Sustainable sanitation - decentralized, natural and ecological wastewater treatment
Nearly half the world’s population lacks adequate sanitation. Decentralized and natural systems are often cheaper to build and manage. In addition, systems based on separate treatment of excreta and greywater, often termed ecological sanitation, offers new possibilities for design of sustainable systems. Most well developed nations are facing large costs in repairing and updating existing sewage infrastructure. Decentralized and source separating systems also offer interesting and resource efficient options for the developed world.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS COURES IS NOT GIVEN IN 2012
Objective: The students shall have an overview of the challenges related to inadequate sanitation in developing countries and an overview of potential technical solutions. The students should know limitations and advantages of different treatment systems and the socioeconomic factors of relevance for successful implementation in different parts of the world. The participants should be able to design and implement smaller decentralized, natural and source separating systems.
Course content: The course will elucidate how unsafe water supplies and inadequate disposal of human excreta hinder economic and social development and constitute a major impediment to reducing poverty, and inevitably lead to degrading the environment. Unfortunately, the people in poverty stricken areas – especially infants and young children – suffer the most. This calls for appropriate solutions that are affordable considering local constraints.
This course explores sustainable sanitation solutions for the poor, but also for rich countries. The different systems are introduced through case studies presented by international experts. Through inductive learning based on real cases from different parts of the world, including sanitation in crisis situations, dry and wet and cold climates, the students are challenged to suggest and design systems. Lectures are given on key topics related to system function and design.
The course emphasizes on decentralized solutions, natural systems (wetlands ponds, soil infiltration and sandfilters) treating combined wastewater and greywater, small diameter pressure vacuum and gravity collection systems, source separating systems (dry sanitation, urine diverting and blackwater systems) and anaerobic treatment of waste resources for production of biogas and fertilizer from excreta and organic household waste. Both the technical and the socioeconomic sides of successfully improving sanitation are covered.
Prior to the lecture period some course material will be sent to the students. Through self-studies and e-learning the students are given the necessary background knowledge to fully benefit from attending the following lecture and exercise part at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB). The course work at UMB is divided into three parts: 1) lectures and exercises 2) Practical exercises and excursions showing examples of relevant systems including the greywater treatment system at Klosterenga in Oslo and a taste of Scandinavian nature and 3) course summary and exam. Those that complete the course are given 12 ETCS credits.
UMB students that take the course THT280 do not need preparatory part (prior to arriving at UMB) and will be accredited 10ECTS credit points instead of 12 ECTS points for the course.
Tentative course program The course will start on June 1 2011 and last until June 25. The program will be updated/revised as more details are available. All the events except the excursion are taking place at UMB
Week 1
Introduction to UMB and Norway
Teaching and excercises
Weekend activities organized by UMB
Week 2 and Week 3
Practical exercises including construction of systems Excursion to relevant systems
Week 4
Exercises and presentation of group work
Course summary and exam preparations
Exam and closing ceremony
The first week of the course will be devoted to lectures and exercises where technical aspects of wastewater treatment will be coupled with exercises and relevant health and social issues. There will also be a day devoted to sanitation in crisis situations where the students after and introduction will try to solve realistic cases.
The purpose of the excursion is trifold;
1) see and learn from visits to technical installations and systems, 2) experience Scandinavian landscape 3) a social event.
The last day there will be a 3 hour written exam and a closing ceremony.
The main lecturers
Professor Petter D. Jenssen, Norwegian University of Life Sciences. Norways foremost expert on natural and ecological wastewater treatment systems. Petter D.J. is currently heading the development of new MSc programs in ”Sustainable Water and Sanitation Health and Development” in cooperation with Universities in Nepal and Pakistan.
Heinz-Peter Mang, University of Science and Technology Beijing. Heinz-Peter is currently working as an integrated CIM-expert (German Centre for International Migration and Development of the German Agency for Development Cooperation (GTZ)), as Manager of the Centre for Sustainable Environmental Sanitation in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering.
Elisabeth-Maria Huba, Technology for Economic Development, Maseru, Lesotho. Elisabeth is currently working as an integrated CIM-GTZ-expert as Social Scientist for disseminating sustainable sanitation technologies and household energies. She is also engaged as ecological sanitation trainer for the World Toilet College, based in Singapore.
Professor Robert L. Siegrist is Director of the Environmental Science and Engineering (http://ese.mines.edu/) at the Colorado School of Mines (CSM) in Golden, Colorado, USA. At CSM, he is also Director of the Small Flows Program (http://smallflows.mines.edu/). With over 30 years of experience, Dr. Siegrist is an international expert in the design and performance of onsite and decentralized wastewater treatment and disposal/reuse systems. Dr. Siegrist has specialized expertise in the use of porous media and soil systems for advanced treatment and beneficial reuse of wastewaters and other impaired waters. In 2003, Dr. Siegrist developed a new semester-long course, "Onsite Water Reclamation and Reuse", which covers the principles and practices and the engineering design of onsite and decentralized systems. This course is offered to seniors and graduate students every spring.
Dr. Johannes Heeb, Seecon Switzerland. President of the Ecological Engineering Society. Johannes H. Is involved in capacity building for sustainable sanitation in India in addition to projects on several continents
Dr. Bahadar Nawab, COMSATS University, Abbotabad, Pakistan. Bahadar N. Is an expert on socioeconomic issues related to sanitation and is leading the development of a new MSc programs in Sustainable Water and Sanitation Health and Development in Pakistan.
Professor Thor Axel Stenström, Stockholm Environment Insitute and Norwegian University of Life Sciences. Thor Axel S. is a world leading expert regarding health issues related to wastewater. He is a frequently consulted experts by the WHO
Application The deadline for application is Mars 1, 2011. All applicants have to submit the course application form for none-degree students. Please read the form carefully and provide all required information and documentation especially documentation for English qualification and transcripts of university records. Application without those documentations will not be eligible (see also admission requirements). For students coming from a developing country a limited number of scholarships are awailable. Scholarships applicants have to submit in additionto the scholarship application form and documentations the scholarship application form. Both application forms should be sent to Tonje Nore.
Course fee and scholarship
Self financed students pay a course fee of NOK 3500 that covers excursions, course material and the main social event.
Students with a scholarship will receive a daily allowance. The course fee and accommodation in a student dormitory is also covered by the scholarship. Travel is not covered by the scholarship. The scholarship is given to students of developing countries only. Students from developing countries temporary studying abroad (e.g. in Europe) are eligible for a scholarship.
Accomodation
Student dormitory The student dormitories provide a furnished single room. The bathroom and kitchen is shared by 5 other students. The student dormitories are in 20 minute walking distance from the railway station in Ås and 10 min walking distance from the auditorium. The cost is NOK 3500.
Backpacker accommodation This is in a scouthouse in the forest. You will have to bring your own sleeping bag. The house has cooking facilities and running hot and cold water, but no showers. Solar showers are provided, but have to be assembled by you. There is one pit latrine. As part of the course you will construct your own waterless toilet facilities to supplement the pit latrine. The scouthouse is located 10 minutes walking distance from the campus and 20 minutes from the railway station. There are no separated rooms for men and women. The cost is NOK 500.
Admission requirements Applicants should have an university bachelor degree wastewater engineering, natural or agricultural sciences.
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a minimum score of 500 for a paper based test, a score of at least 170 for a computer-based test or minimum 60 for an internet-based test International English Language Testing Service (IELTS) with a minimum score of 5.0.
For alternative documentation please see the GSU-list above and the Language requirements from the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education or other alternative documentation.
Contact information
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS COURES IS NOT GIVEN IN 2012
For information regarding the formalities of application contact: Tonje Nore (tonje.nore@umb.no). For information regarding the course content other matters contact Petter Jenssen and Manoj Pandey.
Feedbacks from students participating summercourse 2008
"This course is a must for any student interested in working in wastewater treatment. The course organized by UMB, and the coordination, guidance and supervision by Petter Jenssen was outstanding. All the participating lecturers were excellent, and UMB was a wonderful summer retreat. It was also greatly appreciated being exposed to people / lecturers who are so thoroughly involved in their field of expertise. We were lucky that so many experts had time for us." James M. Raude, Kenya
"The participants had come from different countries across the globe and their diversity was not just reflected in their different geographical provenience and cultural diversity, but also in their different professional and educational backgrounds. The uniting factor of that outmost heterogeneous group was the determination, will and readiness to acquire knowledge, skills and expertise in how to address the most pressing problems regarding “Sanitation” in developing countries, like Ethiopia." Addis Ababa Lisanework, Ethiopia
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