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Wat-er Relief! Wastewater Treatment and Recycling: A Process for Keeps for the Future Generations W ater is already a scarce resource. This makes it imminent for mankind to think seriously about its intelligent usage and waste management. The demand for reliable, efficient and low-cost wastewater treatment systems is increasing in developing countries. With the population on the rise and an uncontrolled discharge of wastewater, there are risks of endangering both environmental health and water resources. The new environmental regulations by governments make it mandatory for the small and medium enterprises and housing estates to treat wastewater adequately on-site before discharging it to the environment. Thus, there has been a consistent demand from these sectors for cost-efficient wastewater treatment systems.Necessity being the mother of invention, here is a technology that takes care of wastewater. De-centralized Wastewater Treatment Systems (DEWATS) is based on natural treatment principles and provides a low-cost solution for both domestic and industrial (small and medium industries) wastewater. DEWATS is a technical approach rather than merely a technology package. Significant features of DEWATS applications are: l It treats both domestic and industrial sources.l It treats organic wastewater flows from 1-1000 m3 per day.l It is reliable, long lasting and tolerant towards inflow fluctuation.l It does not need sophisticated maintenance for necessary chemical pre-treatment of wastewater from the industries.DEWATS applications are based on four basic technical treatment modules, which are combined as per the demand: l Primary treatment: sedimentation and floatation.l Secondary anaerobic treatment in fixed-bed reactors: baffled upstream reactors or anaerobic filters.l Tertiary aerobic treatment in subsurface flow filters.l Tertiary aerobic treatment in polishing ponds.
Appropriate Wastewater Treatment To assure sustainable dissemination of appropriate wastewater treatment infrastructure in the long term, a mere focus on technical aspects is insufficient. The approach for implementation of DEWATS projects includes not only the construction of hardware but an entire comprehensive set of integrated measures such as: l Information seminars and workshops to introduce to key stakeholders.l Co-financing of demonstration projects.l Sector specific information-seminars.l Technical training.l Project Planningl Project implementationl Technical support and monitoringl Quality control l Research and Development Benefits of DEWATS Dewats has numerous benefits. It helps in combating the pollution problem up to 90%. The materials or inputs used for construction are locally available with minimal maintenance costs and maximum resource efficiency. Thus, Dewats is highly recommended in hospitals, agro-industries as well as at the community level. Source: This article is based on excerpts from a brochure printed by Bremen Overseas Research and Development Association (BORDA) who promote the technology and disseminate information worldwide through a network of organizations, both private and public, for local implementation. qBhawana Gadre |
DEWATS
applications are designed and dimensioned in such a way that the treated
water meets the stipulated requirements in environmental laws and
regulations. These applications are based on the principle of low
maintenance, since the most important parts of the system work without
technical energy inputs and cannot be switched off intentionally. The
technology is provided at affordable prices because all of the materials
used for construction are available locally.