After the successful pilot of a faecal sludge treatment plant (FSTP) in Devanahalli, the Consortium for DEWATS Dissemination Society (CDDS) is discussing with officials to set up similar plants in the State.
“CDDS is in discussion with civic officials to set up plants in Gowribidanur, Kalaburagi and Madikeri in Karnataka,” said Tarika, a spokeperson for CDDS.
The second plant is likely to come up at Gowribidanur in Chickballapur district, around 75 km from Bengaluru.
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“We are targeting peri-urban areas which do not have proper sanitary systems as management of faecal sludge is a major issue in such areas,” said Girija R., agriculture consultant with CDDS.
Raw sludge from septic tanks is brought to the plant through honeysuckers, where it is treated and sanitised.
The resulting product is then mixed with vegetable compost to be used as fertilizer, which is suitable for phosphorous-deficient soil found in many areas around Bengaluru, she added.
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Many farmers in areas around the city use untreated sludge as fertilizer and the FSTP will help provide them with sanitised fertilizer.
Vice-president of Gowribidanur Town Municipal Council Gopinath said such a treatment plant would be beneficial. “We will get fertilizer at a cheaper rate and it will help to maintain the waste generated,” said Mr. Gopinath. He added that the TMC had around one acre land available to set up the treatment plant.
The FSTP in Devanahalli was handed over to the Devanahalli Town Municipal Council in November 2016. It handles waste from a population of 20,000.
She added that the FSTP plant in Devanahalli was designed to handle waste from a population of 30,000 but was not running to full capacity.
Since Devanahalli does not have an underground drainage system, the FSTP alleviates the problem of waste management without polluting groundwater.
CDDS has set up similar plants in Nepal and Bhutan over the last month.