CSE@WATER AND DEVELOPMENT CONGRESS & EXHIBITION, 2023

Non-Sewered Sanitation (NSS) systems represent a significant departure from conventional centralized sewerage systems, marking a transformative leap of faith that is less than a decade old in India and other global south countries. These innovative systems offer a remarkable opportunity to conserve water in the face of water scarcity and climate change and abatement of pollution in rivers, water bodies, and groundwater caused by untreated septage. Moreover, NSS has the potential to be made affordable and inclusive, ensuring access to sanitation services for those who need them the most. Additionally, the conversion of faecal sludge into valuable bio-solids and the generation of treated water through faecal sludge treatment plants (FSTPs) contribute to the circular economy concept, recovering resources from waste and reducing environmental impacts.

With nearly a decade of NSS momentum worldwide, we are now in a position to consolidate the lessons learned from NSS implementation — understanding what works, where, why, and what emerging challenges exist.

The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has been dedicated to NSS as a pathway for sustainable, inclusive, and affordable solutions that promote climate resilience. This commitment was further highlighted during the first International Policy and Practice Forum 2023, held in April 2023 in New Delhi, India. Building upon this momentum, we continued our efforts at the first IWA NSS Conference in Johannesburg in October, which included a full-day workshop and five thematic sessions. And now, at the Kigali IWA Water Congress, CSE is organizing two workshops and participating in paper presentations. Details are as follows:

Workshops by CSE:

Scaling up inclusive sanitation: Policies, practices, challenges and implementation strategies
A workshop to share experiential learnings from India’s journey on scaling up sustainable and inclusive sanitation and promoting Global South collaboration for non-sewered sanitation.
Tuesday, December 12, 13:30-15:00 (CAT), WS 10, Session 2, Room MH1

From treatment to reuse: Addressing the full circle of challenges and opportunities of environmental sanitation in the Global South
A workshop to discuss how to identify baseline status, challenges and priorities for achieving circular economy of sanitation in Global South countries.
Thursday, December 14, 13:30-15:00 (CAT), WS 40, Session 2, Room AD1

Paper Presentations:

Need for reuse of treated bio-solids from FSTPs: Scoping the gaps and recommending potential ways to increase demand
DR SUMITA SINGHAL | Tuesday 12 December, T2.11: Resource Recovery and Circular Economy, Session 1, Room AD12
How a community-managed project ended the quest for 24/7 water supply

FARAZ AHMAD | Thursday 14 December, T1.9: Opportunities for Sustainable Water Management, Session 1, Room AD4