Decentralised treatment and recycling of domestic wastewater - An integrated approach to water management - A pilot project - CPCB (2008)

This report by the Central Pollution and Control Board (CPCB) describes the various intervention measures chosen to reduce the ecological footprint of the Sangamam housing project at Auroville. These measures include water harvesting, recycling and waste management. 

Auroville is located in Tamil Nadu, south India, about 12 kms north of  Pondicherry and 150 kms south of Chennai/Madras, adjacent to the Coromandel Coast. Auroville’s development is closely related to that of the surrounding villages. There are 13 such villages in the immediate vicinity of Auroville, and altogether 126 villages in the wider bioregion of 825 sq.kms.

Sangamam Project is a housing colony for the workers of Auroville situated at about 155 Kms South of Chennai and about 10 Kms North of Pondicherry. Among its objectives, it also aims to provide an integrated solution to the material and social needs of the rural population, especially the young and  to find innovative solutions to many of the current problems of inadequate housing, water supply, waste management and infrastructure in the community while causing the least  impact on environment.

The Sangamam project aims to minimize its ecological footprint by using the following techniques:

• Harvesting of rainwater for all non-potable domestic uses
• Composting waste
• Watershed management to increase infiltration
• Use of recycled  wastewater for irrigation purposes.

The report elaborates upon these systems and the infrastructure created. The water tanks, pipeline systems, ponds and other rainwater storage units, segregation of waste, and the sewage treatment facility comprising of anaerobic reactor, root zone treatment, and maturation pond are explained in detail. Further, the monitoring systems are also described. Water quality samples and the costs of construction, operation and maintenance are listed.

The report is sub-divided into the following chapters:

• Introduction to Auroville
• Introduction of Sangamam project 
• Wastewater treatment system 
• Calculations for hydraulic and organic load in primary and secondary treatment unit

Download the entire report from below: