REVIEW THE TREATMENT

Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient

- HARI PRAKASH HAIHYVANSHI AND MANISH MISHRA

WHEN INDIA declared itself open-defecation-free, it marked a critical step toward safe sanitation. However, a pressing challenge remains—the effective treatment, disposal or reuse of wastewater and biosolids. Without addressing this, groundwater, waterbodies and rivers remain vulnerable to pollution. This gap is pronounced in small and medium towns that lack faecal sludge treatment plants (FSTPS) and in larger towns where sewerage systems have not kept pace with urban expansion. Tackling this issue requires the installation of stand-alone FSTPS and welldesigned co-treatment infrastructure, enabling sewage treatment plants to handle faecal waste.

Faecal sludge management in India has made progress since 2017 when the National Faecal Sludge and Septage Management Policy was released, and the country’s first fstp was set up in Devanahalli, Karnataka. Today, over 1,500 FSTPS have been built, the majority based on decentralised treatment systems that employ nature-based solutions, such as sedimentation and anaerobic processes, without requiring electromechanical treatment.