Department of Environmental Science and Management, North South University, Bangladesh
Ahmed Ali
Department of Environmental Science and Management, North South University, Bangladesh
Md. Sharif Uddin Ruman
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, North South University, Bangladesh
Saman Saad
Department of Environmental Science and Management, North South University, Bangladesh
Prosun Bhattacharya
Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 10B, SE-10044, Stockholm, Sweden
Tom Van der Voorn
University of Osnabrück, Institute of Environmental Systems Research, 49069, Osnabrück, Germany
Md. Aminul Islam
Advanced Molecular Lab, Department of Microbiology, President Abdul Hamid Medical College, Karimganj, Kishoreganj, Bangladesh
Md. Shakhawat Hossain
WaterAid Bangladesh, Dhaka, 1213, Bangladesh
Kazi Al Amin
WaterAid Bangladesh, Dhaka, 1213, Bangladesh
Sumon Kumar Saha
WaterAid Bangladesh, Dhaka, 1213, Bangladesh
Imamur Rahman
WaterAid Bangladesh, Dhaka, 1213, Bangladesh
Hossain I. Adib
WaterAid Bangladesh, Dhaka, 1213, Bangladesh
Lamia Mahzabin
Department of Environmental Science and Management, North South University, Bangladesh
Mohammed Fahim Murshed
Institute of Disaster Management and Vulnerability Studies, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
Ragib Ahmed
Department of Environmental Science and Management, North South University, Bangladesh
Hasin Jahan
WaterAid Bangladesh, Dhaka, 1213, Bangladesh
Marufa Ferdausi
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, North South University, Bangladesh
Damià Barceló
Water, Environmental and Food Chemistry Unit (ENFOCHEM), Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), C. Jordi Giron 18-26, 08034, Barcelona, Spain
Christian Sonne
Aarhus University Department of Environmental Science, Roskilde, Denmark; Corresponding author.
In Bangladesh, people primarily depend on on-site sanitation facilities (OSSF) with an immense challenge in achieving safe sanitation due to unplanned infrastructure development, improper management of fecal sludge, and inadequate monitoring. The commitment of attaining Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 6.2 (ensuring safe sanitation for all) by 2030 requires immediate attention in the management of fecal sludge for low-middle income countries. This paper presented the findings, challenges, and possible ways forward from a study conducted to provide data for Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-based fecal sludge management (FSM) at a municipality in the northwest of Bangladesh. A total of 18,808 households and 407 institutions in Saidpur municipality, a non-sewered town in Nilphamari district, were studied to understand the type of containment structures and on-ground desludging practices. The study showed around 10% of containments were connected to the drains illegally, 95% of the people in Saidpur practiced unsafe disposal, and 7% still practiced open defecation. To identify these malpractices, the study also implemented an ICT-based sustainable solution through a web application that enabled the local administrator to have a global look at the sanitation scenario of the municipality. The dashboard was developed to create a total sanitation monitoring system, identify defaulters, allow target-based safe managed sanitation service strategies, and ensure sustainability in FSM. The study highlighted the accessibility of vacuum truck services projecting through a spatial map and identified methods to empty the septic tanks where Vacutag services are unavailable by engaging local pit emptiers. The innovative approach of fecal sludge management will help not only to improve the existing sanitation practices but also raise community awareness to ensure sustainable sanitation system. Altogether, the web system will work as a medium to manage the faecal sludge for the existing co-compost plant where the faeces is converted into organic soil conditioner, creating prospects for a green business mechanism.
