Page 11 - Discussion Paper on Faecal Sludge Management in Urban India
P. 11
Discussion Paper
BOX 4: ADOPTION OF FSM AT DEVANAHALLI
Best Practice Case of Faecal Sludge Treatment at City Level
Devanahalli is located at a distance of 39 km north-east of Bangalore and falls under the Directorate
of Municipal Administration (DMA), Government of Karnataka. It has a population of roughly
35,000 and is located near the airport and state capital. The large geographical area of Devanahalli
uses partially piped water system with no sewerage system, hich is unviable. Around 90% of the
households (~5800) are equipped with toilets having single pit, septic tank, twin pit, and open
drain. Rest 10% of the households are without toilets and mostly use open defecation, shared
toilets, or public toilets. Hence, a comprehensive FSM system was conceived by the DMA under the
Government of Karnataka.
The FSM service value chain of Devanahalli covers all stages of the Faecal sludge treatment,
including capture, storage, transport, treatment, and finally, reuse of the faecal matter.
The plant at Devanahalli has the Figure 7: FSM treatment plant in Devanahalli, Bangalore
capacity to serve approximately
30,000 people with the plant spread
over an area of 650 square metres.
It’s a simple and low cost O&M plant
using the technology of gravity-
based biological treatment. The
plant was commissioned with a
capital cost of Rs 90 lakhs and has
an operating cost of Rs 24 lakhs per
year. The lifecycle cost of the plant
is Rs 1500 per capita, which is very
low in itself. The treatment module
comprises of six stages that include
screening, sludge–liquid separation,
sludge stabilization, dewatering,
disinfection, and liquid treatment.
The project has been implemented in the following steps:
1. Trucks brought by DMA followed by service offering from ULB;
2. FSTP was built for safe treatment of sludge;
3. An integrated O&M contract for truck and treatment plant was signed; and
4. Finally, FSM policy, which includes licensing, penalties, and monitoring, was implemented
One of the key challenges that persist in the project is its costing with the project falling short of
the break even by `371,000 a year. However, on a holistic framework, including environmental
impacts, the results have been quite promising. The plant has helped prevention of pathogens
equal to that produced by 4400 people defecating in the open everyday. More than 100 operators
have been trained and the project has evinced interest in local farmers, who regularly buy treated
water and sludge for agricultural purposes. The project has also been received well among the
experts and subject-knowledge holders with more than 350 visitors, including 100 international
visitors and 200 senior officials. It is expected that with increased coverage by the service
geographically and increase in operational efficiency of the system, the process would be
self-sustainable in the times to come.
DECEMBER 2016 11
BOX 4: ADOPTION OF FSM AT DEVANAHALLI
Best Practice Case of Faecal Sludge Treatment at City Level
Devanahalli is located at a distance of 39 km north-east of Bangalore and falls under the Directorate
of Municipal Administration (DMA), Government of Karnataka. It has a population of roughly
35,000 and is located near the airport and state capital. The large geographical area of Devanahalli
uses partially piped water system with no sewerage system, hich is unviable. Around 90% of the
households (~5800) are equipped with toilets having single pit, septic tank, twin pit, and open
drain. Rest 10% of the households are without toilets and mostly use open defecation, shared
toilets, or public toilets. Hence, a comprehensive FSM system was conceived by the DMA under the
Government of Karnataka.
The FSM service value chain of Devanahalli covers all stages of the Faecal sludge treatment,
including capture, storage, transport, treatment, and finally, reuse of the faecal matter.
The plant at Devanahalli has the Figure 7: FSM treatment plant in Devanahalli, Bangalore
capacity to serve approximately
30,000 people with the plant spread
over an area of 650 square metres.
It’s a simple and low cost O&M plant
using the technology of gravity-
based biological treatment. The
plant was commissioned with a
capital cost of Rs 90 lakhs and has
an operating cost of Rs 24 lakhs per
year. The lifecycle cost of the plant
is Rs 1500 per capita, which is very
low in itself. The treatment module
comprises of six stages that include
screening, sludge–liquid separation,
sludge stabilization, dewatering,
disinfection, and liquid treatment.
The project has been implemented in the following steps:
1. Trucks brought by DMA followed by service offering from ULB;
2. FSTP was built for safe treatment of sludge;
3. An integrated O&M contract for truck and treatment plant was signed; and
4. Finally, FSM policy, which includes licensing, penalties, and monitoring, was implemented
One of the key challenges that persist in the project is its costing with the project falling short of
the break even by `371,000 a year. However, on a holistic framework, including environmental
impacts, the results have been quite promising. The plant has helped prevention of pathogens
equal to that produced by 4400 people defecating in the open everyday. More than 100 operators
have been trained and the project has evinced interest in local farmers, who regularly buy treated
water and sludge for agricultural purposes. The project has also been received well among the
experts and subject-knowledge holders with more than 350 visitors, including 100 international
visitors and 200 senior officials. It is expected that with increased coverage by the service
geographically and increase in operational efficiency of the system, the process would be
self-sustainable in the times to come.
DECEMBER 2016 11
