Joins hands with WaterAid Bangladesh to organise two events in Dhaka: Workshop on Shit Flow Diagram (Phase III) and International Training and Exposure Visit on Faecal Sludge and Septage Management
DHAKA, February 26, 2020: Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), the New Delhi (India)-based research and advocacy body, in collaboration with WaterAid Bangladesh,launched the third phase of the Shit Flow Diagram (SFD) promotion initiative at a workshop here on February 12. Almost simultaneously, from February 8 to 13, the two partners also jointly organised an International Training-cum-Exposure Visit in Bangladesh on Faecal Sludge and Septage Management (FSSM).
Suresh Kumar Rohilla, senior director, water and wastewater management, CSE explained the collaboration: “Countries in South Asia face similar issues and concerns in the management of urban sanitation, and collaborative initiatives can help in their resolution. CSE has garnered considerable experience and expertise in the areas of SFD and FSSM, and these events provided us an excellent opportunity to share our knowledge, as well as learn from our partner, WaterAid Bangladesh. CSE is looking forward to building and nurturing more such collaborations with other players in the South Asian region.”
Workshop on Shit Flow Diagram (Phase III)
“The aim of this phase is topromote the use of SFDs to bridge the existing gap in availability of data for monitoring safely managed sanitation, and for improved planning to achieve city-wide sanitation.”said Bhitush Luthra, programme manager, water programme, CSE.About 50 participants, including municipal officials and sanitation practitioners, from Bangladesh, India and Nepal attended the event.
Among the key speakers at the workshop were Mohammad Khairul Islam, regional director-South Asia, WaterAid; HasinJahan, country director, WaterAid Bangladesh;and Suresh Kumar Rohilla, Senior Director,CSE. Radu Ban, senior program officer, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundationand Arne Raj Panesar, head of sector program,sustainable sanitation, GIZremotely attended and spoke at the event.
Speaking on the occasion, Khairul Islam said: “While low- and middle-income countries are rapidly expanding globally, excreta management is being seen as a present and future growing concern, eventually impacting public health and the environment. Exploring SFDs now as a decision-making tool will not only help manage large volumes of excreta in cities, but will also accelerate Bangladesh and the neighbouring countries’ efforts to meet their SDG (Sustainable Development Goal) targets.”
In the concluding session, Suresh Rohilla stated the approach CSE would be following in this last phase and encouraged more partners to join hands in this endeavour of upscaled use of SFDs for improved planning and sanitation investments.
International Training and Exposure Visit on Faecal Sludge and Septage Management
This initiative was a part of CSE’s programme for building capacity of officials (state and municipal level) from the state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) in India. Among the participants were officials from the Directorate of Local Bodies (DoUD), executive officers from urban local bodies, and engineers from the UP Jal Nigam. Besides them, technical and non-technical officials from Nepal and Bangladesh also joined the training.
Said Rahul Mankotia, programme manager, water programme, CSE: “The overall objective of this event was experience and knowledge sharing for mainstreaming of best practices in faecal sludge and septage management. In line with that, the training introduced the participants to a range of tools and concepts including SFDs, city-wide inclusive sanitation, and co-composting of faecal sludge and organic solid waste.”
As a part of this event, an exposure visit was organised to the Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant in Sakhipur where co-composting of faecal sludge and organic solid waste is undertaken. The compost produced by the facility is marketed and reused.This is a model plant with a potential for replication in India, where the treatment of faecal sludge and organic municipal solid waste is a huge concern.
The participants also visited a farmers’ school (an initiative of Bangladesh’sDepartment of Agriculture, for linking agriculturists with the market), where local farmers are being educated about the compost from the Sakhipur plant and advised about its usage. The participants had an opportunity to interact with the Mayor of Sakhipur as well.
Shiv PujanYadav, additional commissioner, DoUD, Uttar Pradesh, who was one of the participants, said: “We were exposed to a lot of new ideas regarding how the twin problems of faecal sludge and organic solid waste can have one solution, along with the need for forward linkages to close the loop -- for example, engaging the agriculture department, NGOs and farmers right from the beginning can ensure proper market for the by-products.”
On CSE and its work on SFDs and FSSM
CSE has partnered with the SFD Promotion Initiative partners (BMGF, EAWAG, GIZ, University of Leeds, WEDC and the World Bank) to develop tools and methods for the production of SFDs. It has prepared more than 100 SFDs (over 70 in the Ganga basin region and the rest for other cities in India) and made a considerable contribution to build capacity of practitioners in South Asia and Africa to develop good quality SFDs.
CSE and WaterAid Bangladesh share a decade-long partnership, jointly providing solutions to issues concerning safe water and sanitation for all by building capacity of relevant stakeholders. Areas of collaboration include rainwater harvesting, decentralised wastewater management, faecal sludge and septage management and city-wide sanitation planning.
For more details:
Sukanya Nair, The Media Resource Centre, CSE, +91 88168 18864, sukanya.nair@cseindia.org
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