Septage Management

Urban Onsite Sanitation and Septage Management
In India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam, an estimated 60 to 90 percent of urban households with improved sanitation rely on onsite sanitation systems, such as septic tanks and latrines. Until recently, however, few governments, cities, and wastewater utilities addressed the issue of what to do with septage, or the sludge that accumulates inside these systems, once they were built.  As a result, the countries listed above treat less than 5 percent of their septage, except for Thailand, which treats an estimated 30 percent.   Today, while septic tanks and latrines have become a major contributor to groundwater and surface water pollution in many cities in the region, septage management is one of the most overlooked, yet immediately implementable strategies to addressing urban wastewater.

To address this gap, WaterLinks development partners are focusing resources on developing regional assessments, trainings and partnerships for septage management. Capacity building initiatives emphasize the following major areas:  

  • Establishing local policies to ensure political support and legal mandate; 
  • Selecting an effective management systems (e.g. services provided by water or wastewater utility, public utility or private contractors);
  • Developing strong collection system, that includes fee collection and public promotion; and
  • Implementing a manageable treatment facility along with trained operations staff.

Current and Past Water Operator Partnerships on Septage Management:

  • Hai Phong Sewerage and Drainage Company (SADCO) in Vietnam  reduced their non-revenue water in a pilot area from 30% to 11% with help from City West Water in Melbourne, Australia.  Now the partners, who say that the twinning has been very successful and developed lasting friendships, are working to scale up these improvements through MCWD's network. 
  • Five Philippine Water Districts are initiating new septage management programs with assistance from Indah Water Konsortium in Malaysia and Maynilad Water Services in the Philippines. Under the guidance of these two experienced wastewater service providers, the water districts will select appropriate technologies, construct the facilities and buy the trucks, implement collection programs, and develop their operations skills.  This partnership also tests a new WOP model of engaging multiple recipients and mentor partners at one time.
  • Calamba Water District in the Philippines is designing and building a new septage treatment facility that uses constructed wetlands and natural treatment systems, with design and training support from Chia Nan University in Taiwan. The facility will be co-located with the planned municipal slaughterhouse, recycle treated water and produce compost. This partnership also engages the Laguna Lake Development Authority in order to further disseminate and replicate this technology around Southeast Asia's largest freshwater lake.   

Featured Publication: 

  • A Regional Assessment of Septage Management in Asia
    Developed by USAID and EAWAG, this regional assessment documents for the first time the policies and practices of septage management in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. The report identifies a number of best practices in septage management from the region, and provides recommendations at the national and regional levels to improve management of Asia's most prevalent form of urban sanitation.

See Additional Resources on Septage Management

Trainings Organized by Partners on this Topic:

 

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