Residential training on Managing Rural Sanitation

The five-day training program on Managing Rural Sanitation was conducted from December 09-13, 2024, at Anil Agarwal Environment Training Institute, Alwar Rajasthan. The training was specially designed for the officials of Leh and Ladakh working in the rural sanitation sector. 25 officials from various districts from the state attended the training program. The objective of this training program was to brief and create an understanding about the challenges and current treatment scenario in sanitation and solid waste in rural areas. 

The participants were inducted on the understanding of sanitation structures, its issues and challenges with respect to fecal sludge management, greywater management and solid waste management in rural areas.

The training started with explaining the challenges and interconnections of safe sanitation, including fecal sludge management, greywater, and solid waste disposal, followed by innovative technologies implemented in Leh-Ladakh for waste and sanitation management and also highlighted the impact of improper sanitation structures on groundwater and communities, considering the region’s soil permeability and pollution risks. 

A session on the use of GIS tools for improved planning was organized. Technology overviews and technical designs for offsite greywater and fecal sludge treatment systems along with the quality aspects and potential reuse of treated fecal sludge and greywater, emphasizing sustainability and resource efficiency were also covered. 

The participants were given the exposure to live model projects of decentralized treatment of wastewater and rainwater harvesting at the AAETI campus. The participants were also taken for a visit to our in-house testing laboratory. Field visit to the hamlets of Nimili village helped the participants to understand the greywater scenario at village level. 

The training had a mix of lectures and hands-on activities to prepare a district-level plan. The training sessions were undertaken by various internal and external experts. The participants developed a model district-level plan and presented it during the training.