The Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant at Lubhu, Lalitpur is a pilot implementation by Mahalaxmi Municipality with support from ENPHO, BORDA, Saligram Bal Griha and CDD Society. The treatment plant is the first of its kind in Nepal with regard to the concept of reusability of all possible end products and integrated approach towards faecal sludge treatment. The treatment process provides resource recovery options; treated wastewater for reuse in irrigation, bio-solids as soil conditioner for farming, biogas for cooking and lighting, which benefits the treatment plant caretaker. Ultimately, the produce from the treatment plant’s caretaker is primarily utilized for consumption by the kids residing in Saligram Bal Griha and excessive produce is sold in the local market. However, the immediate beneficiaries of the plant were the people using the latrines constructed during the emergency earthquake response phase at Mahalaxmi Municipality.
The faecal sludge treatment plant is a gravity based system and is capable of processing 6 m3 of sewage per week. The plant utilized a combination of prefabricated modules and civil constructed units to achieve cost efficiency during construction.
Furthermore, the operations and maintenance requirements are relatively low and are achieved via treating sewage in the absence of electromechanical equipment. The plant is highly efficient and can be operated without any skilled labor on a day to day basis. The concept of maximum reusability of the end products after treatment are reused, ultimately closing the sanitation loop.
