A 13-member delegation from Leh and Kargil districts of UT Ladakh, visited the Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar (IITGN) on October 13, 2021. The aim of the visit was to understand low-cost eco-friendly domestic wastewater management at IITGN and to explore various options of sustainable systems for the treatment of sewage that can be adopted for the extreme cold climate of Ladakh.
The delegation included administrative officers and councilors of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), elected representatives of Leh and Kargil towns, chairperson of the Block Development Council, executive officers and ward members of Leh and Kargil Municipal Committees, engineers of their Public Health Engineering Department, and urban planner of Ladakh Ecological Development Group (LEDeG). This exposure visit was facilitated by LEDeG and Urban Management Centre (UMC), Ahmedabad.
On behalf of IITGN, Prof Sudhir Kumar Arora, Professor of Practice in Civil Engineering hosted the delegates and also gave a presentation on “Management of Domestic Wastewater in Diverse Climatic Conditions: Sustainable Technologies for Extreme Cold Climate”. It was explained to the delegation that the availability of fresh water in India has reduced manifolds since independence and therefore, management of wastewater has become vital not only from the point of view of higher sanitation standards but also to conserve freshwater. Management of wastewater at Leh becomes more challenging due to the extremely cold climate resulting in the near-total absence of bacterial activities.
The delegation was briefed about low-cost sanitation technology being used at IIT Gandhinagar, the Root Zone Method (RZM). The delegation was also taken for site visits to WTP and STP. These visits were conducted by Shri Vinod Baghel, SE of IWD, IITGN. Life cycle cost analysis, cost variations with change in STP capacity, and issues of M&O were also discussed with them. The chairperson of the Block Development Council, Leh requested that IITGN may also explore the possibility of revival of traditional methods of fecal matter management in stand-alone toilets using wood dust.
The role of bacterial activities in the treatment of sewage was explained in simple non-technical language to them through animation. It was shared with them that DRDO had installed several biodigesters based on special psychrotrophic bacteria (originally found in Antarctica). However, in the present scenario due to stringent standards set up by National Green Tribunal, these digesters will require a relook and tertiary treatment will be required. The delegation was informed about the specifications originally drafted by Prof Arora during his posting at Udhampur (Northern Command) in MES during 204-15. These specifications included the provision of insulated WCs, use of steep slope bottom in Indian WC for ease of flushing, use of a low water seal, placing toilet seats away from the external wall for better insulation, use of insulated building sewer, use of insulated sewers with loosely filled soil cover, laying of sewers below the frost line, use of double cover manholes, possible use of modified septic tanks and soak pits in absence of electricity. The option of using other established technologies if the availability of electricity could be ensured was also discussed.
Keeping in view the fact that the floating tourist population in Ladakh will rise significantly, the importance of the reuse of treated effluent was also discussed. The presentation concluded with the remark by Prof Arora ‘in nature water is neither created nor destroyed but simply recirculated’. The delegation was assured that IIT Gandhinagar can help them in developing appropriate methodology and treatment schemes for their areas after field trials through pilot projects and lab studies.
