Abstract
Inadequate information on physiochemical properties of faecal sludge leads to inappropriate design of pit emptying devices and poor faecal sludge disposal contributing to environmental pollution. This study undertook a critical analysis of physiochemical properties of feacal sludge that influence design and performance of pit emptying devices and faecal sludge disposal for improved faecal sludge management in urban slums. The physiochemical properties determined were; Moisture content (MC), ash content (AC), total solids (TS), volatile solids (VS), nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), potassium (K) and pH. Samples were collected from 55 unlined pits at depths of 0, 0.5, 1 and 1.5 m from pit surface. The unlined pits in this study were purposively selected from slums in Kampala. A sample of 300 g was sucked from each depth using a manual sampling tool and emptied into a plastic container. The container was then wrapped in a black plastic bag and transported in cooler boxes to the lab for analysis. The properties were subjected to Principal Component Analysis to isolate the critical parameters that affect pit emptying and faecal sludge disposal. The mean results were: MC of 86 ± 8.37%; TS of 0.14 ± 0.08 g/g wet sample; VS of 0.73 ± 0.32 g/g dry sample; pH of 8.0 ± 1.5; AC of 0.35± 0.18 g/g dry sample; TN of 3.5 ± 0.08%; K of 2.2± 0.13% and P of 1.4± 0.05%. It was concluded that physiochemical properties in Ugandan pits are comparable to those of global pits except for the acidic conditions at top surface in some pits, and higher moisture content in pits due to the high water table. PCA results showed that moisture content and total solids affected pit emptying techniques while fractional content of N, P and pH affect most choice of faecal sludge disposal technique. Key words: Pit latrine, faecal sludge management, developing countries, physiochemical properties, pit emptying.
Highlights
Over a billion people worldwide are served by onsite sanitation technologies (Strande et al, 2014)
The high coefficient of variation for total solids, volatile solids and ash content could have resulted from collecting samples from pit latrines used by different people living in different households (Günther et al, 2011)
The baseline survey revealed that the households had different diets and lifestyles; this could have been the cause of the variation in the physiochemical properties of faecal sludge (FS) (Zziwa et al, 2014)
Summary
Over a billion people worldwide are served by onsite sanitation technologies (Strande et al, 2014). Despite the fact that sanitation needs are met through onsite technologies for a vast number of people in urban areas of low- and middle-income countries (Strande et al, 2014), there is typically no proper faecal sludge management system in place. Over 90% of the population living within Kampala slums use onsite sanitation facilities (Semiyaga et al, 2015; Günther et al, 2011), pit latrines because they are relatively affordable and ease to construct. It is reported that almost 35% of the pit latrines within the Kampala slums are full and not emptied (Zziwa et al, 2014) This is mainly due to the high costs incurred in emptying the full pits (Dodane et al, 2012) and the risk associated with disposing of the sludge properly without polluting the environment. People empty their full pit latrines into nearby drainage channels contributing to water pollution and poor sanitation in the city (Kulabako et al, 2007)
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