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Asia

Co-composting Plant in Sakhipur, Bangladesh

Sakhipur, is a 33,000-inhabitant town in Tangail District, Bangladesh with very poor sanitation. Sakhipur’s sanitation situation was such that sludge was either left in full pits and septic tanks, or emptied and discharged unsafely, causing environmental contamination and health concerns. Solid waste management was complex due to limited treatment.

Co-composting Plant in Sakhipur, Bangladesh

CROSS-CUTTING SECTORS

WASH, governance, circular economy

ORGANISATION(S)

Sakhipur Municipality in partnership with WAB and BASA and the Department for Agricultural Extension

PROJECT OVERVIEW 

Sakhipur, is a 33,000-inhabitant town in Tangail District, Bangladesh with very poor sanitation. Sakhipur’s sanitation situation was such that sludge was either left in full pits and septic tanks, or emptied and discharged unsafely, causing environmental contamination and health concerns. Solid waste management was complex due to limited treatment. The pourashava (municipality) is responsible for Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) services as well as solid waste management, yet small towns usually do not have the adequate human resources, budget or incentives to deal with the issue. To address this challenge, WaterAid Bangladesh (WAB) and the Bangladesh Association for Social Advancement (BASA) have supported Sakhipur Municipality both technically and financially to analyse the situation; evaluate potential options; and establish a co-composting plant in 2015, which became operational in 2016. The plant treats both faecal sludge and organic waste to produce good quality compost, sold to local farmers. This came alongside improvements along the sanitation chain, such as better faecal sludge emptying with Vacutug motorised pumps, recruiting waste transport workers, and encouraging source separation of organic waste. This solution was chosen given the current waste streams and especially given the high demand for compost coming from neighbouring farmers. Click here for more information.

RELEVANCE TO THE CALL TO ACTION ON SUSTAINABLE URBANISATION ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH

These examples have been chosen because of their relevance to the Call to Action, as shown by the direct quotes provided below. To view the Call to Action click here.

  • “Cities and human settlements are responsible for ensuring delivery of essential services including water, sanitation, healthcare, education, public transport, and housing, upon which their citizens depend.”
  • “Sustainable urbanisation requires a commitment to good governance, integrated planning, effective service delivery together with fiscal and political empowerment.”
  • “Sustainable urbanisation demands collective action – genuine multi-level governance – to empower, enable and support cities and their citizens.“

THIS EXAMPLE HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY

WaterAid: https://www.wateraid.org/uk/