Initial Datasets form Phase 3

Sunday 15th September

I've now started compiling the datasets.  First up, temperature readings:

This is the first time we've been able to monitor the sludge temperature, and it's interesting to see how it compares to the air temperature.

Other things to note, are the relatively in significant difference between the two roof designs, and the minimal impact (in terms of heat gain) of the raking strategies.  The unraked beds were lower maintenance (no need to rake each day) but observation suggests the raked beds dried quicker.  So I guess it depends whether you want speed (increased throughput) or faff.

Hopefully I'll be able to post some pathogen results in the next day or two, and some more indepth analysis of these initial results.

Phase 3 - Last day

Monday 9th September

This morning I hustled the samples over to the icddr.b and Dhaka University before frantically trying to get everything closed out on some other projects I'm working on before I go offline for a bit as I travel home via Dubai.

Another classic roundabout

Backstreet scene in Dhaka

Pineapple Market

Rushed photo of a nice pavilion we passed - apologies for finger - first time in years I've managed that!

Prof Hamida is helping us with helminth studies at the University of Dhaka

Totally did a double-take when I first saw this....!

 Finally, one thing that still baffles me, in so many places I have stayed they have installed a phone by the loo.

Call of Nature

Anyhow, hope to get some results up here soon, and some of the issues that are still outstanding.  In the meantime, it's back to the UK...

Last site visit for Phase 3

Sunday 8th September

Due to uncertainties over the ferry crossing - the car ferries are grounding on the silted up river with increasing frequency, and are often stopped/ half capacity with big delays - we tried a new tack in our mission to get to site:  the launch.  We got one driver to take us to the port, and then got on a passenger boat across the river, and met another driver on the other side.  It turns out this is actually quite a time efficient way of doing it, and we managed to time our arrival so we were the last passengers onto a departing launch, so no waiting around.

At site we got busy taking samples from the beds and the ground near the site - so we could compare the treated sludge with 'naturally present' background levels of pathgens and indicator bacteria.

Taking soil samples

Suman taking samples

Illustrating how dry we are getting it

Samples lined up ready for packing off to Dhaka

Suman practicing downloading data from the trust sensors (left)

The sludge was looking good and dry:

Although there was significant condensation build up inside all the roofs:

Images of the condensation issues

This will be an issue we need to deal with/ think about going forwards.
I also couldn't help notice how well the veggie plot was coming along...

On the way home we stopped off at a 'sweet shop' to pick up some yogurt and treats for Suman's family.

Again we took the launch back and were home in Dhaka before 6pm, 12hrs after we left this morning, which was pretty good going!

Roofs had been removed and put in an area considered 'less risky; while the buildings are flooded.  Unfortunately I think it got the roofs too - hopefully they won't rust too badly!

River scene

Our launch driver

Back in the office, crunching data

Thursday 5th September

Today I was combing through emails and other admin in the WA office in Dhaka, writing up blog posts, and checking out our half-way data.

(apologies for the blip in the external weather data - the receiver was accidentally taken off site for a few days)

What is interesting to note is that the beds remain a degree or so warmer than outside at the coldest points, but are significantly (at points as much as 20 degrees) hotter during maximal external temperatures.

It will be really interesting to see what happens now during the cooking phase.

Will get back to you on Sunday night with some feedback about that.

Mid-test Check on Phase 3

Wednesday 4th September

Before we left Khulna, I managed to get a photo of perhaps my new favourite roundabout...

Shrimp Farming is a major activity in this area.

Boy towing a barrel - there is something poignant about this.  

 On the way up to Faridpur evidence of the jute harvest was everywhere.  The jute stalks are held underwtaer for 5-6 days to rot, and then the fibrous inner is removed and draped over bamboo sticks to dry, and the remaining stalks bunched up in conical 'hats'.  The fibres are sold to jute factories to weave into jute fabric, and the stalks are used to make partition walls in huts among other things.  Roadsides are apparently great places to dry the jute out, so the road was pretty much lined with this kind of scene all the way to Faridpur (2-3hrs away).

Jute drying

Jute going to market.

 Anyway, finally we arrived back on site, and look! Its drying!
(this is 6 days after delivery of very liquid slop, and it has been raining heavily at least once every day)

Bed A - Raked

Bed B - Not Raked

Bed C - Raked

 A close up of the sludge in each bed:

Bed A - Crusty clumps, a bit 'pastey' at the bottom

Bed B - Very dry crust on top (~1cm) and pastey underneath

Bed C - As with A, crusty lumps and a bit pastey underneath

 There was a little condensation on the inside of the roofs, but it was quite minimal.

View of interior - you can see the temperature sensor we are using - about the size of a watch battery, mounted on a plastic keyfob.

Interestingly, as soon as we zipped it up (we were a day overdue on the 'cooking' phase) condensation immediately appeared, and the temperature shot up - sneaking your hand in, you could tell it was getting really hot in there.

We stopped for a little photoshoot before departing:

Myself and Suman (WA) with the Practical Action Team

Suman (WA), Mamun (PA) and myself

The seedlings are already making a great effort in the mini-garden.  The empty quadrant really is empty - no seeds were planted there, and the two green patches are different plants so the visual density is mis-leading.

The team had some interesting questions about using these plants once they are grown... "can we eat the leaves? will the pathogens from the sludge get into them?"  This indicates there is still some education to be done around use of compost.

I reassured them that if sludge is mixed with the soil, there is no way the pathogens could get into the leaves, but they may get onto them, through dirt/ leaves touching the soil, however given that the sludge has been both solar dried and composted, and will then have been exposed to the sun directly for a month or three on the top of the soil, then it is highly unlikely that any will still be viable.

We left the site all zipped up and cooking in the midday sun.

 Oh and I couldn't help but notice the fame-board developing in the Practical Action office - there are copies of all the newspaper articles about the project, and a myriad of photos of myself and colleagues from WaterAid on the walls...

Must remember to think about what I look like more...!

Khulna, Nabolok and the emergence of a new project

Monday 2nd - Tuesday 3rd September

This morning we flew to Jessore, apparently along with the Bangladesh national cricket team and their Aussie coaches.  At least Suman recognised them as the national cricket team, I just saw a bunch of over-preened young chaps who didn't seem to understand how an aeroplane seating system worked!  They'd also booked out the 'nice' hotel in Khulna, and the transport to the town, but anyhow, after a bit of hassle, everyone else on the plane managed to bundle into some alternative transport, and we got through the 2hr bumpy drive to Khulna without further incident.  We struck up conversation with a dutch gentlemen who was an ecologist with the EU, doing some work in the sundarbans around monitoring, evaluation and advocacy for their protection.  It is an area of mangrove forest, designated a UNESCO world heritage site, and an area under great threat from many directions - saline intrusion (due to diversion of freshwater upstream), clearance for development, pollution etc.  Its also first in line to go underwater as climate change affects sea levels.

Anyhow, once we arrived, we went straight out to the site they have prepared for a faecal sludge management (FSM) project of their own.

The access to these sites always seems to be through a rubbish dump.

Very flat site

The site is about 100ft x 72ft and is made up of compacted ground on top of old agricultural land.  There is secure fencing and a gate already installed.

There is a watercourse just on the other side of the fence along the top edge.  This would be where any treated wastewater would be discharged.

We had some interesting discussions that afternoon, back at the Nabolok office.  Nabolok are WaterAid Bangladesh's partner in this region.

They want to have a facility that will treat FS for the municipality, and act as an exemplar project for others to visit and learn from.  They hope to inspire the City Corporation that the approach used is a good idea and replicate it.

They are also keen to have a closed loop process on site - so all processes from delivery to final product, happen in one location.  

I had a great design jam with their HR guy (see scrawls on the whiteboard above), who it turns out is a trained architect, and I think he could be really helpful in drawing up the designs.

We went over to visit their head office, and Chief Executive, in another part of town, as a courtesy call, and Suman explained the project to him.  Interestingly, he reminisced about the 'old days' when people would make their own fertiliser (compost) from kitchen waste and cow dung, but they do not like to do it anymore.  There is some work to be done to bring the knowledge and willingness back.

A lovely RWH model in the Nabolok office

 On Tuesday we had further discussions fine tuning the approach we should pursue, prior to a meeting with the City Corporation that afternoon.  I did some calculations around the relative sizes required to treat Khulna's sludge.  They estimate they have the potential to collect 6000L/day.  The City Corp have one 3000L vacutug, and the Urban Partnership for Poverty Remediation (UPPR) have three 1000L vacutugs.

It is not hard to realise this is way beyond what our solar dryers were designed for, ie small scale, decentralised, peri-urban/ rural application, and so we proposed a combined approach.  Sketching out the sizes of our solar beds and a planted filter on site, it becomes clear that they can actually do both:

Rough Scale Sketch of Khulna Site

This is just an indicative layout, to get a sense of what an appropriately sized planted drying bed and set of four solar drying beds (and associated reedbed) would look like on site.  There is still plenty of room for the required caretakers hut, polishing pond, composting centre and turning space for vehicles.

Initial calculations suggest with four solar dryers working on a 10day delivery/removal cycle, you could generate 1.2m3 of compost (1200L) every month.

For an 8m x 20m planted drying bed, if 2000L was delivered every day, then over 3 years (assuming a 90% water content) we would expect in the region of 1.3m depth of sludge build-up.

With both technologies on site, we could practically illustrate two different approaches to FSM, and show how each works at different scales and applications.

We hustled out of the office around 2:30pm for a late lunch, and I had about 30mins to prepare some slides for a critical meeting with the City Corp to get their sign off on the proposal...

Khulna City Hall

Meeting passed without incident, and everyone seemed pleased with the outcome.

We leave Khulna early tomorrow to stop off at Faridpur and check progress, before returning to Jessore and flying back to Dhaka.