FSTP at Jhenaidah, Bangladesh

Location: Jhenaidah (23°32'35.0"N 89°07'17.5"E)
Scale: City level (Population-1,57,822)
Implementing Organisation: SNV, Bangladesh
Area: 2.4 Acres (site) 700 sq.m

Designed Capacity: Constructed wetland: 36 cum/day
Drying bed: 5 cum/day
Operational since: December, 2016
Capital Cost: 8,460,920 BDT
6,503,690 INR
O&M: N/A

Since the improvement in access to toilet in Bangladesh, each city is looking for a solution to random disposal of desludged faecal sludge(FS)) from increased number of toilets. Hence this treatment plant was implemented to tackle the mismanagement of FS. Though the municipality has to still work on ensuring regular load to the plant, now at-least they have a dedicated disposal site.

Planted drying bed: 5 units
Unplanted drying bed: 3 units
Planted filter bed (for leachate treatment): 2 units

Planted drying bed
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. Leachate from the planted drying bed then flows under gravity to the planted filter bed for further treatment. The sludge is kept in the planted drying bed for a period of 2-3 years. Once the sludge accumulates to a height of around 0.9 m in the PDB (in 2-3 years), it is removed and can be used as an organic soil conditioner. Dried sludge from the planted drying beds will be used for composting

Unplanted drying bed
Raw FS from tankers is discharged into the unplanted sludge drying beds. Leachate from the unplanted drying bed is then flows into planted filter bed for further treatment. The bed is filled to its full capacity and is kept for drying for 2-3 weeks. After the sludge is dried, it is used for composting. Treated leachate from UPDB and PDB in the planted filter bed post treatment is discharged into a stream of Nabhaganga river.

The plant is underutilised as it is not getting the sufficient load. The municipality is looking for ways to improve the FS delivered to the plant to make the plant self sustainable.

Mehndi Hassan
Conservancy officer, Jhenaidah Municipality
+088 01713920444