag-Sandec Authors Contributors and reviewers (in alphabetical order) (in alphabetical order) Nienke Andriessen Ashanti Bleich Miriam Englund Damir Brdjanovic Moritz Gold Nadège de Chambrier Marius Klinger Guillaume Clair Christoph Lüthi Kayla Coppens Samuel Renggli Marta Fernàndez Cortés Stanley Sam Christopher Friedrich Linda Strande Pavan Indireddy BJ Ward Abishek Sankara Narayan Ariane Schertenleib Dorothee Spuhler Fabian Suter Elizabeth Tilley Lukas Ulrich Imanol Zabaleta Foreword The book ‘Faecal Sludge Management: Systems Approach for Implementation and Operation’ was first published in 2014 and has since been translated into English, French, Hindi, Marathi, Russian, Spanish and Tamil. It is used by practitioners and universities around the world. Since its publication, the sector has been rapidly growing and adapting to address the need for faecal sludge management. To keep pace with rapid developments, publications are needed that can adapt more quickly during the time required for new books and book editions to be published.
    [Show full text]
  • What Toilets and Sewers Tell Us About Ancient Roman Sanitation
    What toilets and sewers tell us about ancient Roman sanitation November 19, 2015 by Ann Olga Koloski-Ostrow, The Conversation Ruin of a second-century public toilet in Roman Ostia. Credit: Fr Lawrence Lew, OP, CC BY- NC-ND I've spent an awful lot of time in Roman sewers – enough to earn me the nickname "Queen of Latrines" from my friends. The Etruscans laid the first underground sewers in the city of Rome around 500 BC. These cavernous tunnels below the city's streets were built of finely carved stones, and the Romans were happy to utilize them when they took over the city. Such structures then became the norm in many cities throughout the Roman world. Focusing on life in ancient Rome, Pompeii, Herculaneum and Ostia, I'm deeply impressed by the brilliant engineers who designed these underground marvels and the magnificent architecture that masks their functional purpose. Sewer galleries didn't run under every street, nor service every area. But in some cities, including Rome itself, the length and breadth of the main sewer, the Cloaca Maxima, rivals the extent of the main sewer lines in many of today's cities. We shouldn't assume, though, that Roman toilets, sewers and water systems were constructed with our same modern sanitary goals in mind. The streets of a Roman city would have been cluttered with dung, vomit, pee, shit, garbage, filthy water, rotting vegetables, animal skins and guts, and other refuse from various shops that lined the sidewalks. We moderns think of urban sewers as the means to remove such filth from streets – and of course flush away human waste that goes down our toilets.
    [Show full text]