With India’s population of 139.34 crores, 55,736 kgs of human waste is produced a day, taking into consideration that 400 gm is excreted  per day by a single person. So,  within a  year such a huge amount of waste will be produced that we can cover a small country. Despite the alarming situation this risk is still not given the importance it so badly deserves.  Initiation has to be put in place to segregate the waste but what is the next step after segregation? What is the final outcome of the human waste? is still a question.

Areas where there is no segregation management, but urban or rural and areas which have segregation management are standing tall; cities like Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai where the management is well planned and performed with proper precaution. However, the quality of life is deteriorating as the population is migrating, and one of the reasons for this is random deposit of faecel sludge.

The present scenario:

The recycling of water is implemented in most of the places, utilization of the recycled water is in practice as well, but the main concern is the dry sludge left after the waste treatment. It has three main components – scum, effluent, and sludge. It has an invasive odour, appearance and contains significant levels of grease, grit, hair, debris, and pathogenic micro-organisms.

Working with real faecal matter is difficult as it not only involves working with a pathogenic, malodorous material but also individual faeces. Faecal sludge samples are highly variable, making it difficult to execute repeatable experiments and all this can lead to hazardous result.

But there is hope at the end of the faecal tunnel. The SeTP (Septage Treatment Plant) and FSTP(Fecal Sludge Treatment plant) have worked wonders in the form of crises management, from the collection of waste to the segregation, preparing of the treated dry waste and  despite all efforts the solid sludge is not easy to be disposed of, or being utilized in any other form. The approach to compost the dry waste is an exemplary work, it sowed the seed for a reliable solution.

The Government of India enforced the National Policy on FSSM, 2017 for setting up multiple FSTPs in various cities and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). The Government has launched various flagship programs like Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) to shape the implementation of FSSM policy across cities and towns. Data released in the report “Inventorization of Sewage Treatment Plants, 2015″ by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), revealed that out of the 816 municipal Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) available across India, 522 are operational (only 64% are functioning), 79 STPs are Non-Operational, 145 STPs are under construction and 70 STPs are proposed. The available treatment capacity is only 37% of the total 62,000 MLD of human waste that is generated in urban India. More than 50% of municipalities within a year have already developed their state-level guidelines for septage management and more than 442 towns already have announced or tendered FSTPs (SBM, 2017). According to engineers and researchers, onsite sanitation or decentralized technologies are considered as long-term, most viable, and sustainable options in terms of cost and resource compared to the sewer-based system to fulfil the sanitation needs.

Faecal Sludge is traditionally collected using cesspool vehicles and disposed of in some low-lying areas. This creates severe air and water pollution leading to major health issues of the people in and around the area. Faecal sludge is usually treated through six units before it becomes suitable for landscaping, but the pathogenic content of the sludge is not less than the rock of Gibraltar. The noxious level in the compost has failed all  possible parameters for being considered safe and ready to be used in layman’s life

Pathogens present in FS and diseases caused by them.

ULTRA AS A SOLUTION

Finding a solution to this vexed problem is FSMC Pvt. Ltd, a Private Ltd Co undertaking commercial activities related to Water, Sanitation and Health (WASH) in India. It is a Social Enterprise registered in the year 2014. The whole sole purpose of FSMC is to be an asset for people’s welfare and their amelioration. Major focus on Faecal Sludge Management – collection, transportation, treatment and disposal, the current faecal sludge technology used are constructed wetlands and co-composting. The problem of FS hasn’t gone unnoticed by FSMC

• Illegal dumpling of faecal sludge across the country.
• Environmental risks and hazards due to this unsafe dumping
• Damage to soil health by use of chemical fertiliser
• Less awareness on FSM and Circular Economy of Sanitation & Solid Waste Management
• Lack of access to Co – compost market
• Less awareness on pathogens content in the bio solids stored in the FSTPs across the country.

This entire problem  has led them to establish a more reliable solution to this cesspool. FSMC Pvt Ltd after two years of research and studies in collaboration with WASTE, Netherland and scientist from 11 different countries coined a process called co-composting and super composting. The main aim was to reduce the toxicity of the FS and make it timid and fruitful for the betterment of people and the environment.

As the name suggests. ”ULTRA”  was solely produced to resolve the present issues of SeTP and FSTP. The pathogens level are in nominal ratio and managed to enhance the NPK values, not only does it have three times better nutrient content than resent organic manure available in the market, but can also help the ULBs (Urban Local Bodies) to generate more revenues from this process.

Just like Rome wasn’t build in a day,  FSMC couldn’t have succeeded in this path if the government of Odisha hadn’t become the base of this foundation, Dhenkanal has laid the foundation of this mission. The government of Odisha has shown their utmost support by allotting land for infrastructure, bearing capital and experimental expenses and so on. A temporary shed has been established at Mahisapata Wealth Center by DMC for the manufacturing of the co-composting.

The baby steps of co-composting

• After collecting the waste, the dry bio solids are kept in the storeroom in the FSTP/STP
• Co-composting is the controlled aerobic degradation of organics, using more than one feedstock (faecal sludge and organic solid waste).
• Dry faecal sludge has moisture and nitrogen content, while biodegradable solid waste is high in organic carbon and has good bulking properties (i.e. it allows air to flow and circulate).
• By combining the two, the benefits of each can be used to optimise the process and the product. The Pathogens like Salmonella, Helminth Eggs, E-coli becomes nil.
• Value Added Product Output: The Co – compost can be used as a soil improver option. By adding some additional items in the co-compost.

The dry sludge formation timeline is 40-45 days, post that the FSMC takes over the cargo and the product formation take from 42-65 days. The lynchpin of the co-composting follows the C:N ratio, Moisture, Temperature, Oxygen level and virulent thriving. The process not only includes the reuse of the leachate water even so the process components is completely organic so is the product.

FSMC doesn’t stop in the hypotheses but prove the theory with all  possible evidence.  After production of co-compost, the sample from each batch has undergone tests by  experts at the laboratories of Chennai, New Delhi, CSE, OUAT Bhubaneswar, RCONF, Ghaziabad and other possible committee.  And only after stratifying the parameters ISO, ultra, made its move to the field of farmers. Besides all the hindrance “Ultra” has successfully  eradicated the possible virulent and was able to provide a generous NPK ratio which will give satisfactory outcome for the crops and floras.

FSMC has formed the committee by taking 8 departments, Panchayat Raj Department, Pure Drinking Water Department, Agriculture Department, Horticulture Department, Forest Department, Soil Conservation Department, Sericulture Department, and KVK Dhenkanal and so on. The synchronization and supervision was majorly led by Chander Mahadev – Chairman of FSMC, Abhishek Choudhury – Managing Direct of FSMC, Rajakishore Jena – GM of FSMC, Atanu Kumar Samanta – EO of Dhenkanal Municipality. FSMC hasn’t limited itself to the salutary aiming the environment, but also planted ways to generate employment in that area, leading the economic sector. The major agenda of FSMC is that one day the sterile and sustainable life to the people, for the people, from the people, becomes a reality

References:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772427122000535

https://www.cseindia.org/faecal-sludge-treatment-plant-at-devanahalli-bengaluru–6210

https://www.riteways.in/sludge-treatment-plant.html

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0043135417310588

https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/48780