Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant (FSTP),

Leh, Ladakh
Submitted by:

Shaun George Sunny

School of Planning and Architecture (SPA),
Bhopal
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................... 3
Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) ..................................................................................... 3
Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) Policies in India ........................................................ 3
Leh FSTP .............................................................................................................................. 3
FSTP Specifications.............................................................................................................. 4
FSTP Costing ........................................................................................................................ 4
PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION ............................................................................................ 5
PUBLIC- PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP .................................................................................. 5
STEP-BY-STEP FUNCTIONING OF FSTP ........................................................................ 6
NOTABLE FEATURES OF FSTP ........................................................................................ 7
ANALYSIS OF FSTP .............................................................................................................. 7
WAY FORWARD FOR FSM ................................................................................................. 7
CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................ 8

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INTRODUCTION
Faecal Sludge Management (FSM)
If sanitation is to be managed safely, it is imperative to go beyond the toilet and examine
containment, emptying, transport, treatment and reuse or disposal of faecal waste. Feacal
Sludge Management (FSM) is central to achieving the vision of an ‘Open Defecation Free’
India. Efforts should focus on large and dense villages and census towns. FSM is critical for
Safe Sanitation. FSM process is subdivided into five major management levels ranging from
safe disposal of Faecal Sludge from the toilet to reuse of treated sludges and water as given in
the following diagram.

Fig.1: Faecal Sludge Management

Source: https://smartnet.niua.org/sites/default/files/resources/fsm_leh.pdf

Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) Policies in India

The Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) targets to
rejuvenate 500 cities with respect to water supply, waste management, urban transport and
development of green spaces and parks. Also, funds are transferred directly from the Ministry
of Finance to Gram Panchayats for works related to sanitation such as Solid and Liquid
Waste Management (SLWM) which is funded under Swachh Bharat Mission(G). All Gram
Panchayats can take up funds under Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM (G)), with financial
assistance capped on the basis of the number of households, to enable them to implement
sustainable SLWM projects.

Leh FSTP
Leh Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant (FSTP) was designed by BORDA and CDD Society,
executed by Municipal Committee of Leh (MCL) and Blue Water Company (BWC). Influx
of tourists, modern habits and increasing popularity of flush toilets has led to depletion and
contamination of groundwater which is a major source for drinking water for the city. Cities
like Shimla have seen cholera outbreaks due to the pollution of the water bodies. A sewer
system is under construction at Leh and in due course may only cover 40-50% of the city
which could be too little, too late. The FSTP was built to tackle the prevailing Feacal Sludge

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Management (FSM) issue in Leh city. In May 2017, BORDA conceptualized a FSM system
for the city that can complete the sewerage system that is under development. A Turnkey
Public Private Partnership (PPP) model was adopted to make the FSTP in Leh with a five-
year contract among Leh Municipal Committee (LMC), BORDA, CDD Society and Blue
Water Company (BWC).

FSTP Specifications

• Altitude- 12000 feet

• Population- 45000
• Area of site- 0.15 acres
• Design capacity: 12 meter cube/day
• Sludge loading rate: 100 kgTS/sqm/Yr
• Effluent quality: BOD < 30 mg/l
• Inlet - Faecal sludge
• Outlet/end products- Treated water + manure
• Operational since- 2017
• Cost of the plant- Rs. 60.66 Lakhs
• Need- Poor design of septic tanks leading to groundwater contamination causing
serious health issues.
• Challenges- High altitude and extreme climate conditions (minimum temperature of -
30⁰C)
• Construction Period- 7 weeks
• Aim- To make Leh the first ODF++ city in India.

Fig. 2: Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant, Leh

Source: https://smartnet.niua.org/sites/default/files/resources/fstp.pdf

FSTP Costing
Three major cost segments are involved in setting up, operationalization and replacement of the
FSTP. First category of the cost is Capital Cost which is Rs. 52.2 Lakhs. Second cost segment is
operational cost that is Rs. 7.66 Lakhs. Third segment of the cost of the FSTP is replacement cost that
is Rs. 0.83 Lakhs. Details of the costing is given in Table 1 below. Detailed costing is given as
Annexure.

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Table 1: Capital , operational and replacement cost
Source: https://niua.org/scbp/sites/default/files/FSTP_Cost_Analysis_1_0.pdf

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
While Public funds can be identified, it takes time to allocate budget, government tendering
process delays implementation and work against the urgency of the situation at hand.
Therefore, BORDA invited BWC to set up India’s first PPP in FSM on DFBO system and
therefore solve the above problem in a sustainable and financially profitable way.

PUBLIC- PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP

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The devolution of powers between Leh Municipal Committee and Blue Water Company for
five years is shown in the Table 2 below. It outlines operational responsibilities, payment
terms and revenue models.

MUNICIPAL COMMITTEE OF BLUE WATER COMPANY

LEH (MCL) (BWC)
Will provide land for FSTP Will invest Capital to construct FSTP

Will provide 2 suction tructs for cleaning
services.
Will charge and collect a fee from every
house for compulsory FSM services.
Will send customers a notice of cleaning 20
days in advance
Table 2: Devolution of powers between LMC and BWC
Source: https://smartnet.niua.org/sites/default/files/resources/fsm_leh.pdf
Will create a monthly schedule and clean
septic tanks
Will be paid a part of the fees collected
from customers, after septic tank is cleaned
Will train all employees and ensure all
safety standards
Will develop a plant nursery where treated
water will be used for greenification
projects

STEP-BY-STEP FUNCTIONING OF FSTP

Raw FS is emptied from the tanker into the screening chamber to remove any grit and debris.
FS from the chamber enters into the respective planted drying bed. Each day, only a single
bed of Planted Drying Bed (PDB) is filled with FS and allowed to dry. Post solid-liquid
separation and digestion of solid fraction at PDB, the leachate (which has percolated from the
drying beds) flows under gravity to Horizontal Planted Gravel Filter (HPGF) for further
treatment. Once the sludge accumulates to a height of around 0.9 m in the PDB (in 3 – 4
years), it is removed and can be used as an organic soil conditioner. The treated leachate from
the HPGF is stored at a PP where it is further digested and disinfected using direct sunlight. A
plant nursery has been proposed to be developed on-site where the treated leachate and FS
will be used to grow plants and make Leh greener. The details of the functioning of the
FSTPIS shown below:
• Planted Drying Bed (PDB)- 10 units
o Solid-liquid separation and digestion of solid fraction
o Area- 48 sqm./bed
o Volume- 12 meter cube/ day/ bed
• Horizontal Planted Gravel Filter (HPGF) - 2 units
o Treat liquid fraction using plants and controlled flow
o Area- 60 sqm/unit
o Plants used- Phragmites karka, Canna indica 1
• Polishing Pond (PP) – 1 unit
o Ultraviolet disinfection of water and storage
o Area- 24 sqm
o Filter material used- Graded Gravel, Sand

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Fig. 3: PDB, HPGF and PP processes
Source: https://smartnet.niua.org/sites/default/files/resources/fsm_leh.pdf

NOTABLE FEATURES OF FSTP

1. Speed in implementation- The FSM system became operational just after three
months.
2. No cost to Government- ULB has invested no money and pays only after services are
delivered.
3. Accountability and simplicity- The process is not complicated and BWC accountable
for failures.
4. New technology- PDB Technology used for the first time in India, DEWATS module
used to treat water at low cost with simple operations.
5. Respect for operators- FSTP will provide a comfortable office and rest area to provide
a positive work environment.
6. Capacity to increase- Building more PDB will increase capacity by two times in just
four weeks.

ANALYSIS OF FSTP
Planted Drying Bed (PDB) technology used in India for the first time. This technology is
robust and flexible for extreme climate conditions. No direct human contact with faecal
sludge. Minimal odour during entire process and aesthetically designed to locate it near
habitation. Gravity-based system based on natural and biological treatment with no use of
chemicals or electricity. It is a green and eco-friendly system. Minimal and simple operations
with no skilled operator required, minimizing operations & maintenance (O&M) costs. A
nursery will be set up and operated using the treated wastewater and sludge.

WAY FORWARD FOR FSM

Design appropriate technologies: Treatment systems need to take into account the
geographical conditions, have low operational and maintenance costs.

Create a robust institutional and regulatory framework with specific roles and responsibilities
for each stakeholder.

Create a participatory approach: Awareness generation activities to be carried out to instill

the importance of FSM with both implementers and local population groups.

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Develop a sustainable financial models and tariff structures: This is utmost importance for
sustainability of FSM finance. The financial model is to be framed in a manner which covers
the cost of the treatment plant, transportation and be affordable to users.

CONCLUSION
The FSTP was designed and built in a record 44 days as a result of close cooperation among
the Municipality, BORDA, CDD Society and Blue Water Company. The current capacity of
the FSTP is to treat 12,000 litres of faecal sludge per day.

The Leh FSTP shows how sustainable interventions can be applied at a lower cost for
efficient management of faecal sludge, even in the most challenging environmental and
physical conditions.

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ANNEXURE: DETAILED COSTING

Source: https://niua.org/scbp/sites/default/files/FSTP_Cost_Analysis_1_0.pdf

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