Open Defecation in Rural India
Conceptualizing methods to abate open defecation remote and rural parts of ndia
Background
This project was done as part of the Master of Design Research Program at the National Institue of Fashion Technology, New Delhi, India.ODF (Open Defecation) refers to the practice whereby people go out in fields, bushes, forests, open bodies of water, or other open spaces rather than using the toilet to defecate. Open defecation poses a serious threat to the health of children in India.
Timeline
2 weeks
Team
Aakansha Sharma, Snigdha Singh
The Purpose
With an understanding of designing sustainable systems, we decided to bring the problem of open defecation in light and propose a sustainable yet reasonable method to control ODF and direct the waste for another greater use.
Delimitations- This research was more secondary as well as exploratory research based
Research Process
The investigation started with reading online articles, case studies and reports to understand how big this issue is. All the data facts were collated in a few days and discussed.
Causes and Concerns of Open Defecation
Understanding the Target Audience
After evaluating the causes and concerns of the issue, it was essential to understand the target audience or the people who defecate in open. Case study analysis and reports played a vital role in forming the core basis of the project, reading through these sources helped in understanding the existing scenario in rural India and the reasons that push the people to perform such a task.
Feasibility Check
After understanding the audience and the challenges they face which leads to open defecation, we started to brainstorm how to reduce the if not totally shun the problem.
Project Evaluation
The research, gave us in-depth insights so to get a perspective we decided to reframe our objective and study furthet about existing models and interventions
Reframed Objectives
Existing Scenarios to Resolve the Issue
System Analysis of the approach
System Analysis was conducted to evaluate all the variables that impact this problem and what could be done in order to replace the existing ones with more efficient ones.
Comparative Analysis of the solutions in progress
System Analysis showed us the impact of different variables in the problem, after studying the impact we decided to go back and conduct a comparative analysis of the existing parameters for solutions and their functions
Proposed Solutions and Conclusion
Bio Mimicry
Worms and many other organisms quickly convert solid waste into humus.
The humus is like rich organic topsoil. Worms and beetles continually burrow through it and keep it open, free-draining and aerobic.
This humus filter ensures:
no potentially smelly anaerobic septic stage (humus absorbs odor)
natural aeration - no mechanical aerators needed.
Concept Flow
1. The hydro cyclone toilet uses technology that separates the solid and liquid wastes onsite through a black water separator.
2. The treatment bed: This houses the wet soil ecosystem. It accommodates worms, beetles and billions of microscopic organisms. These soil creatures break up the organic material, converting the waste into humus and structuring it so that its drainage and air porosity are continually renewed and maintained indefinitely.
3. Customizable irrigation kits to disperse the secondary treated effluent to land via pressure
compensating drip line irrigation. Treated effluent is evenly distributed to the aerobic
topsoil layer to further polish the affluent and complete the treatment process.
Working
During unoccupied periods where there is no fresh ‘food’ entering the worms and other organisms feed on and break down the residual organic content in the filter. Because Tiger worms eat their body part when not given sufficient food.
About the worms
When the raw sewage arrives in the Tiger Worms get to work quickly. They are one of the strongest creatures for their body weight, and continually break up the sewage, creating millions of aerobic channels. The tiger worms quickly turn the sewage into humus. The wastewater is then cleansed as it trickles through the many channels in the humus. The worms break down an optimum amount of solid waste in just 60 hours. A standard septic tank takes at least a week
Cost: 500 gm of these worms cost about Rs300-400
The worms double in a month and a significant population is created within the septic tank in three months which can then sustain itself.
Materials
Water-insoluble and organo-soluble cationic polymers
Antimicrobial surfaces -attached with a polymer, or polypeptide
Organosilane materials
Linear polymers
Depending on the proper selection of reactive silane, a variety of improved performance attributes can result, including:
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Weathering
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Adhesion
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Hardness
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Flexibility
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Moisture resistance
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Lubricity
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Cross-link density
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Corrosion resistance
