The Septic System
Human waste to crops
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The nutrient rich effluent produced through a septic treatment system is used on the fields to enhance the crops, and also provides some financial relief from having to buy expensive fertilisers.
The septic tank system works by:- collecting human waste through the toilet pan which is dip flushed using less than one litre of water
- waste passes through the first chamber of the septic tank where solid waste is treated
- only liquid passes through to the second chamber where further settlement of remaining solids occurs
- nutrient rich effluent is piped underground from the second chamber to the surrounding crops and is a valuable fertiliser.
The animation above was developed to show construction teams and villagers in Nepal how a septic tank works. Less than a year after releasing the animation it has had over 70,000 visits on YouTube.